15 Ups & 13 Downs For WWE In 2017
10. James Ellsworth Steals History
For a company so obsessed with "making history" and "creating moments," WWE sure do a good job at botching both.
There's no starker recent example of this than Money In The Bank 2017. Understandably, much of the event's promotion revolved around the historic first-time women's ladder match, with six of SmackDown's finest out to secure their spot in wrestling folklore by snatching the briefcase. It was an easy win for the company, yet they still dropped the ball.
Why? James bloody Ellsworth.
'The Chin That Eats The Pin' pushed Becky Lynch from the ladder, then took the briefcase himself, throwing it down to his ally, Carmella, ensuring that the moment would belong to a man, not a woman.
Fans were rightly incensed by the decision, but their heat wasn't the kind WWE were looking for. It was a widescale rejection of the writers, not Ellsworth and Carmella as heels, as the audience saw right through the company's Russo-esque "swerving for swerving's" sake tactics. Here's hoping they refrain from such bone-headed moves in 2018.