I feel like it's all going to play into the Melo/Trick angle.
Melo hires him to take out Trick and then Ridge "takes out" Melo to take the heat and suspicion off of Melo. Ridge takes out Ilja under orders from Melo still in the hopes of getting the NYE title match changed but it ends up going ahead with Trick now possibly beating a weakened Ilja thus backfiring on Melo. Something something Melo is then revealed as the mastermind behind it all and ends up losing to Trick at WrestleMania weekend sending him off to the main roster.