TNA’s Nic Nemeth Gets Candid About Personal Sacrifices & ‘Bound For Glory’ Challenge

Nic Nemeth has made a career out of stealing the show. The TNA Wrestling World Champion looks to do it once again on the company’s biggest stage at Bound For Glory. The veteran performer, previously known as WWE’s Dolph Ziggler, defends against emerging star Leon Slater in the main event of the October 11 pay-per-view. This collision has been building during Thursday Night iMPACT! each week on AMC.  

For “The Wanted Man,” it’s not only a chance to elevate his 22-year-old challenger. The match provides another opportunity to further cement his legacy and ability to deliver now more than two decades in the game. Here Nemeth opens up about his run and what it means to lead at the top.    

How do you compare being a TNA World Champion to other times you held a world championship? What’s the feeling you have right now?

Nic Nemeth: It’s pretty damn cool. Anytime you’re any kind of champion or representative or even ambassador to the company, it’s being able to talk to different media outlets and do PR work. So that’s fantastic. Comparing it to other companies, f you want to compare world championships in TNA to those in WWE, that’s easy. I became champion by cashing in a contract on a very injured man who still almost beat me. Then when I came to the back I told Vince [McMahon] that I looked forward to being his champion. He said, “Yeah you’re just holding the title for a few weeks so I can get [Alberto] Del Rio heated up again.” And I went, “Okay, I guess I have a few weeks to try and change your mind.” He went, “Yeah okay,” and shrugged.

That meant that there’s absolutely no one behind me, and there’s no long-term story. That’s fine. That’s life. That’s pro wrestling. That’s Hollywood. In TNA, they say, “We love your work. We love the way you talk. We love the media that you do. We love the reputation that you have to steal the show in every single main event of every pay-per-view that we have, so we are behind you. We want you to be the best here, and we feel that you’re the best representative to be world champion. And I went, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

You’ve really stepped in this leadership role as the TNA World Champion as well. Even when there was some confusion regarding when a match with you and Jeff Hardy would air, you took responsibility for that. 

I felt like it made sense to me because I feel like I’m the main representative for TNA at this point on a regular basis, and I really appreciate that. But if I was in WWE, I would have done the same thing. Once you get to a point where you’re actually taking responsibility for things inside the ring and out, I feel like I’m a good ambassador for that. I was like, “Hey, man, I’m the world champ right now, and I got to tell you, it was a little confusing if we were going live tonight or not, to me included.” I said, “Listen. It happens. It’s on me. I should have been even clearer when I was promoting it. And you know what? We’ll fix it.”

It ended up doing okay. We did some pretty good numbers with it. And then myself and Matt Hardy did pretty damn good numbers a couple weeks ago too. So that being said, yes, it’s really easy to be like, “Hey, I’m the champ, and we’ve sold out for WrestleMania, and I show up once every three months.” It’s really easy to say something like that. But when it comes down to [if they ask], “Why are there only 800 tickets sold for this pay per view? You’re the world champ and you’re the guy.” And you go, “Well, I got to get out there, and I got to get the word out, and I got to get more people watching iMPACT!. I got to get more people following us on social media. I got more people to sign up for the YouTube. I have to get more people every time I have a media opportunity to take that.” I take it in stride and look forward to it. 

I think it also comes down to believing in the potential of TNA. 

Every show we’ve done I’ve sat there watching from the opening match to the X Division match to the Knockouts match. I’m going, “Holy sh*t, how am I following this?” And every time so far, I’ve gone out there. I thinking, “Catch your breath, there’s a reason you’re in this position. Let’s go.” I’ve gone out, and whether they booed and threw garbage or not, we stole the show and sent them home with a hell of a match and a hell of a card. We look to do that every single time. I have to check the numbers, but this is my ninth or tenth main event in a TNA pay-per-view, and there isn’t a time I haven’t delivered yet. And not just here, for about 23 consecutive years, no big deal. 

I think one day, if I ever do hang it up and stop, I don’t know that anybody has a record better than mine. Not wins and losses, relax. I lost a thousand times. I don’t think anyone has a better record of not missing work, constantly working, and in that schedule before COVID that it was five or six days a week. You just stayed on the road. I never took vacations, I missed a lot of weddings. I missed funerals, I missed things that would have been really fun because I devoted myself to being the best professional wrestler alive. And one day, my run will be better than anyone else’s because I’m still going, and I still feel great.

A couple of weeks ago you had a really standout match with KC Navarro You’re now following up at Bound For Glory against Leon Slater. What do you make of TNA’s recent youth movement as I think it says a lot for the company to put a young talent in such a big slot.

You could put me in the ring with a broom, and we could have a match, but it wouldn’t be main event worthy. To be honest, there’s no risk to having Leon in the main event. He has earned it. Pro wrestling or regular talk, he has earned it, and he has backed it up every step of the way. So he is untested and untried in a main event. So that is the difference. And we could see him freeze under the lights, or he could become champ, or fans can go, “We liked him when he was chasing for the title.” Anything could happen. He could win, but I just don’t think he has the reps and the experience that I do. It comes down to kill or be killed, fight or flight, and I’ve delivered. I won’t hesitate to step on someone’s neck and stab them in the back and win that match. He might because he’s a good human being. 

