AJ Styles vs. James Ellsworth: WWE Championship Title Match Winner and Reaction

James Ellsworth pulled off a huge upset for the second consecutive week Tuesday on SmackDown Live, as he defeated AJ Styles, but he did not become the new WWE World Heavyweight champion due to the DQ finish.

Styles was distracted by Dean Ambrose and ignored the referee's five-count, which caused Ellsworth to land the DQ. 

WWE shared video of Ellsworth after the win:

Bleacher Report's Kevin Berge noted how much momentum Ellsworth has generated of late: 

Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald credited the storytelling for the success of Ellsworth:

Ellsworth's unlikely title shot came one week after he shocked the Phenomenal One in a non-title match with Ambrose as special guest referee.

Styles was feeling confident following his victory over Ambrose and John Cena in a Triple Threat match at No Mercy, which prompted him to give Ellsworth a chance to shine. He got more than he bargained for, though, when the Lunatic Fringe was appointed to oversee the bout.

Despite Styles dominating the overmatched Ellsworth, he was unable to put him away due to Ambrose's antics.

The unstable Superstar eventually grew tired of Styles' abuse and hit him with Dirty Deeds twice to give Ellsworth the win, which set the stage for Tuesday's encounter.

On WWE Network's Talking Smack, SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan rewarded Ellsworth with a shot at the biggest prize in wrestling, as seen in this video, courtesy of WWE's official Twitter account:

While few gave Ellsworth any chance entering the title match, he was grateful for the opportunity to have the biggest match of his life:

He also managed to stay upbeat and made it clear that even though Styles is arguably the best all-around performer in the world, anything is possible, via WWE on Twitter:

With the exception of the non-title loss to Ellsworth, Styles entered Tuesday's match on a remarkable roll with victories over some of the best in the business to his credit.

In addition to the Triple Threat triumph, Styles beat Cena cleanly in a singles match at SummerSlam, and he also defeated Ambrose in a singles bout at Backlash for the title.

Those accomplishments pointed toward a long and successful championship reign for Styles, which added to the surprise when Ellsworth managed to beat him for the second week in a row.

Many questioned the logic behind giving a non-roster wrestler like Ellsworth a crack at the championship, but it played up to the anything-can-happen nature of WWE and furthered the rivalry between the Phenomenal One and Ambrose.

Few could have anticipated Styles and Ellsworth would engage in a lengthy storyline, but that is precisely what has happened, as Ellsworth's win Tuesday almost certainly means the Superstars will meet again on SmackDown.

With Survivor Series coming up on Nov. 20 and Styles potentially not having to put the title on the line at that event due to the scheduled traditional elimination matches pitting Raw against SmackDown, the feud with Ellsworth has acted as a bridge of sorts.

Even though Styles is struggling at the moment due largely to Ambrose's involvement, there is little doubt that he will come away from the angle with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in his possession.

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