RF VIDEO: JAMES ELLSWORTH SHOOT INTERVIEW

Ellsworth is a Maryland guy, so it should come as no surprise that he crossed paths extensively with Axl Rotten (who was his trainer) during his career. As an Axl fan, I enjoyed his stories about the former-ECW wrestler. He talks candidly about Axl's struggles with drug abuse and says that he wasn't surprised about his passing. I empathized with Ellsworth for never getting to share his WWE success with Axl, as Axl passed away a few months before he became a name in WWE.

You learn so many new tidbits from these shoot interviews. For instance, I learned that Ellsworth made his wrestling debut against Alexis Laree (Mickie James). According to him, in fact, he wrestled quite a few names early on in his career, including the Rock & Roll Express, the F.B.I., and the Briscoe Brothers. I also had no idea that he promoted shows for his own independent group.

Ellsworth walks the viewer through every part of the day that he was in the famous 2016 squash match on TV against Braun Strowman. He discusses the process of trying out to be the extra selected for the Braun spot, meeting Braun, working with writer Jimmy Jacobs and agent Arn Anderson, coming up with the "Any man with two hands has a fighting chance." line, and getting praised for the appearance by Vince McMahon, Triple H, Chris Jericho, and others. The detail doesn't stop there, as he specifies exactly what ideas WWE had for his second appearance before settling on being attacked by The Miz on his way to the ring. He has some great insight on what makes AJ Styles such a superior talent both in and out of the ring. Contrary to what a casual fan may be inclined to think about the big, bulky Braun, Ellsworth emphasizes that Braun was extremely safe and looked out for Ellsworth's wellbeing when they were working together, even when weapons like tables were involved.

Ellsworth also volunteers his thoughts on every aspect of the booking process of his character, and his opinions of the different on-screen scenarios that his was placed in. The word association part of the interview brings a few good stories, especially about Randy Orton and Seth Rollins, and the last few minutes of the interview has a hidden gem in the form of a hilarious story about Kane. As an added bonus, Ellsworth really explains in-depth through the call where he was released from WWE and the back-and-forth exchange he had with Mark Carrano over the phone. A criticism I have about this interview is that Ellsworth could have talked a little bit more about Carmella. He does indicates that he has a lot of respect for her as a person and as a wrestler, but I felt like she was such a big part of his storylines that he could have discussed her more.

Ellsworth appears very humble in this interview, as he comes across as a regular guy who was lucky enough to achieve "lightning in a bottle" WWE success. He even goes so far as to explain how he used to watch RF Video shoot interviews as a fan and how now he's the subject of one. He has a great quote in the interview, saying "I'm gonna continue fighting for my fans as long as they continue to fight for me." Believe it or not, Ellsworth said that he went so far as to change in the extras' locker room until he was invited by Bray Wyatt to change in the main talent's locker room. He sounded like a kid in a candy store when recounting the celebrity encounters, autograph signings, media interviews, and in-ring participation that made up WrestleMania 33 week. The viewer is just along for the ride in this positivity-filled interview.

GRADE: B+ (Note: This interview was too short to be an overall A-, but if you're an Ellsworth fan, it's an in-depth, A- worthy look at his career.)

PURCHASE:

DVD: http://www.rfvideo.com/jamesellsworthshootinterview.aspx

DIGITAL: http://store.rfvideonow.com/downloads/james-ellsworth-shoot-interview/, https://www.rfvideovault.com/media/james-ellsworth-shoot-interview/76356

Index of topics discussed:

- his childhood in Baltimore, MD as a wrestling fan

- deciding to become a wrestler

- his memories of training with Axl Rotten

- Axl's drug use and death

- the name he used on the indies, "Jimmy Dream"

- teaming with Adam Ugly as "Pretty Ugly"

- wrestling one time for CZW

- promoting his own company, Adrenaline Chamionship Wrestling (ACW)

- wrestling for Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW)

- doing extra work for WWE

- advice for prospective WWE talent

- advice he got from WWE talent as an extra talent

- the process from start to finish of his debut match against Braun Strowman

- the memes about him that the Braun match inspired

- plans for his second appearance in WWE

- his thoughts on working with AJ Styles, including their ladder match

- his thoughts on Daniel Bryan and his in-ring return

- getting told that he was going to be signed

- working closely with Vince McMahon

- getting invited to change in the WWE locker room

- traveling on the road with WWE and it causing him to be away from his kids for extended periods of time

- working with Braun after Ellsworth had developed a little more tenure in WWE

- working with Dean Ambrose

- his Madison Square Garden debut

- getting paired with Carmella

- being in the Royal Rumble

- his experience during WrestleMania 33 week

- his thoughts on John Cena as a talent and a performer

- his participation in the first Women's Money in the Bank ladder match

- his on-screen suspension and whether he was afraid WWE would use it to write him off permanently in real life

- his intergender match against Becky Lynch

- his thoughts on 205 Live, the cruiserweights, and the possibility of a role for him on that show

- his thoughts on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens being sent home from a European tour

- the circumstances of him getting released from WWE

- Randy Orton

- The Undertaker

- Brock Lesnar

- Paul Heyman

- Roman Reigns

- Seth Rollins

- Rusev

- Cesaro & Sheamus

- the intergender title

- The Young Bucks and the September 2018 All In event

- his post-WWE indie work

- his thoughts on Billy Corgan and the NWA

- his match against Matt Riddle at Joey Janela's Spring Break 2

- the best parts about working for WWE

- his favorite ribs in WWE

- the possibility of starting a wrestling school and training students

- his message to Triple H and Vince if they were to watch this interview

- his message to his fans

RUN TIME : 1 hr. 31 min.

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