Dolph Ziggler Credits WWE Name For John Cena Tribute During Raw Return Match

Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) has credited a WWE backstage name for helping he and Solo Sikoa “weasel in” a tribute to John Cena during their match on Raw.

In a highly anticipated first round match in John Cena’s Last Time is Now tournament, Nemeth made his return to WWE after a two year absence to wrestle Solo Sikoa.

Returning with his WWE name of Dolph Ziggler, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion emerged as the surprise opponent for Sikoa – a fitting choice in the eyes of many, including Nemeth himself, given he and Cena’s storied history together in WWE.

Much like many other stars have this year, Nemeth squeezed in a tribute to Cena during his match – locking in an STF on the SmackDown star, to the delight of the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Nemeth revealed that he pitched the spot to Michael Hayes, who okayed it despite some time restrictions on the match:

“I was like ‘has anyone done his submission hold’? Because I don’t always watch unless I’m doing the Tuesday show, even Michael Hayes and (Bobby) Roode were like ‘I don’t think anyone’s done it’.

“I was like ‘cool, let me throw this in here, I get to do the shoutout to Cena for welcoming me to this tournament, I get to be here’.

“So, Michael Hayes helped us weasel a shout out to Cena in there, even though we had kind of a quick match to get to, and we found a way to do it and have it not screw up the flow.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

Despite bringing Sikoa to the brink of defeat on several occasions, Ziggler ultimately lost the match, with Sikoa now progressing to face either Penta or Finn Balor in the quarter-finals of the tournament.