Original Plans for Dolph Ziggler’s WWE RAW Return Revealed

Dolph Ziggler’s surprise WWE return at Madison Square Garden during the November 17, 2025 episode of RAW might have felt like a spontaneous shock to fans—but it turns out that wasn’t the original plan at all.

Ziggler, now working under his real name Nic Nemeth, opened up about the behind-the-scenes details during an interview with Jonathan Coachman. He revealed that WWE initially wanted to announce his return ahead of time as part of the “Last Time Is Now” tournament, but he personally pushed back on the idea.

“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 going to show brackets’ or something, I go, ‘Oh my God, that’s such a bad idea.’ I go, ‘Is there any way we’re not doing this?’ They go, ‘There might be something 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.”

Despite losing to Solo Sikoa in the match, Ziggler’s surprise pop from the crowd added a major energy boost to the show—and WWE officials reportedly appreciated his performance. But don’t get too excited about a full-time return.

According to Fightful Select, Ziggler’s appearance was a one-off, similar to Matt Cardona’s short-term SmackDown return a week earlier. WWE hasn’t offered Ziggler a new contract, and he remains affiliated with TNA.

“Much like with Matt Cardona/Zack Ryder the week prior, WWE sources indicated to Fightful that Ziggler is not signed to a WWE contract.”

TNA sources also noted that Nemeth prefers the freedom of not being locked into WWE’s strict structure after spending years there.

“We were told by TNA sources that Nemeth has preferred that method after being locked down to WWE for so long.”

The November 17 match brought Ziggler back into the WWE spotlight, but for now, he’s still walking the independent road—and doing things on his terms.

Do you think WWE should offer Ziggler a new contract, or is he better off staying in TNA with more creative freedom? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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