SmackDown Live featured the return of several stars to WWE TV. Those included Edge, Ric Flair, Batista, Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, and more. One man who didn’t get to appear on the show, despite being backstage, was James Ellsworth. Ellsworth was interviewed by Mike Rome for WWE’s YouTube channel instead, complaining about having a “SmackDown legend” like himself snubbed.
As it turns out, Ellsworth was actually nixed from the show due to timing issues. According to a report from WrestlingNewsCo, “at least one” segment was canceled from SmackDown 1000 due to the Evolution reunion running long. In fact, this extended into the main event between Rey Mysterio and United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Their match was rushed to allow The Undertaker to cut his promo on D-Generation X ahead of Crown Jewel.
WWE was also unable to make the show three hours. WWE has contractual obligations to Facebook to put on the Mixed Match Challenge live. The contract indicated the Mixed Match Challenge must be a live show aired at 10 P.M. ET. It was for that reason SDL couldn’t go over two hours.
What do you think about Ellsworth missing out on appearing on SmackDown 1000?
