James Ellsworth appears at WWE Money in the Bank

As expected, James Ellsworth made an appearance at tonight’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Ellsworth played a role in the finish of Carmella and Asuka’s SmackDown Women’s Championship match. Dressed like Asuka and wearing her mask, he stood on the apron to cause a distraction. Carmella rolled Asuka up for a near fall, then Asuka hit a strike and turned her attention back to Ellsworth. He unmasked, winked at Asuka, and Carmella hit a kick to retain. Carmella and Ellsworth went to the back together following the match.

PWInsider first reported that Ellsworth would be at Money in the Bank and that there had been creative pitches for him to return recently. Ellsworth denied the report by pointing out that he had a booking for Middle Kingdom Wrestling in China on the night of the PPV, but MKW announced earlier this week that he would no longer be appearing at their show.

Ellsworth was released by WWE last November after being written out by losing a match to Becky Lynch and then being superkicked by Carmella. He signed a full-time deal with WWE after appearing for the company in 2016, including a memorable match where he was squashed by Braun Strowman. Ellsworth played an underdog babyface at first before turning heel and being paired with Carmella.

Ellsworth also helped Carmella win the Money in the Bank briefcase at last year’s PPV and got involved in the rematch that took place on SmackDown, which Carmella also won.