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WrestleZone spoke with Nic Nemeth, who looked back on his 2013 WWE Payback encounter with Alberto Del Rio. The match is remembered for the successful “double turn” of each participant, and Nemeth is proud of the story they were able to tell that night.
“The first one that popped into my head when you first started talking about that,” Nemeth explained, “[Alberto] Del Rio and myself did a Payback pay-per-view, in Chicago, where he beat the living hell out of me and I was coming back from a concussion, story-wise. We had a turn, a double turn, and I was so proud of it, because of the emotions that were there.”
Nic Nemeth on WWE Payback 2013
The pair had recent history, as Nemeth (then known as Dolph Ziggler) won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase on the RAW after WrestleMania. The moment is still regarded as one of the best title changes in WWE history, and the pair were involved in one of the best double turns ever two months later.
“There were people in the crowd covering their mouths. It was gross, it looked gritty, it stood out as totally different. And we swapped positions as me the bad guy, who was never winning any matches was becoming this sympathetic character who was just getting kicked over and over in the head,” Nemeth explained. “It is a really beautiful thing that was painstakingly put together and it really came out beautifully.”
Nic Nemeth on working with Edge
Nemeth pointed out that he is often faced working with opponents that are larger than him. However, he’s also been forced to fight “an uphill battle no matter who it is.”
“I had a match with Edge at Royal Rumble a long time ago, ten years ago, eleven years ago. And everybody in that arena knew I wasn’t winning the match,” Nemeth explained. “Ten minutes into that match, nobody sat down for the next fifteen. Because, [now] they weren’t sure [who was winning]. And that meant I did everything I could, especially being led by Edge, which made it easy. But it was someone I rode with and learned from for years. And then got to have that very special match.
Everyone ‘knew’ and then they weren’t sure…
“It was just — I was totally painted as a dork,” he continued. “He was a cool guy, he beat me up and speared me every step of the way through, until the match. [He] still beat me up in the match. But everybody ‘knew’ and then halfway through they just weren’t sure. And in that last five-ten minutes every false finish, everybody jumped up like this was it. And to be able to do that kind of a feat when someone is not booked as a viable competitor, goes above and beyond to show how awesome Edge is. But, that’s a beautiful match. Those two stories really play out together in the ring based on the storyline that they were involved in. It makes it so much better when you have that connection.”
Nemeth said it’s hard to be in the moment today, but you know you’re telling a great story when people put their phones down and relax.
“That’s where the money is in wrestling,” Nemeth added. “Beautiful stories that people can either get behind or hate more than anything. And either way, you have that emotion.”
Check out some full-length matches from Nic Nemeth’s career, including his Royal Rumble match against Edge, below:
Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Royal Rumble 2011
Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Fastlane 2016
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE SummerSlam 2014
Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Raw, March 30, 2015
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