11 Must-See WWE Matches, Moments & Segments This Week (Oct 14)

5. James Ellsworth Defeats The WWE World Champion

Dolph Ziggler WWE Intercontinental Title
WWE.com

With a tremendous amount of help from special guest referee, Dean Ambrose, James Ellsworth - the enhancement talent who has gained a decent amount of acclaim since the brand split first saw him utilised - pinned AJ Styles in a non-title match on Smackdown. That one moment was perhaps the most noteworthy on an otherwise uneventful production from the blue brand (quite possibly the most difficult episode of either show to sit through since late July).

Ambrose, who does an admirable job floating between being comedic one week and intensely serious the next, was highly entertaining in his role leading up to the pair of Dirty Deeds that gave the jobber a win over the WWE Champion.

How effective it was in providing a modicum of comeuppance to the brash and cocky Styles is in the eye of beholder, but the renewal of the singles rivalry between the Lunatic and the Phenomenal One was given a boost by having events play out as they did, as they will give Styles plenty of reason to respond both verbally and physically in the coming weeks.

Contributor
Contributor

"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition. Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.