The Dean Ambrose and James Ellsworth storyline is expected to continue though the eyed title may shift to the Intercontinental Championship of The Miz. (Photo : Getty Images/JP Yim)
The scheduled WWE heavyweight title match between champion AJ Styles and James Ellsworth got shelved during the Dec. 13 edition of WWE SmackDown with the latter suffering from an illness. Potential new storylines loom ahead involving the two and Dean Ambrose.
With the match scratched, a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match took place instead. Dean Ambrose, “The Miz”, Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper slugged it out for the right to be the no. 1 contender to Styles’ title. When the smoke cleared, “The Showoff” emerged victorious over the “Lunatic Fringe” with some help from “The Miz”, WWE.com reported.
Moving ahead, the events that went down have sent mixed signals. With Ziggler in the title picture, where does this leave Ellsworth and Ambrose? There is a chance that all of this will end up a chaotic mess with Styles likely retaining his title in the melee.
But then again, there is that angle involving “The Miz”. Recall that last week, Ambrose challenged the “A-Lister” for the title but lost due to Ellsworth’s meddling. Seeing how the reigning Intercontinental champion got involved, a possible swerve could see Ambrose target the IC title instead.
For Ellsworth, he could still be in the running for a title match though the options are now broadened. Should the WWE focus on a Styles vs. Ziggler match, Ellsworth may end up targeting the IC title as well.
The sudden change of plans caught most off-guard though there is no denying that Ellsworth challenging for the heavyweight title was headed nowhere. Ambrose would still be in the mix and the same scenario could be planned for a possible Miz vs. Ambrose rivalry.
As the new WWE scripts evolve, the mix-up should be the perfect time to settle down the Styles hype. After injuring his ankle at WWE TLC, the “Phenomenal One” took some time out during weekend shows.
Sparing him from the Dec. 13 edition of WWE SmackDown further supports he is not 100 percent and this could remain for the coming weeks. Styles has been removed from all live events until Dec. 26, returning on Dec. 27 to defend his title against “The Showoff”.
Check out the Fatal Four-Way Elimination match that happened last Dec. 13 via the video below.
