Mistreatment of Ellsworth Should Be Carmella’s Downfall

Carmella seems to have ended her relationship with James Ellsworth via a superkick to the face. But how should the Chinless Wonder respond?

After weeks of treating James Ellsworth like a literal dog (complete with chain and collar) and in keeping with her heel persona, Carmella has thrown off her walking Ed Hardy t-shirt yoke and disassociated herself from the man responsible for her becoming the first women’s Money in the Bank recipient.

Back in June, Ellsworth helped Carmella win the MITB briefcase by pushing Becky Lynch off the ladder, climbing up himself, and retrieving the prize. Carmella was stripped of the case but was able to win it back during a rematch on SmackDown, likely done so WWE could claim Carmella was indeed a worthy champion, but that didn’t stop Ellsworth from continuing to interfere on her behalf.

The reliance on and mistreatment of Ellsworth is the nucleus of my issue with Carmella’s character and why I think he should be the reason her eventual cash-in is unsuccessful. Not to sound too tongue-in-cheek, but karma needs to bite Carmella. Her public humiliations of Ellsworth should not be rewarded with championship gold nor should the tradition of WWE employing this lame trope be allowed to continue. As I’ve said before:

"“It’s no coincidence that WWE uses this awful gimmick on people who would never find their way on the cover of a swimsuit calendar or fitness magazine, e.g. Ellsworth, Hornswoggle, and most egregiously, Eugene. Their exploitation is borderline offensive and serves no purpose other than to degrade the performer.”"

I am well aware that not everyone agrees with my assessment or my opinion on Carmella’s fate. Our own Marcella Papandrea has argued that as the inaugural Women’s MITB champion, Carmella must be rewarded with a victory:

"“Considering the history of the cash in, it is important that Carmella’s own cash in be successful and pave the way for the future. When the event returns next year and another Money In The Bank match happens with the women, it will be seen as even bigger because the first winner was successful in their attempt.”"

More from Daily DDT

• It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
• Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
• Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
• Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
• Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline

Her point about the message a victory would send is certainly a good one but before I throw out my own hot take on this issue I want to make one thing clear: I am glad the WWE created a MITB case for the women’s division. Fans have demanded to see more opportunities for these women to showcase their skills and both Hell in a Cell as well as MITB matches were excellent responses by the company.

In the case of Ellsworth, he should not go quietly into the good night but should instead play spoiler to Carmella’s championship aspirations. My reason is that whether intentional or not, the message of the Carmellsworth storyline should not be that you can mistreat people (i.e. bully them) and still achieve your dreams. These actions must have consequences and they should come in the form of the Chinless Wonder realizing his own self-worth and enacting some measure of reasonable revenge against Carmella. What better poetic justice than to cost her the title she so desperately desires?

Next: WWE SmackDown: The Era of James Ellsworth

Whether or not WWE will go this meta in concluding the dysfunctional relationship tale between Carmella and Ellsworth remains to be seen but their track record with these types of storylines would certainly indicate they won’t. I am well aware that in the world of professional wrestling – as in life – the villain doesn’t always get their comeuppance. However in this instance, WWE writers have a chance to give a win to the little guy. Literally.