10 Last-Minute WWE TLC 2016 Rumors You Need To Know

9. James Ellsworth Turns Heel And Helps Styles Win

The Undertaker
WWE.com

James Ellsworth has factored into the top feud on Smackdown far more than anybody expected. He's been Dean Ambrose's loyal friend and a thorn in the side of WWE World Champion AJ Styles. In fact, a victory over Styles a couple of weeks ago ensures that no matter who wins the main event of TLC, Ellsworth gets the next crack at the champ.

Following a Smackdown segment where AJ Styles gave Ellsworth a Styles Clash from the steel steps to the arena floor, everyone's favorite jobber was taken away in an ambulance. That sets it up to look like he won't be at TLC, but as he's played such a huge role in the feud, he's got to be there for the denouement.

Typical WWE "logic" would say that Ellsworth turns on Ambrose, helping Styles win despite the fact that "The Phenomenal One" has tortured him over the past couple of months. That would be a swerve for the sake of a swerve, and WWE isn't above that. The problem, though, is that once Ellsworth turns heel, his shelf life will be cut down significantly (look at Colin Delaney). He's too new to start flirting with irrelevance, so don't expect it to happen yet.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013