18 Ups & 12 Downs From The WWE SmackDown Live Era

By Michael Hamflett / October 2, 2019

9. The Importance Of Being Ellsworth

James Ellsworth the Braun Strowman victim was the "chinless insect" operating at his peak, but SmackDown Live galvanised the best bits of that act in its early days thanks to his broadly enjoyable interplay with AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose during their Championship programme.

In a very WWE move, the company waited until the joke wasn't funny anymore then doubled the f*ck down on it.

There was suddenly so much Ellsworth that his underdog charm had dissolved entirely, enforcing a heel turn that made little narrative sense beyond reflecting the crowd's disinterest. His union with Carmella showed promise and courted controversy, but his return after their original split brought about the unforgivable collapse of Asuka.