Former World Champion Returns To WWE (But Is He Back For Good?)

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John Cena’s tournament, ‘The Last Time Is Now,’ has already featured some unexpected matches, like the bout between Je’Von Evans and Gunther on this week’s Monday Night Raw. Last week’s SmackDown also saw a surprise appearance from Zack Ryder (Matt Cardona). Tonight’s show brought another surprise: a former WWE World Champion returned, hoping to advance to the tournament semi-finals. Now, the big question is whether this return is permanent, or just a single appearance.

As a fan, I was so hyped for Solo Sikoa’s match on Monday Night Raw when WWE hinted at a surprise opponent! The place absolutely exploded when Dolph Ziggler – or Nic Nemeth, as some of us know him – came back to WWE! He’s been killing it in TNA, even winning their World Championship and holding it for a while. It was awesome that he acknowledged TNA on his way to the ring, and seeing him back at Madison Square Garden was a real moment. I was genuinely thrilled!

Sikoa tried to take the early lead, but Ziggler was the first to land a significant attack. The crowd was heavily in Ziggler’s favor, and he quickly followed up with a flurry of moves, eventually applying a crossface hold. Sikoa escaped by reaching the ropes, but Ziggler immediately followed up with a forearm strike to the head while jumping from outside the ring.

Things got wild! Sikoa ended up crashing into the announcer’s table while the crowd was chanting for Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler saw his chance, going up top for an elbow drop, but Sikoa kicked out. After a break, Sikoa tried to rally, but ran right into the turnbuckle, letting Ziggler get back in the game. He followed up with a spiked DDT and this cool move called the Blonde Ambition, but even that wasn’t enough to keep Sikoa down!

Ziggler was thrown into a Spinning Solo and nearly pinned, but he kicked out in time. Sikoa tried to deliver his signature Samoan Spike, but missed, allowing Ziggler to almost get the pin himself. Ziggler then reversed the situation and hit a Zig Zag, but Sikoa was able to kick out before the referee could count to three.

Ziggler went for his finishing move, a superkick, and succeeded on his second try, but Sikoa quickly countered with a surprise Samoan Spike, securing the pinfall victory. Sikoa moves on to the next round of the tournament, where he’ll face either Carmelo Hayes or Bronson Reed. Now, everyone is wondering what this means for Ziggler’s future with WWE.

Dolph Ziggler has returned! Celebrate his return with this NEW tee at #WWEShop! #WWE #RAW :

— WWEShop.com (@WWEShop) November 18, 2025

Ziggler has consistently appeared in TNA throughout the year, including very recently, and he made a point of mentioning the company during his ring entrance. He performed as his Dolph Ziggler character, similar to how WWE handled Matt Cardona’s return, where he went back to being Zack Ryder.

It’s now clear that Cardona’s recent return was just a one-time event, but he did make a deal with WWE to sell his Zack Ryder merchandise on their shop. Dolph Ziggler appears to have a similar agreement, with his shirts also available on the WWE Shop. Considering this all happened during John Cena’s retirement celebration, it’s likely a temporary appearance, though it could potentially lead to a longer-term role with the company.

It remains to be seen what the future holds, but it was fantastic to see Dolph Ziggler wrestling again, even if it was just for one night.

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2025-11-18 06:40