
Dolph Ziggler’s return wasn’t always planned to be a surprise.
During the November 17 edition of Monday Night RAW, Nic Nemeth made a surprise return to WWE under his former name Dolph Ziggler, losing to Solo Sikoa in the first round of the Last Time is Now tournament.
Appearing on Off The Ropes with Jonathan Coachman, Nemeth revealed that WWE initially planned to announce him as part of the tournament bracket ahead of time, though they ultimately chose to keep his return a surprise.
“A few weeks ago when I was told, it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have you in this thing, and we’re gonna announce it ahead of time.’ They’re gonna show brackets or something. And I go, ‘Oh my God, that’s such a bad idea. Is there any way we’re not doing this?’ They’re like, ‘There might be something on social they’re gonna put out today. It’ll be on social media, maybe retweet or something.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I hope this doesn’t happen.’ And nothing happened.”
-Nic Nemeth
Whilst Dolph Ziggler is no longer in contention to be John Cena’s final opponent at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, the Last Time is Now tournament continues, with one-on-one first round matches between Carmelo Hayes and Bronson Reed and between Penta and Finn Bálor set for tomorrow night’s SmackDown.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the future of Nic Nemeth and the Last Time is Now tournament as soon as we hear more.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to WrestlePurists.com for the transcription.