Ex-WWE Champion, 45, Plans To Wrestle For 30 More Years

John Cena is set to retire this year in December. AJ Styles has also announced that he’ll hang up his wrestling boots next year in 2026.

Most wrestlers choose to retire from the ring in their 50s or 60s. But ex-WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler wants to wrestle until he’s 75.

Ex-WWE Star Dolph Ziggler Intends To Stay Active In The Wrestling Business For A Long Time

Ziggler, who also goes by the ring name Nic Nemeth, recently sat down for an interview with MuscleManMalcolm.

He was asked about his match with John Cena at the 2012 WWE TLC, where he defended his Money In The Bank briefcase.

While responding to the question, the 45-year-old star casually stated that he plans to wrestle for 30 more years in the business.

“I got the biggest star in the world of our company and the guy like me, who loses 99 times out of 100.

And I go, ‘I gotta find something. I gotta find a way.’ I gotta find, much like Kazarian, a loophole, a weak spot, on this absolute beast of a man who won’t be taken down on the mic or in the ring.

And I had to find something above and beyond that was outside of the box, something that wasn’t in his game plan, something that wasn’t in his wheelhouse, and to find a way.

Sometimes it’s cheating, and sometimes it’s being better. I work smart, not hard. There’s a reason I’m going to be wrestling until I’m 75, not because I have to.

I don’t have any dates or numbers involved, but I’ve never felt better in my life, and I’m 22 years in.”

Ziggler is currently signed to TNA. WWE released him on September 21, 2023, ending his 19-year tenure with the company.

He made his one-time WWE return on the November 17, 2025, episode of Monday Night RAW, where he lost to Solo Sikoa in the first round of the “Last Time is Now” tournament.

H/T Fightful