Ryan Nemeth revealed that, when Nic Nemeth defeated Mike Santana at TNA Slammiversary and became a 2-time TNA World Champion, the whole Nemeth family became the Champion, including Ryan. Their brotherhood is so strong that they have never had any argument in their whole lives.
In an interview with Last Word on Pro Wrestling and WorldWide Wrestling, Ryan Nemeth discussed various subjects. This includes his relationship with his brother Nic, how Nic’s success impacts his own career not only in wrestling but also acting, TNA Wrestling, competing against TNA Knockouts Mara Sadé, and more.
Ryan Nemeth helping his brother at TNA Slammiversary
“You saw me out there with the champagne celebrating. I had those bottles of champagne ready to go. After all, I knew it was going to be a party because I knew that the Nemeth family was taking the TNA World title back. It’s not just Nic. It’s not just the Wanted Man. It’s not just formerly Dolph Ziggler. It’s the entire Nemeth family, my parents, my brother, my grandparents, great-grandparents from wherever we come from in Europe. You know, maybe Hungary, maybe Germany, who knows? It’s all of us.
“And so, of course, I played a major role in that part. I went out there, and I got in Santana’s face, gave my brother some time to come up with a little plan, and hit him in the head with his big gold trophy. Sure, he got the pin, but that title, it belongs to the whole Nemeth
family, and I want the whole world to know that. Thank you for asking.”
Nic’s influence on Ryan, Ryan’s influence on Nic
“I spent my early years getting into art, writing, acting, comedy, while my brother spent his early years getting into wrestling, wrestling, wrestling, wrestling. And so we kind of were on parallel but different paths. And at some point, he wanted to dip into comedy, and at some point I wanted to dip into wrestling. So, we kind of were like this. And then we met up, and now we kind of do it all together, which is very nice.
“I always say that I started wrestling because I wanted to travel the world and wrestle with my brother. And there’s nothing more fun about it. I don’t know that I would still be involved in wrestling if TNA hadn’t opened the door to us doing storylines together. I kind of moved on with my life, but I’ll credit TNA with that. I think it has the most unique variety of wrestling programming of all of the big
companies. I used to work at the other big companies, but TNA Wrestling is my favorite. I think we have the best TV show and I’m very proud of it.
SURPRISE! we are live-streaming this show! So if you aren't in LA you can still check it out. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ebmRY64Te4
— Ryan Nemeth (@ryrynemnem) July 20, 2026
“And one huge aspect of that is the variety of having the greatest brothers tag team of all time, the Nemeths, and securing the TNA World title. Between the two of us, we have two different TNA World title reigns. And I think that sharing that with the Nemeth family is very big. So I influence him in comedy, he influences me in wrestling. And I think we’re a very good pair that way. So far, we haven’t had any fights between us yet, and I hope we keep that going.
“I am nothing but proud and happy for anyone in my family who succeeds at things. I’m very happy for the accolades my older brother has. Definitely. And, as I said before, we share in this one. Is he beating Mike Santana at Slammiversary without me being there? I don’t know. But the fact is I was there, and I share in the victory. No jealousy, no envy, none of that. Very happy for him, and you know it’s a team effort here. We are the world’s greatest brothers tag team ever. We need to stay together. We do much better that way.”
How TNA Wrestling understands the brothers’ dynamic
“In my wrestling career, as brief or as long as someone might think it is, I’ve wrestled at every major company. And I think only at
TNA really have been able to have a platform to do what you just said, which is showcase my wrestling and my performing and
athletic and comedic abilities. And I thank TNA for that. The Creative team and Carlos (Silva) at the head, Anthem, everybody there. Previously, I was in NXT while my brother was literally the World champion in WWE, and still we were kept apart, and I was kind
of relegated. I kind of was just a guy who was just there.
“Then, in other companies I worked for, I was used as a joke for someone else to beat real fast or wrestle on YouTube or something. So, for TNA to take me seriously as what some people would call the major heel wrestler on the roster, it’s very flattering in a way. Obviously, I’m very hatable. I’m very competent in the ring, and I’m one of the biggest wrestling stars of all time.
“So, it’s nice that a company has finally realized that and has been using my potential. I’ve been trying to do something, a storyline creatively with my brother since I started wrestling, and so has he, and that’s been over a decade. Every company has kind of missed the boat on it except for TNA.
“TNA is the first television programming company of all of them to say, “Hey, they’re brothers who are similar who wrestle. Should we put them together?” Again, I say no sh*t but thank you, TNA, for doing that. So, yeah, I think it’s a great platform for me. I’m very happy to be part of it, and I’m grateful for everything they do for me.”
The Road to TNA Lockdown, with all matches in a cage
“The last time Nic and I were in a Steel Cage was at a TNA show about a year and a half ago. The match ended, and Nic was celebrating with Matt Hardy. Their team had won, and I locked us in there, and Nic and I beat the hell out of Matt Hardy in a Steel Cage. And that’s when I feel I fully turned him evil, and as far as our television storyline has gone, that’s when we really solidified ourselves as a team. Then, we would go on to beat the Hardys for the TNA World Tag Team title.
“So, a Steel Cage for the Nemeth family has only been good things. So, I have yet to have had my own singles match in a steel cage, but I look forward to whatever TNA has in store for me at Lockdown. I’ll be there, and I’m very confident in my brother winning and retaining the TNA World title. Definitely, Steel Cages are a good luck charm for the Nemeth family.
Mara Sadé and the “Deadly Lollipops”
“I’m so happy to hear you describe our feud as magic. I learnt that, when people hit me in the face, it got a lot of views. And so every time Layfield punched me in the face, the views on all the clips were very high. And I remember the TNA executives saying, “We realize when people attack you, the fans love it.” And so that’s why a year ago with Johnny Damon (the baseball player), I got into a shoving match with him because they said, “We realize that you’re the guy that people love to see get attacked,” to which I say, “Okay, sure.”
“When Mara Sadé first superkicked me in the face, it got a lot of the positive attention because they love seeing her attack me. And so we just kept going on and on and on and doing that in different ways and different locations and different setups. And then, I had enough. I challenged her to a match. We had our match, and I thought that was going to be it. We were told that this was the end of the
storyline. And then, the next week on TV, they said, “Well, that did such big numbers that you’re gonna have a hardcore match.” And I said, “Okay.
“Mara and I, we went all out on that. I loved it. About the lollipops, I said, “We got to get lollipops because you’re always doing the lollipop thing. You should slam me on those.” And it was great, and I’m very happy about it. I think she’s one of the top Knockouts in TNA right now. And I think she’s one of the top wrestlers in the world. And I’m very excited that she’s off and running in the Knockouts Television title tournament. She’s going to do great and have an amazing career.
“But I’m very lucky and appreciative that I got to be a little part of her journey into TNA because she was in NXT, coming to TNA back and forth. I thought, this is a very talented woman who has the It factor. When she joined TNA officially, I was so excited because I know she has such a worldwide fan base and she’s so athletic and so charismatic. So, it was very fun to do that with her. I
got a lot of hate for that match, and I still do. That was some of the most fun television programming I’ve ever been a part of. So if you
didn’t like it, sorry.é
