Goldberg's last WWE match versus Gunther

Dolph Ziggler Reveals Near Departure from WWE in 2019

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Kellie Crawford | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 2:27 PM ET

Nic Nemeth nearly quit WWE after his sub-two-minute 2019 SummerSlam match vs. Goldberg.
He told Vince he refused to be a 'scarecrow' taking spears and jackhammers; wanted meaningful offense.
Now Nemeth wrestles in TNA since Jan 2024; Goldberg also complained about his poorly handled farewell match.

While he was released in September 2023, Nic Nemeth, aka former WWE star Dolph Ziggler, actually almost left four years earlier. Speaking to podcaster Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE Champion revealed he was going to leave the company in 2019.

Nic Nemeth Almost Left After 2019 SummerSlam Match

While Nemeth was on the latest episode of “Insight with Chris Van Vliet,” he said that he almost left WWE after his subpar match against Goldberg at SummerSlam 2019. He said:

“I was told no, ding, ding, ding, Spear, Jackhammer. I said, ‘Vince, why am I in this match when anybody could take a Spear and a Jackhammer?’ I go, ‘If I can’t be in this match doing something, then I have to leave this company right now.’ If this is purely for a scarecrow to take a Spear and a Jackhammer, I don’t want to work here. I’m fighting. I’m like, it should be something. I should kick him. I should hit him with my finish. I should do something. There should be something other than a bell, because then there’s no little ride. Finally, it was a Superkick on the bell, get a false out of it. Superkick him again, and then get broken in half. And I go, ‘Yeah, okay, that’s something, at least.’” (h/t: WrestlePurists)

One can’t blame Nemeth for wanting to walk out. The match was less than two minutes. It definitely wasn’t a match for someone who had been with the company for more than a decade. Though look at what happened to John Cena at Wrestlepalooza just a month ago. This was during his farewell tour, and they had Brock Lesnar dominate the match. If anything, history always seems to repeat itself.

Goldberg Was Annoyed About His Retirement Match

Goldberg's last WWE match versus Gunther

While Nemeth wasn’t happy about the 2019 match, Goldberg wasn’t happy with a match either. Goldberg had his WWE retirement match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 12, 2025. As noted, Goldberg has said in past interviews that he was disappointed with how the match not only went, but also the lack of promotion. He basically didn’t feel that WWE cared enough about his sendoff.

The match was for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which Gunther had at the time. Gunther would retain the title and wouldn’t lose it until SummerSlam 2025. Also, another thing that irritated the WWE Hall of Famer was how his speech got cut off.

Anyway, now Goldberg is done with WWE, and Nemeth is currently in TNA Wrestling. He has been with the company since January 2024.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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