WWE released Dolph Ziggler in 2023 following the WWE-UFC merger. Several months later, the wrestler showed up in TNA IMPACT with a brand new name, Nic Nemeth. Shortly after his debut in the promotion, the 44-year-old quickly won the fans over and eventually went on to secure the TNA World Title for himself.

TNA has brought quick success to Ziggler, and Booker T‘s co-host Brad Gilmore believes that the wrestler made the right move by joining the promotion because events wouldn’t have unfolded the same way if he had signed with AEW instead.

Dolph Ziggler might not have got a long title run at the AEW

Tony Khan, the head honcho of AEW, often gets criticized for having many talents on the roster that he doesn’t even use. If Dolph Ziggler had signed with AEW, he might not have gotten adequate screen time and there wouldn’t have been many opportunities for him for the World Title run. That’s what Brad Gilmore claimed during the Hall of Fame podcast.

Booker T asked Brad whether he thinks Ziggler would’ve had the same effect in AEW that he does in TNA. The latter denied it by saying, “He wouldn’t have had the same television time and place on the card that he’s had in TNA, in AEW, just because Dolph Ziggler is not going to be the AEW World Champion at this moment in the company.”

Moreover, the AEW World Championship, at this point, seems quite busy. So, even if Dolph Ziggler was getting screen time in the promotion, it probably wouldn’t have been a long title run. That’s the reason why Brad Gilmore thinks it was better that he joined TNA Impact.

Meanwhile, Tony Khan has been tipped to lay off the talents that he doesn’t use.

Eric Bischoff has advice for Tony Khan

Eric Bischoff, who regularly voices his opinion on the wrestling industry because of his enthusiasm for the sport, recently discussed what has been going on in AEW. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bischoff emphasized that the president of the company, who is majorly responsible for booking and all the other major decisions about hiring and firing, doesn’t pay attention to some underused wrestlers under contract.

There are names on the AEW roster that are rarely used. Some haven’t been in front of the camera for several weeks or months. This bothered Eric Bischoff, who criticized this move by the management. “Re-evaluate the talent roster. Get rid of the people that there’s no reason to have around. Thin out the herd because the roster is too big,” the 69-year-old said.

Bischoff then also went on to discuss the other problems in the AEW that should be fixed at the earliest, including the revenue generation and the creatives that he is not satisfied with.

All these points add to what Brad had to say to Booker T that it wouldn’t have been a good decision for Dolph Ziggler to sign with AEW instead of TNA. With him being a champion in the TNA now and having won the fans over, we may see Ziggler returning to WWE for brief cross-appearances as is the tradition between TNA and WWE.

What do you think of Dolph Ziggler’s TNA World Title run?