While he was never going to be Universal Champion, James Ellsworth managed to leave an impact on WWE before being released in November of 2017. Even though he was hated by an overwhelming majority of fans, the account of his final moments as a WWE employee is enough to garner sympathy from his staunchest detractors.
Ellsworth joined Chris Jericho on his podcast, Talk is Jericho, and opened up about what it was like to get released by Vince McMahon’s company. Ellsworth was caught off guard when WWE’s VP of Talent Relations, Mark Carrano broke the news via phone call.
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“He’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve got some news for you’ and as soon as he said that, my heart dropped and I’m like, ‘Is it what I think it is?’ When he says that… And I like Mark. He was great to me while I was there and that [has] got to be a hard job… and it’s just like, ‘They’ve decided to let you go for now,’” he said.
Ellsworth admits to being shocked by the timing of his release, as he thought there was plenty more he could accomplish in the company.
And I’m like, ‘Huh? Well, why?’ And he’s just like, ‘I think they felt like it ran its course.’ And to me, I’m like, ‘Well..’ and I start spitting out ideas. I’m like, ‘Well, can’t I go to 205 Live? And like, [Carmella] still has the [Money In The Bank] briefcase!’” recalled Ellsworth.
But Ellsworth’s appearance on the podcast wasn’t all doom and gloom. The Chinless Wonder told a cool story about Bray Wyatt going out of his way to make sure Ellsworth was treated like a full-time WWE talent.
“Bray Wyatt’s like, ‘Yeah, Ellsworth, stop dressing in that extra talent dressing room. I was wrestling AJ [Styles] for the world title and I was still dressing in the extra talent dressing room! I didn’t want to make anyone mad about walking into the WWE locker room,” he said.
Technically speaking, by challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship on Smackdown, Ellsworth was one of one most impotent wrestlers in the company that evening. That alone warranted access to the big boys’ locker room.
“… so Bray Wyatt was the one to say, ‘No, you’re with us now.’ He was the one. And I think when I got released, I texted him, ‘Hey man, you’re the one who did this for me and I won’t forget that,’” asserted Ellsworth.
We’re willing to bet we haven’t seen the last of Ellsworth in WWE. Given his profound ability to bother people, namely Becky Lynch, his abrasive character is guaranteed to have a random Royal Rumble appearance in 2021.
[H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Photo: WWE
