Nic Nemeth Looks Back On Time In WWE's Spirit Squad Before Becoming Dolph Ziggler

When one thinks back on The Spirit Squad, of Johnny, Kenny, Mikey, Mitch, and Nicky, it's unlikely the word "legend" gets thrown around often. But for one of those five, Nicky, legendary status was indeed achieved as Dolph Ziggler, a WWE Triple Crown Champion, and current TNA World Champion (as Nic Nemeth). On "Busted Open Radio," Nemeth talked about how those levels of success may never be a possibility for an up-and-coming talent if they aren't prepared to work through unfavorable gimmicks, and make the most of the minutes they're given.

"I was a frickin' cheerleader," Nemeth said, explaining that if this was the shot he was given, he was going to have to do it to the best of his ability if he was ever going to be able to look himself in the face when it was all said and done. "My shot is becoming one-fifth of a cheerleader group that gets bounced around," he added. "You go, 'Well, if this is the only chance I ever get to be in WWE on their television show, I'm gonna do this to the absolute best f'ing way I can so that I can tell myself that if this was my shot, I gave it everything.'"

The alternative to that approach is to complain, which Nemeth certainly could have done, but that would have meant potentially missing out on opportunities. Whether those were guaranteed or not, it wasn't something he was going to let slip by the wayside. "I didn't go, 'Well, you know, I kind of half-assed it. I don't want to be a cheerleader, that's dumb,'" Nemeth said. "They could have thrown all five of us in the trash and said, 'That was it,' but you don't know if that's going to happen."

That persistent approach paid dividends for Nemeth, obviously, but he admits that it isn't always easy, especially when you're saddled with a character that most everyone looks at as a joke. "This was my dream, and they made it a joke. How do I fix it?" he remembers thinking. "[How you fix it is] you show the boss that if he tells you, 'Hey, you're a cheerleader now,' you are [a f*****] cheerleader ... when the time comes for you to pick your battles [and choose your own way to go] character-wise, that's when you step in and do it."

That step, too, is easier said than done, but keeping an eye on even the slimmest of chances to become the success you set out to be is the key, according to Nemeth. "[It's] hard to do because you have to sit there and go, 'Man, my career is a joke right now,'" he recalled. "But you know what? If you fight through it, it's not guaranteed, but there's a chance. You got a 1% chance of becoming WWE Champion. Do you go all the way with it? Damn right you do."

Digging into his role as Nicky in The Spirit Squad, though it did lead to a World Tag Team Championship run, might not have been the proudest moment of Nemeth's career, but it did set him up for future glory. And after being packed up and sent off in a crate marked "OVW Louisville, Kentucky" by D-Generation X, his return as Ziggler sent his career on an upward trajectory that will likely culminate with induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. For now, post-WWE, he's just getting started as TNA World Champion, but even that may have never been possible without his time as a cheerleader.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open Radio and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.