Former WWE Star Dolph Ziggler Recalls Difficulty Kissing Lana In Front Of Rusev

Love triangle stories in pro wrestling are difficult to portray for those involved with the open knowledge that their on-screen relationship may not be real. It is a challenge to convince people that the relationship is legitimate but when a real couple is involved and infidelity is written for them, awkwardness can come about. TNA Wrestling star Nic Nemeth spoke on "Busted Open" about his 2015 storyline in WWE as "Dolph Ziggler" with Lana (CJ Perry) and her then-real life fiancée Rusev (Miro).

"I think Vince [McMahon]'s rewarding me instead of giving me winning matches or championships was to be like, 'Hey, he's with this girl now.' I think that was my reward, was that I got a girlfriend at work," Nemeth remarked. "We're in a very small room with (Lana and Rusev) and Vince is saying like, 'Okay, we gotta see- we need you to be passionate together,' and we have to practice kissing in a very small room with her husband there with Vince watching like this with a pencil (gestures) and you're like 'oh God.'"

Nemeth said being involved in kissing segments makes friends out of those involved due to having a weird bonding experience. Nemeth was asked if doing intimate scenes is awkward for him as that is not an expectation of the wrestling industry when one gets into it. The former TNA World Champion admitted that doing the scene was weird, but it helped to have done prior acting classes.

"It was also in the 2010s to where everyone's online; again, not in WWE but in Hollywood it was much more like, 'Are you okay with this? Are you okay with this? Okay now we go do a scene,' instead of just like, 'Go make it gross. Thank you,' which is kind of the thing that we got," Nemeth recalled. "It's not what you're thinking in a lights-down hotel room... but it is absolutely the funnest, biggest rush when you get it and you get it right."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.