10 WWE Gimmicks That Overstayed Their Welcome
6. Three Stages of Ell
James Ellsworth (July 25, 2016-July 24, 2018)
The Law of Diminishing Returns in action.
For those who grew up in the World Wrestling Federation's Golden Era, you'll remember the likes of Barry Horowitz, Duane Gill and The Brooklyn Brawler making all of your heroes (and some villains) look fantastic as they took turns staring at the lights. Now let's imagine one of these lovable losers suddenly became a threat to Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage or The Ultimate Warrior's title reigns.
It sounds stupid because it is.
In July 2016, one such talent was a man with a surprising lack of chin named James Ellsworth, who captured a niche group of fans with his spontaneous catchphrase "Any man with two hands has a fighting chance" and then getting tossed into the next ZIP Code by Braun Strowman.
What many of us didn't plan on was this pipsqueak resurfacing four months later, challenging and nearly defeating then-WWE Champion A.J. Styles. For the title. He became an insufferable, sniveling pseudo-boyfriend to Carmella, becoming the person to grab the Money In The Bank briefcase in the first ever WOMEN'S Ladder Match, and then returned a third time in 2018 to help The Staten Island Princess, who by then had become SmackDown Women's Champion, to defeat the far superior Asuka in rather insulting fashion. By the time he was finally shown the door, most felt as though they had been through a Three Stages of Hell Match: fatigued, blood boiling, and beyond relieved it was over.