Heath Recalls His Epic Headlock Takeover Match With Dolph Ziggler

July 2024 · 3 minute read

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 takes a look at what matches you should be watching and they come recommended by today’s professional wrestling stars.

WrestleZone recently spoke with , who was asked if he had any good memories of working in Albany, where this year’s Bound For Glory event took place. Heath said he was looking forward to making new memories, then recalled having a notable match with Dolph Ziggler because it consisted of mostly headlock takeovers.

“Honestly, that dark match with Dolph [Ziggler], they literally–I want to think this is it because I’ve only had a couple with Dolph up there. This is funny. So they threw us out on a dark match. Dolph was like, ‘Man, what the hell? And Paul [Heyman] says, ‘Hey, we’re going to do a headlock match, and that’s all we’re going to do.’ So me and Dolph went out there for like 5 minutes and literally locked up chains and started doing headlock takeovers for literally three and a half minutes. Then I cut him down and he Sweet Chin Music’d me for the win. That’s exactly what we did.

“You know what’s funny? When we came back, everyone said it was great and it was technical and everything. I mean, we would do headlocks where we run up the buckle and do the headlock takeover, the old-school Ricky Morton stuff. We just were doing everything headlock takeover,” Heath explained. “And everyone was like, ‘Wow, that was pretty good.’ Me and Dolph looked at each other like, You got to be kidding me. Are you serious?’ We didn’t even talk. We didn’t even go over nothing.

“That match was in Albany, because I know for a fact it was a dark match,” he added. “I remember Nick [Nemeth] was just like, ‘Bro, we’re just going to do a headlock takeover match, and that’s all we’re doing.’ I said, ‘Man, I’m down for it. I don’t care.’”

The match Heath shared was a dark match before the September 29, 2015 WWE Main Event taping in Albany. As for other matches in the city, Heath also competed at a live event in a ten-man tag team match that also featured Apollo Crews, The Miztourage and The Revival. Heath didn’t recall too many specifics from that match but he could guarantee he won, and the other participants knew that part too.

“I guarantee you, if you mention that match to any of those guys, they’d be like ‘what? That happened.’ I guarantee it. I guarantee you I won too. I was running hot back then,” Heath stated.

(Heath, Rhyno, Goldust, Apollo Crews & Titus O’Neil defeated Curt Hawkins, The Miztourage & The Revival at the December 29, 2017 WWE Live Holiday Tour event in Albany)

Check out some free-to-watch full-length matches from Heath’s career below, including several recent matches from his current run in IMPACT Wrestling.


IMPACT Wrestling — September 22, 2022


IMPACT Wrestling — August 18, 2022


IMPACT Wrestling “Countdown To Under Siege” — May 7, 2022


March 3, 2022

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