The shop manual shows the 'stop ring' is only on one side. I've never had to change mine since I bought the bike, but using a bolt/tube/washer and nut to drive the spherical bearing in and out looks pretty simple.
If you try to pound the bearing out, how are you going to hold the shock still if the bearing is really stuck? I'd be reluctant to crank the shock down too tight in a vice. Also, the upper mount is near the pressurized reservoir - heating up a gas that is already pressurized might cause the bladder to rupture.
Overall, it looks like the removal method shown in the manual should work well.