During a recent interview with KVIA ABC-7, former WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, now competing under his real name Nic Nemeth, reflected on one of his most memorable moments working with John Cena. The story took fans behind the curtain of a rare untelevised match that took place inside Madison Square Garden.

“One of my absolute favorite matches I’ve ever had with him was at Madison Square Garden , a steel cage match that wasn’t televised,” Nemeth recalled. “And here’s the best part. There’s a curfew at MSG, and if you don’t hit that curfew, the bill becomes half a million dollars more. Everybody at MSG gets excited because, well, it’s MSG. We were in the main event in a steel cage , we’re about to go out and there’s eight minutes till ‘Hey, if we go past this time, it’s a half-million dollars on Vince [McMahon]’s tab.’ I said, ‘What are we doing? We can’t shortchange these guys.’ He goes, ‘Absolutely not. We’re going to talk to the boss.’ The boss says, ‘Give them their money’s worth.’”

Nemeth went on to describe how that decision led to one of the most unforgettable nights of his career. “Went out there for 30 minutes. During the match, the steel cage door got caught , I put my hands up like this and busted out my front teeth. So I’m covered in blood, leaving this cage match with John Cena at Madison Square Garden after giving back to the fans even more than we promised them. Those moments are the things people don’t see on TV, and that’s what makes it extra special to us behind the scenes.”

The story captures the dedication both men had to giving fans their money’s worth, even when it meant breaking curfew, risking fines, and shedding blood for a non-televised crowd. It also underlines the deep respect between Nemeth and Cena, forged through years of competing together in high-stakes matches across the world.