- Dolph Ziggler joined the Spirit Squad in 2004 and was released
- He won his first World Heavyweight Championship in 2012 during his best run
- Ziggler is one name in a list of cuts the company made Thursday afternoon
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler has been released by the WWE.
It ends a twenty-year stint with the company that saw him become a Triple Crown champion.
Nic Nemeth, who plays Dolph Ziggler, joined the WWE in 2004 as a member of the Spirit Squad stable and has been with the company for 19 years.
During his time there, he became a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, a two-time United States Champion, a six-time Intercontinental Champion, and in doing so, became the 22nd WWE Superstar to win the Triple Crown.
His last storyline was with the also-released Mustafa Ali, in February when the two tried to outdo each other in singles.
Dolph Ziggler (left) has been released from WWE after a 19-year stint with the wrestling promotion
Ziggler enjoyed several successful runs in the company but was not on television when he left on Thursday
That would culminate in Ali’s victory over Dolph Ziggler on February 13, 2023, ahead of his final appearance at the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the Friday before WrestleMania.
During his run with the company, Nemeth had suited up in a number of roles and found himself in the main event scene after being awarded his first World Heavyweight title.
He would lose the title to WWE hall-of-fame superstar Edge the same night, but he did eventually earn a legitimate title reign.
Mustafa Ali has also left the WWE just days before a scheduled title match against Dominik Mysterio in NXT’s ‘No Mercy’
After winning the Money in the Bank ladder match and several failed attempts at cashing in, he defeated Alberto Del Rio and retained the title for 69 days.
A company stalwart, Ziggler was used to increase talent as his time in WWE came to an end, despite his enormous popularity with the fanbase.
Mustafa Ali and Shelton Benjamin were also fired after long runs with the company as they made cuts on Thursday.
Australian star Emma was released less than a year after returning to the company, as were Rick Boogs, who recently returned from a lengthy layoff due to injury, Aliyah, Elias, Top Dolla and Riddick Moss.