Nic Nemeth Recalls Initial Reaction To Spirit Squad, Why Being In the Group Helped Him

Nic Nemeth got his start in WWE in the infamous Spirit Squad, a gimmick he initially hated but acknowledged benefited him in a big way. Nemeth had his debut on WWE TV as Nicky of the male cheerleader group alongside Ken Doane, Johnny Jeter, Nick Mitchell, and Mike Mondo. The group debuted in January of 2006 and were viewed as a joke by fans despite a run with the World Tag Team Championship.

Nemeth recently appeared on Caged Minds Combat Sports News, during which the group was brought up. Nemeth recalled how he hated the pitch when it was first announced. That said, he recalled how when the group was getting beat up by D-Generation X he ended up working multiple times a week with Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Ric Flair. Nemeth noted that the experience helped him become the performer he is today. You can see the highlights below:

On His Initial Reaction to the Gimmick:

“So at first, I was told, ‘Hey, Kurt Angle is doing great. Maybe we’ll do something where he’s your mentor.’ And I go, ‘This is — he’s my hero in real life. This is the greatest thing that could ever happen.’ And they brought me into TV and Vince told us that we’re going to be a group of cheerleaders.

“And my heart dropped into my stomach and I was like, ‘Oh, okay.I guess I can quit, right?’ No, I was just — my heart was broken. And then once you realize what the situation is, you go, ‘Hey, I worked my whole life to get a shot. Just to get a shot at being on TV with this company. I’m not gonna halfway do this or complain.’ I go, ‘I’m going for it. I’m gonna try and make this happen the best.’

On How It Benefited Him:

“And what turned out is, it becomes almost a 12-month run. Ric Flair was an honorary member of DX. So on live events, it would be Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Ric Flair. And they would rotate two of those three guys every weekend, because they were still working full-time live events. So for three nights a week for six months, we get to be in the ring with three of the greatest of all time. So I’m going, ‘Oh man, what are we doing? We’re getting beat up.’ Meanwhile, I’m learning the business 10 times more intensely from some of the greats on a full-time basis.

“That was the greatest training I could ever, ever have. Learning from those guys as we moved on, and then when we moved on to different opponents, I could apply some of the greats’ input into our matches. It really — it’s the reason I got so good so fast, is because you get to be out there. And you’re like getting in the rub as like, ‘Hey you’re on screen with John Cena. Isn’t that cool?’ Like this is being in the ring for 30 minutes three nights a week with some of the greatest of all time and learning directly from them.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Caged Minds Combat Sports News with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.