When Nic Nemeth, aka former WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, made a surprise appearance at Wrestle Kingdom 18 that ended in multiple physical altercations with IWGP Global Champion David Finlay, it marked a very interesting step forward in the 43-year-old's professional wrestling career.

After beginning his run in WWE all the way back in 2004, with his first-ever professional wrestling match coming as a member of the then-WWE developmental territory OVW, suddenly Ziggler when from knowing just one type of wrestling for his entire career to having the world as his oyster, with the potential to show up whereveer he wanted, work with whoever he wanted, and most importantly, wrestle anyone who will agree to a bout, a boarderline impossability for even the biggest stars in WWE regardless of the brand.

Stopping by Busted Open Radio to discuss this newfound freedom to do whatever he'd like, Ziggler compared the entire experience to an episode of the Twilight Zone, as he suddenly has a chance to do his career over from the start once more.

“I was thinking about that for a long time, going different places for the last few years, especially focusing on ‘What do I want to do for the next move?' That's been for a few years, working out a plan. I heard so many different things from Ambrose [Jon Moxley] and different guys saying, ‘You need to see what this locker room feels like. You need to see, being here.' I was like, ‘Man, I wonder if… can I adapt to this?' I feel like I can adapt to anything. Can I? You do a little homework and bounce around, and you go, ‘This would be something really special,'” Dolph Ziggler said via Fightful.

“I've made a career out of famously saying, ‘I don't watch wrestling. I hate it. It was usually a joke. I just hated what I was doing, and you couldn't really critique it at home. So I go, ‘I hate wrestling.' But you get a moment of, one, I can be part of something special. Two, seeing it in a completely different environment. Not just go to a different state and wrestle, not go to a different company in the United States, but to expand and go, ‘I feel like I can do everything here. Now, I'm going to start over at other places.' Can I start from the bottom or middle and re-create it? Almost like a Twilight Zone where the guy wants to go back in time and go, ‘Can I remake my fortune?' Can I remake my career on a different level and 2.0 scale?

Is going independent for everyone? No, multiple noteable WWE releases have left the buisness behind when their careers came to an end, with Mandy Rose passing on a new full-time contract to focus on outside interests and Rick Boogs potentially set to follow suit on his own path. Still, after appearing in Japan at Wrestle Kingdom 18, it sure sounds like Ziggler has caught that wrestling bug and may be working more matches of note in 2024 than he has one RAW or SmackDown in years.

Dolph Ziggler reveals what it was like to appear at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

Continuing his conversation with Busted Open Radio, Dolph Ziggler discussed his experience appearing at Wrestle Kingdom 18 and how his nerves quickly subsided into sheer excitement over what his future could hold.

“After going, ‘I don't watch wrestling I'm retired.' After going above and beyond and secretly getting to Japan and putting this all in place, just getting there and walking into the locker room, and knowing two or three faces, which really helped. I was going somewhere, I brought my brother with me, and I didn't know people. I didn't know if I was welcome. Am I scumbag to these guys? Am I okay? Can I earn my way into this locker room, what's the situation? It was so weird, but fun, because you see a couple of faces and feel, ‘I'm kind of at home, I'm not accepted yet, how can I get accepted, what can I do to prove I want to be here, not for myself but to help, to make the show better, the company better, to make more eyes,'” Dolph Ziggler noted.

“You really start to think you can. I got to watch closely the entire card, and watching it in person I go, ‘Okay, this is different, this is special. I can do something with this guy. I can see this aspect of me going here and making this happen.' Since I was a surprise, I didn't get a chance to walk around the arena. I was hidden in the back. When my brother and I walked out, I went, ‘Oh my God, this is not just another level; this is big, this is huge,' and I got little shivers down the back of my neck, and I went, ‘This can be something so special. I'm going to do what I can to make that happen.'”

Will Ziggler stick around in New Japan long-term, or is he a better fit in an American promotion like AEW or TNA? While only time will tell, it's safe to say his appearance at Wrestle Kingdom 18 reintroduced the world to Nic Nemeth, which, considering the desired results of the appearance, is all he could really ask for.