Around the Ring: The Lunatic is back
By Mike Pankow
August 15, 2018
Dean Ambrose made his long-awaited return to WWE on Monday when his Shield brethren Seth Rollins introduced him as his corner man for his Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam against Dolph Ziggler.
Ambrose, who was known as one of WWE’s ironmen, suffered a triceps injury in December and missed nearly nine months of action. When he came out on Raw to help Rollins confront Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, Ambrose was missing his trademark messy hair, which was trimmed down, and sported a full beard. He also appeared to be more muscular than before his hiatus.
The question heading into SummerSlam is whether Ambrose and Rollins will enter a long-term feud with Ziggler and McIntyre or will Ambrose show off more sadistic side and perhaps turn on Rollins like Rollins did to Ambrose in June 2014.
The possibilities are endless. It will be intriguing to see which direction Ambrose goes from here.
#RIPAnvil: The wrestling world lost another one of its legendary performers Monday when Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passed away at 63 after a fall in his Florida home.
Neidhart was the brother-in-law of Bret “Hit Man” Hart, his longtime tag team partner, and father of Natalya, current WWE women’s superstar. Known for his trademark goatee and maniacal laugh, Neidhart won a pair of WWE Tag Team Championships with Hart.
He was a world-class shot-putter and also played in NFL preseason games with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.
Ringside chatter: Congratulations to Renee Young, who made her Raw debut as a color commentator alongside Corey Graves and Michael Cole. Young was filling in for Jonathan Coachman, who was on assignment. … Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia has been added to ACE Comic Con Midwest, which will be taking place at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Garcia will be host panels with Rollins, Alexa Bliss and the Bella Twins on Friday, Oct. 12. … A one-hour All In kickoff show, called “Zero Hour” will be broadcast on WGN America and will feature the Over Budget battle royal and a tag team match with the Briscoes against Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky. All In, which sold out in about 30 minutes, takes place at the Sears Centre Arena on Saturday, Sept. 1.
Dean Ambrose, left, stands on the second rope in the corner in a match against Kevin Owens at a WWE live event in Moline, Ill. on March 6, 2016. (Photo by Mike Pankow)
