Nic Nemeth, Formerly WWE's Dolph Ziggler, Sizes Up NJPW Champ David Finlay

Nic Nemeth, who got into a physical altercation with David Finlay at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 18 last week, is now set to challenge the new IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion for the gold at The New Beginning in Sapporo on February 23. Appearing on "Busted Open Radio," Nemeth, who was released by WWE last September after nearly 20 years with the promotion, spoke about watching his upcoming opponent at the Tokyo Dome on January 4 in a three-way match against Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley to crown the first IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion.

"I've seen [Will] Ospreay wrestle before. I've seen Ambrose wrestle before — Moxley — and I had not seen [David] Finlay," Nemeth said. "And I go, 'Man, everyone to me seems like a young kid ...' And I heard he's been there back and forth to Japan for eight-nine years, and I go, 'I don't know what his work is like; Can this guy go? Can he do a thing?' And I got to sit front row and watch a story play out with him and his partners teaming up in the match, and I went, 'This is a young guy who can go, who has the potential, who is a champion at the moment, and I really think there could be something there. I don't know. There's something missing at the moment, I think.'"

Nemeth went on to say that he didn't know what Finlay's work was going to be like, but he ultimately realized that there was something there with the BULLET CLUB member, mentioning that he could "go" and that he knew how to make things happen. Nemeth also appreciated Finlay's attitude while performing at Wrestle Kingdom, which made him want to "smack the look" off the new champion's face.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.