Former OVW Wrestler Clarifies Relationship With 'Uncle' Dolph Ziggler

Andreas John Ziegler offered to "peel the curtain back a little bit" in a recent interview to explain his "relationship" with Dolph Ziggler.

The New Japan Pro-Wrestling star clarified in a new interview with Solo Wrestling that he's not related to the two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion but that it was a joke he made in wrestling school that his WWE "uncle" ultimately gave him the blessing to use.

The two wrestlers have joked back-and-forth on Twitter about being uncle and nephew, perpetuating the rumor among some fans and pro wrestling blogs. Ziegler, who spells his name differently than Ziggler, clarified after he was asked about his "very famous uncle" during a recent interview.

"So, I'll peel the curtain back a little bit here: When I was a kid I was really into wrestling so what I did was when I went to school, I told everybody that Dolph was my uncle," Ziegler said. "What happened was I actually ended up meeting Dolph at a stand-up comedy show in Wisconsin in probably 2019 or 2020 – it was before the pandemic – but when I met with Dolph, I told him that story, that I was going to train at OVW and he trained there too. And he was like, 'Use it, kid. Use it to get over.' Ever since then, he was super cool. He tweeted at me like, 'Best nephew in the biz,' which at the time was super duper cool for me because I was like, 'Well, I might as well use it.' "

Ziegler said "a lot of people kind of bought it hook, line, and sinker, so I guess I'll keep rocking and rolling with it."