The difference between the two of us is just the reps. I’ve seen it in his eyes. This dude wants to be the greatest of all time. Who doesn’t? Everybody does. But so far, he has been awesome and has this future laid out and mapped out to whatever he wants to do. He has not been in the main event with a target on his back and an entire roster coming after him, social media coming after him, wondering why the houses are up or down. Can you do this media? Can you skip your sleep tonight and go right into the media and fly somewhere? I don’t know if he can accept all that responsibility. I know I have for 20-plus years now. So, that’s the difference between the two of us. I really think a slight hesitation between him is the only difference between winning and losing, and that’s going to be the difference.

You talk about the sacrifices made being in your position. I listen to Busted Open where you are a host for Sirius XM and talk about being at your parents house often. Are they on you about settling down? 

I love my roommates. They’re my roommates! No, I’m just kidding. I love going to visit them. You know what? Occasionally, there’s some pressure there, but I never felt like I wanted to because I really wanted to dedicate myself to wrestling. I chose that. I live a life by myself when I’m not at my parents’ house. I’m at my own house, and I really like it. Five, six days a week, it’s my favorite thing. One day a week, it’d be nice if someone was here. Okay, I could share the house with one person if I really liked them. Maybe let’s start with a dog, and then let’s see if we can work up to a human being or something. But none of that matters to me.

I like doing my own thing. If something comes up, I’m all ears for it. I’m open to it, but I’m ridiculously busy. I like it that way. A lot of young ladies will go, “Oh, I totally understand! I do the exact same thing! I’m into my work! Then cut to three weeks later it’s, “Again, you’re working? I didn’t sign up for this.” Anyway, that’s fine. Got it. I understand. One day I will have less of a schedule, but I hate when two days go by, and I’m sitting at home going, “What the hell am I doing here?” With me not being hurt and looking as good as I do and backing it up with the ring work, there is a window to where at some point, at 56 years old, I probably won’t be able to be a viable world champion. I need to get the equity now and get everything I can in before my body one day does a Dick Clark and it all catches up to me. We’ll see.

So when you’re looking at friends with kids and a wife, there is no sense of missing out?

It’s hard to miss it if I’ve never had it. I have several friend groups that I bounce around. I got the crew that we all go out and go hit Mötley Crüe shows or some kind of headbanging shows. I have lots of friends everywhere, and it’s kind of cool. Like. I’m in Arizona. My parents are in Cleveland. My brother Ryan is in LA. It’s these three entities of us all fly around and meet up with each other. Sometimes we all meet at my parents. Sometimes we all go to Ryan’s in LA. Everyone comes to my house for Thanksgiving, and all these different things. I stay busy, even when there’s a couple days off. I’ll try and find some concerts, a nice cover band, a nice  Mötley Crüe cover band to go to with my friends. But otherwise, I like working too much. One of these days, I’ll slow down, but that day is not today. 

Bound For Glory is coming up in Tampa. I know you and Rhonda Shear have filmed content for her network. Did she get an invite to the show? 

Absolutely, and she has a ticket for her, so I believe she will be there among several other friends and people that I’ve known through the years. I lived in Tampa for a year-and-a-half, and I absolutely loved it. I had a great time. We’ll have a lot of friends and guests at this show. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m a little bit nervous. I’m going to steal the show and some girlfriends. That’s easy to say when you’re reading a t-shirt, but I know what this roster is capable of, and every couple of pay-per-views it becomes more young up-and-comers proving themselves. Half this card is young, up-and-coming people looking to cement their legacy and just kick it off. I’m hanging on here. Without the bullsh*t behind the scenes politics that I grew up with, where everyone is just trying to keep their spot, I’m trying to go out there and steal the show. I will show I should still be there. 

Bound For Glory in many ways wraps up a season and starts a new chapter. What do you see for TNA in the next year? What are your hopes for them in the next year? 

I feel like [Ricky] Sosa, BDE, Jason Hotch, even Mustafa Ali, who’s been around for a while will become a permanent fixture in the main event scene. The Elegance Brand has been waiting to pop off because of all the stuff Ash did to get it kicked off, and now that’s become its own entity. There’s going to be something special over the year where that continues, and there may be some breakout stars out of the group too. Maybe all of them will be breakout stars. There’s so many up-and-comers that you hopefully, if we do this right, come out of Bound For Glory knowing their names. And even if Leon Slater doesn’t pull it off, this guy is a main eventer. This guy can be world champion tomorrow.

TNA Bound For Glory, October 11, 4/3c, Pay-Per-View & TNA+

Thursday Night iMPACT!, Thursdays, 9/8c, AMC