Sometimes Vince McMahon needs to be saved from himself.
Dolph Ziggler is not exactly the coolest name in the world, but Ziggler has made it work in more ways than one. He has drawn the ire of fans for his excellent heel work while maintaining his ability as a likeable babyface also. When he first arrived in WWE, he was a heel at the bottom of the barrel with a gimmick where he would introduce himself to everyone that would listen.
Luckily for Ziggler, that gimmick could have been a lot worse. While speaking on Wrestling with Freddie, the former WWE writer revealed that Ziggler’s original name was “Dolph Diggler.” Prinze Jr. then revealed how Vince McMahon punished him for ‘fighting the good fight.’
“So, it was not a long argument. I lost quickly. I suppose my punishment for fighting the good fight was I was assigned the segment to produce the first time we’re ever going to meet this wonderfully named wrestler, superstar, Dolph Diggler.”
Freddie Prinze Jr on Wrestling With Freddie
“So I get the segment, and Vince tells me what it’s going to be. He says, ‘he’s just going to introduce himself.’ I said, I’m laughing, ‘what do you mean he’s just going to introduce himself?’ ‘Every week, he’s just going to come up and say ‘hey, Dolph Ziggler,’ and shake his hand.’ I go, ‘we’re not going to just to do that, that’s a really short segment. That’s not worthy to get on television.”
Freddie Prinze Jr. on Wrestling With Freddie
Do you think WWE dodged a bullet with this name change? Let us know in the comments and on our social media pages!
H/t To Thirsty For News for transcription
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