Dolph Ziggler Discusses Mentoring WWE Superstars Behind The Scenes

With WWE rolling through Iowa over the past week, Dolph Ziggler gave an interview to Andy Hall of KAZR-FM radio in Des Moines, Iowa to promote this past Monday's edition of "WWE Raw." With the 42-year-old Ziggler having spent his entire 18-year career in the company, the topic of him serving as a mentor and overall veteran presence in the locker room came up during the interview, with Hall asking if it's a role that he's embracing.

"Oh, of course!" Ziggler replied. "And my favorite thing is if someone goes, 'Oh, he's an old vet' or whatever, I go, 'Well, yeah, I can help people out backstage. I'm good at my job, and I'm comfortable enough knowing how good I am that I CAN help.' But I also go, 'I'm not JUST here to help.' I also have this ego and this talent, that I go, 'Dammit, I want to steal the show every night, no matter where I am or if I'm on the card or not!' So I embrace that, because I love the business, and have one damn goal. It's not titles. It's not a certain match, person – whatever. It's to have this business be better because I was involved in it, and [that] when I leave, it's better because I was a part of it. That's the important part."

Ziggler has not wrestled since the November 14 edition of "Raw," where he scored a disqualification victory over Austin Theory. After the match, Theory beat Ziggler down with various weapons in an angle that shifted Theory's character to the more serious version he's portrayed in the weeks since.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit KAZR-FM's Andy Hall with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.