Getting it out was all that mattered, and you succeeded, so you obviously took the right path. Everything is fair in love, war, and wrenching.
That looks like a place one of those visegrip slide hammer deals whould have been handy. I haven't tried one, so I can't tell if they're gimmick or useful. I suppose they're no better than the visegrips the hammer is welded to...
Greyson