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Triple H offered to change the finish to Carmella vs. Asuka at Extreme Rules 2018 if James Ellsworth had an issue with the original plan.
Ellsworth was suspended above the ring in a shark cage to prevent him from helping his ally at the time, Carmella. The stipulation backfired, however, as he caused a major distraction after being left dangling from the cage by one foot.
Speaking on the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, Ellsworth admitted that the unique stunt was “scary at first.” He then had a conversation with Triple H, who told him they could alter the finish if he did not feel comfortable:
“He was like, ‘Look, man, are you comfortable doing this?’ I remember saying to him, ‘I will do whatever you guys want me to do. I know I’m not gonna get hurt here. You’re not gonna let me get hurt.’ He goes, ‘All right, well if you can’t do this, we’ll figure out something else for you to do.’ I said, ‘No, I got it, I’ll do it, no problem,’” stated Ellsworth. [21:49-22:07]
Although shark cage matches are designed to prevent interference, they almost always result in the caged superstar causing a distraction in some way. That proved to be the case at Extreme Rules 2018, as Carmella shoved Asuka into the cage before retaining the SmackDown Women’s Championship via pinfall.
James Ellsworth did not rehearse the spot again after speaking to Triple H
The finish to Carmella vs. Asuka went exactly as planned, with James Ellsworth suffering no injuries during the shark cage spot.
The 37-year-old added that he enjoyed the memorable moment despite his initial reservations:
“I didn’t rehearse it any more. I said, ‘Just let me do it on the pay-per-view.’ If you watch the pay-per-view, it was hilarious. I’m dangling upside down." Ellsworth continued, "It was cool, man, I had a good time doing it. The finish was cool, where I was dangling upside down, so that’s the reason they had to lower the cage, and then Carmella pushed Asuka into it.” [22:07-22:28]
Following the match, Carmella escaped up the ramp while Asuka took her frustrations out on Ellsworth. The infuriated Empress of Tomorrow attacked the former WWE enhancement talent before making him submit to the Asuka Lock.
Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
