Ex-WWE Star Nic Nemeth Says He 'Hates' This Aspect Of Wrestling
This past week on "AEW Dynamite," Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay kicked off the show with an intense brawl against the Don Callis Family. Despite the deeply personal nature of the feud, Ospreay still found a moment to moonsault off the guardrail, a spot that has spurred conversation among fans and critics.
Nic Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler in WWE, shared his thoughts on "Busted Open Radio" about moments like this, where acrobatic pro wrestling moves are integrated into situations that should feel more raw and violent.
"When you're fighting someone you hate so much, I hate, no matter what company or what story, when you go into a wrestling spot. I really hate that," Nemeth said. "I like when it's like, 'Hey, it's AEW, they do the coolest wrestling moves, the coolest matches, it's awesome to watch.' But when someone is in, like, a run-in, beatdown with four-on-one, or four-on-two, and you turn it into a little bit of a duck-and-weave countered into a head scissors into another thing that gets countered, I went, 'Ah!"
Nemeth emphasized the importance of maintaining a clear tone distinction between wrestling matches and backstage brawls. He notes that there must be a believability to "blood feuds" in pro wrestling, and when someone launches an aerial assault during a brawl, it destroys the illusion of a personal feud.
"There's just a little piece of me that goes, 'I like when you can separate to where everything is not a wrestling match.' The wrestling matches are wrestling matches, and the craziness of backstage fights or brawls, or trying to take someone out are totally different than that," Nemeth explained. "If I'm fighting someone, I'm swinging, I'm trying to choke somebody out, there's no rules."
During the episode, Nemeth also shared his specific issues on the "Dynamite" opening segment itself.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Busted Open Radio" podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.