In a Twitter post shared on Friday, AEW announced that Ryan Nemeth — the younger brother of veteran WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler — will be debuting on the January 27 episode of Dynamite in a match against “Hangman” Adam Page.
At this point, it remains unclear whether Nemeth’s debut will lead to further opportunities on AEW going forward. However, as noted by Wrestling News , he will be competing against someone who has been involved in one of the company’s key storylines in recent weeks. On the last edition of Dynamite , Page rejected The Dark Order’s offer for him to join the faction, marking the latest sign that he may soon be turning heel.
In addition to the aforementioned bout, next week’s Dynamite will also feature an eight-man tag team match between Dark Order members Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and The Good Brothers (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson).
During his time working for WWE, Nemeth spent a few years as part of the company’s developmental system, first in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), then later in NXT. Using the ring name Briley Pierce, the now-36-year-old never got called up to the main roster, where Ziggler (real name Nicholas Nemeth) has been competing since the mid-2000s. He was released by the promotion in 2013 and has since competed for multiple independent promotions.
Meanwhile, Ziggler remains a key part of WWE’s mid-card picture, as he and fellow in-ring veteran Robert Roode recently won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
#HangmanPage returns to singles action against the #HollywoodHunk #RyanNemeth , Wednesday, January 27th on #AEWDynamite
WATCH #AEW Dynamite on @TNTDrama Wednesdays 8e/7, and watch highlights anytime at https://t.co/lBSV4sbfpB pic.twitter.com/fXqEwM6U3b
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 22, 2021
As documented by Complex , Nemeth also made headlines two years after his release, when he was one of several wrestlers to accuse former NXT head trainer Bill DeMott of bullying, harassment, and fostering an unhealthy work environment prior to his resignation from his post. In various social media posts, the wrestler claimed that WWE never spoke to him to corroborate the other accusations against DeMott and also accused the trainer of kicking him in the leg while he was recovering from a fracture.
Although AEW has hired several prominent ex-WWE superstars, including the likes of Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley, since its early 2019 launch, the promotion has also signed underutilized performers from its rival company’s developmental ranks. Much like Nemeth in the early 2010s, Tay Conti did not receive much exposure during her time in NXT, though she was given significant exposure on AEW television in the lead-up to her official signing in September.