A Long and Winding Road Brought Nic and Ryan Nemeth Together

More than a decade later, the Nemeth brothers have finally united. Teaming together in TNA, they are reintroducing themselves to their wrestling destiny. Tomorrow night, they will challenge The System’s Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards for the TNA tag titles at the Against All Odds show at Cicero Stadium in Chicago, Illinois.

“We were both in the ring once for a brief minute, years ago,” said Nemeth. “But to actually be in the same match together, teaming together and wrestling in a huge pay-per-view match for the TNA tag team titles, it’s unreal. I think this title match is just the beginning of a formidable tag team who can do so many things in the ring and outside the ring together.”

The Nemeth brothers have collaborated on many projects, primarily in comedy with their Hunkamania tours, but teaming together in the new ring is the newest part of a long journey. While Nic starred in WWE, Ryan had opportunities in NXT and AEW, as well as established himself as an actor, writer, and comedian. Their close-knit bond has not been on display publicly, but that can change now that they have the chance to team together.

“This business is not easy–even if you love it, even if it’s your dream, even if you soar to amazing heights,” said Nemeth. “It’s just not for everyone, and you have to actually do it to see what the hell I mean. Long road trips, missing birthdays, weddings, canceled flights, the bumps, the bruises, and much worse. I’m used to nonstop travel, I relish it. But I’m also kind of nuts. Knowing Ryan has built his own brand for comedy, writing, art, TV, and movies and has also been successful at wrestling, is mind blowing.

“We all want to be renaissance men and women, and I’ve preached that’s what it takes to succeed in this era of pro wrestling. You can be a great technician, great talker, charismatic, and athletic. But to be able to combine all those things and be successful at every one of them is absolutely impressive, no matter what career you have. Ryan has done it all and he is just getting going in the deep end of the pro wrestling world. He’s smarter than me, and that pisses me off, but I’m going to catch up to him. He can do anything, and he does. Yet, this is what he wants to do, and he thrives at it. So I am the luckiest guy in the world. I had a dream to be a pro wrestler at five years old and it happened. And I have a brother to share the ups and downs with, all throughout.”

Ryan watched as Nic wrestled at the highest levels of WWE, New Japan, and TNA, learning from his big brother every step of the way.

“When I was focused on writing, comedy, and acting, trying to figure out where I fit in the world, Nic was on a singular, focused path to becoming a pro wrestler,” said Ryan. “I remember being so inspired by that. Nic and I had the same trainers, the same parents, and grew up in the same house. Now we are in the same company–and on the same team. It’s pretty insane. To tag with him and learn from him firsthand is priceless. I mean, can you freaking imagine how cool this is?”

With Nic firmly entrenched in WWE for so long, it appeared there would never be an opportunity for Ryan to team with him.

“I started wrestling in the first place because I wanted to travel around the world wrestling and hanging out with my brother,” said Ryan. “I hoped that would happen in NXT and WWE back then, I hoped it would happen somewhere else the last few years, and now it is happening in TNA. And, hey, honestly, with the Forbidden Window open between TNA and NXT lately, who knows, right?

“Sometimes you have to make the reality you want. Nic and I have been doing comedy, film, and other projects together for so long. It's nice to finally be able to bring that rapport into the ring together. And it’s nice for a company to finally recognize that rapport and capitalize on it for themselves, as well.”

For years, Dolph Ziggler would brag in interviews that he never watched professional wrestling. As he steps away from that character, Nic Nemeth is more open about revealing his true feeling.

Yes, he is a wrestling fan. And he is a big fan of Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards, two perpetually overlooked performers who are thriving as the current TNA tag champs.

“I famously would say, ‘I don’t watch wrestling,’ and that was mostly a tongue-in-cheek joke, similar to how I would sign off my WWE YouTube channel Tosh.0-style rip-off show with ‘Later marks,’” said Nic. “It was a fun nod to my fans and viewers. Well, I would talk so much about how good I was and legends in the business would talk about how good I was and then I would lose 90 percent of the time–and it got to be 99 percent the last few years. I’m not sure why they let me be part of so many amazing moments, just to seemingly attempt to erase them the very next night on TV. I never understood that part, but maybe I wasn’t supposed to, so I just enjoyed every second and said, ‘OK, today’s the day I make them realize what I can do to help the company!’ I was booked on every live event, every TV and every pay-per-view, plus PR tours. I measured my time off in hours for about eight or nine years in a row. But yes, I watched wrestling. I always do, it’s the greatest sport in the world. So, of course I know who Myers and Edwards are and what they’ve accomplished.

“I have known Myers personally for years, and I had heard about Edwards for years. Absolute killers and pros–and I won’t say that unless I mean it. Together they’re an amazing team with so much experience and an extra edge to them, especially in The System. I had a chance to be in the ring with Edwards last month and it was an absolute blast. Not everyone at the top of their game or even the top of a company will always know what the hell they’re doing, that’s show biz–but these two do. It was extra special having that match with Edwards, when you’re friendly with an opponent, but even better when you know they’re the real deal, and he absolutely is.”

Wrestling is a family affair for the Nemeths. Their father will be ringside for tomorrow’s tag title match, and it would be an early Father’s Day present to see his two sons win TNA gold.

“Our dad was there in Vegas a few months ago when The System first started attacking our family, and he will be there this Friday to see us finally get some solid revenge,” said Ryan. “We want those TNA world tag team titles.”

If the Nemeths leave Chicago tomorrow with the belts, it will instantly become a career milestone. In an industry where the road is home and the locker room is family, Nic and Ryan are finding a way to intertwine their personal and professional lives.

“If we win the titles, it will be one of those few extra special times when wrestling becomes even more real,” said Nic. “You can’t teach hustle. If you want something, you make the sacrifices and get off your ass and get it. We’ve both been doing that for years, and we sure as hell aren’t about to stop.”

The Nemeths are dedicating this moment to their fans. The fame and popularity they attained was organic, perhaps even in spite of major companies preferring to see other wrestlers succeed.

“Wrestling fans have been so loyal to us,” said Nic. “They followed me when I lost every night. They followed me when I was doing standup comedy and had no clue what I was doing, they followed Ryan when he started Hunkamania, and now they follow us.

“We were not handpicked. We were not legacy’s who got jobs because a relative put in a good word. We were just meant to do this, so we’re dedicating this tag team title match to the fans. We’re nothing without you guys and we will never let you down, even though I feel like Ryan was just here for the zipline.”