Dolph Ziggler hasn’t wrestled a match since the Royal Rumble earlier this year. According to comments he made recently to Chris Van Vliet, he wasn’t supposed to be in that match either.

In fact, Ziggler had done an interview with Van Vliet not long before the Royal Rumble this year, specifically saying he would not be in the match. After Ziggler did, in fact, appear in the Rumble this year, many said he had been purposely misleading in his previous comments. Ziggler addresses the issue in the most recent interview.

“When I talked to you, I was not booked for the Royal Rumble and I have no reason to lie to anybody or be like ‘Hey listen, I don’t know what the deal is’,
” Ziggler explained. “I was just on hiatus and I got a call to be there. And if I wasn’t in town for a booking for a comedy show that night I would not have even been in Phoenix. I got a call the night before saying ‘Hey, you gotta get here.”

Being in the Rumble match actually caused Ziggler to be late for his comedy gig later that night.

“I was one of the last people in the ring that night and my comedy show three blocks away had to start an hour late because I was running over with sweat and my bags. I almost went in my gear but I was like I’m going to have to shower.”

Ziggler doesn’t feel his booking for the Rumble had anything to do with his rivalry with Drew McIntyre. He feels WWE just needed an extra person for the match.

“I think it was more just I was in town and I’m one of their guys and it happened to work out so I got a double booking, double pay day, WWE and the comedy show,” he continued.