The trajectory of Dolph Ziggler's career has been on a downward slope ever since his World Title win back in 2013. However, he is a mainstay in the mid-card scene and a loyal servant to the WWE. He has been with the company for over a decade, going from being a member of The Spirit Squad to multiple title reigns.
As a result, being in one place for so long will, of course, lead to many stories. Some are well-known such as his relationship with Nikki Bella. Whilst others are more behind closed doors. So let's explore some backstage stories from Ziggler's career.
10 Arguing With Vince McMahon
Ziggler and McMahon are both very passionate about wrestling; that much is clear. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the two came to blows. Ziggler revealed that it can get very heated in the gorilla position, admitting that Vince has been furious with him on many occasions.
From either going too long in matches or promos to going in the wrong direction, Ziggler was told that this wasn't the Attitude Era anymore and he can't just do what he wants. Clearly Vince is very passionate and controlling over his product and its image.
9 Fling With Sunny
Sunny has gone on record multiple times claiming that she and Ziggler had a fling. She claimed that Ziggler drove for over an hour with a concussion just to meet up with her. This was back in 2010, so Ziggler has surely grown up a ton since going on random flings.
Sunny is notorious for sleeping with multiple wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels and Chris Masters. Ziggler has also been with a few wrestlers himself from Sunny to Nikki Bella. So it's not really a surprise that these two had a thing.
8 Dating Nikki Bella
Of course, most people already know that Ziggler and Nikki dated back in the day. Before dating Cena, Nikki was in a relationship with Ziggler which ended due to Ziggler's infidelity. It's obvious that Ziggler is a ladies man, especially back in the day.
In 2015, on Total Divas, Ziggler told Nikki he still had feelings for her whilst she was still dating Cena. Whether this was set up or not it was interesting that their past was brought up.
7 Threatening To Quit After Summerslam 2019
At Summerslam 2019, Ziggler lost to Goldberg in a squash match. Ziggler was annoyed that WWE wanted him to lose in under a minute so he threatened to quit if it wasn't longer. This resulted in the match going just over one minute and then the aftermath with Ziggler who continued to provoke Goldberg.
Ziggler was determined to get more time in the match and not be made to look like a jobber. He somewhat got this as he got a tiny bit of offense in and his continuing to call out Goldberg made him look strong.
6 Being Forced To Have A Haircut
Back in 2011, Ziggler went from his curly blonde hair back to a crew cut similar to his Spirit Squad days. It was a weird transition as his previous style made him stand out above others.
Ziggler revealed during a Twitter Q and A that he was essentially forced to cut his hair, stating that he was told short hair would make him look more credible. It was a bizarre decision from WWE higher-ups as it just made him look bland.
5 His Feud With Kofi Kingston Was Not Meant To Happen
When Ziggler feuded with Kofi in 2019 over the WWE Title we all remember his iconic line, "It should have been me." However, none of this was meant to happen, as Kevin Owens was pencilled in to be Kofi's challenger.
Due to WWE having an event in Saudi Arabia, Owens pulled out of the show. This resulted in Ziggler being called up late on to replace Owens. Ziggler accepted and feuded with Kofi Kingston in what ended up to be a losing effort.
4 Last Minute Royal Rumble Plans
Another instance in which Ziggler was not supposed to be in. At the 2018 Royal Rumble, Ziggler made his return after a time out as the 30th entrant in the Rumble match. This, of course, led to nothing which was disappointing, however, he wasn't even meant to be in the match.
Ziggler revealed that he had a comedy show in the same city the PPV was taking place. So, WWE called him up and asked him to feature which he agreed to do. These were a crazy series of events that led to Ziggler's return.
3 Dating Amy Schumer
Ziggler runs his own comedy gigs and loves it just as much as wrestling. Therefore, it's no surprise that he ended up dating a famous comedian. He and Amy Schumer dated years ago until she called things off over text.
Schumer then went on multiple TV talk shows talking about her relationship with Ziggler, however, she never mentioned him by name. Apparently she broke things off because he was too athletic in between the sheets.
2 Having A Panic Attack Inside Elimination Chamber
During an interview on Talk is Jericho, Ziggler admitted that he is claustrophobic and he was having a panic attack inside his chamber at Elimination Chamber 2012. To help calm himself down, Ziggler would put his mouth between the chain-link fence and take deep breaths.
To make sure the cameras didn't catch this, Ziggler faced backwards and when he turned around acted as normal as possible. Thankfully, Ziggler got through the match okay and did very well to keep his cool.
1 Vince McMahon Didn't Believe In Ziggler
Vince McMahon and Triple H both didn't believe in Ziggler during the height of his popularity, stating that he was trying to be Shawn Michaels and critical on his promos and in-ring work.
However, Pat Patterson rated Ziggler highly and wanted him to cash in his MITB at Wrestlemania. Vince McMahon did let Ziggler cash in but it was at the RAW after Mania and he only did it to pop the crowd.