Insight with Chris Van Vliet - James Ellsworth on what Vince McMahon saw in him, beating AJ Styles, Carmella's MITB win

Episode Date: December 8, 2020

James Ellsworth sits down with Chris Van Vliet from his home in Baltimore, Maryland. He talks about his independent wrestling career, how he was discovered by WWE, working with Braun Strowman, what Vince McMahon saw in him that got him signed, beating AJ Styles, being in a stoyline with Carmella, getting engaged to his fiancee at Disney World, what's next for him and more! Donate to Gillberg's GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/27isxyrtc0  Support the show by supporting our sponsors: INDEED- Try it today with a $75 credit to boost your job post by going to http://indeed.com/BlueWire BETONLINE- Get a FREE welcome bonus by using the promo code BLUEWIRE at http://betonline.ag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's up, y'all? It's Druski, and I've teamed up with Mountain Dew to produce a hilarious new basketball podcast called The Do Zone with Drewski. Learn the backstories of your favorite ballers and celebrities like Jamal Murray. Did you have like a favorite team? Was it the Raptors at the time or no? Was the Raptors even started around that time? Come on, bro. I ain't that old, fam.

You're talking like I was 50. Taylor, Rokes, Asian Wilson, and many more. You won't want to miss this. Listen to the Doozone with Drusky on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Leaned in and said something to Freddie. Don't let them change. you. Keep working on what makes you different and what makes you special. It was great advice, but it caused me some problems. But what could change, Freddie Adieu? Soccer is going to explode,

and it's going to be around this kid. We're the Beatles. Everywhere we went, it was the Freddy show. And with that came the expectation, and with that came the pressure. New episodes of American Prodigy dropped Tuesdays from Blue Wire Podcasts. It's Chrysomania, brother. great question. Look at you, man. What's the powerful questions. This is the Chris Van Vleet Show. Chris Van Vleet Show.

Ladies and gentlemen. Chris! Van! Hello, my friends, and welcome to another audio adventure on the Chris Van Vleet Show. This episode is brought to you by Bet Online and indeed. And you know those situations where you meet someone and you think they're going to be one way? And then they're the complete opposite. that's kind of what happens when you meet James Ellsworth in the best possible way.

He's such a good dude and so charismatic. And there's a lot of this conversation that I know you're going to love. Take a screenshot. Share it on social media so we can both say hi. Tag us. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. James is at James Ellsworth Wrestling. And I can't thank you enough for listening right now

and for helping to make this one of the top podcasts in the world. over the last week. Man, it's always so cool seeing this show on the Apple Top 200. So thank you for that. Also, Spotify put out there 2020 Rapped, which is, well, if you listen on Spotify,

you know what I'm talking about. It's basically your year in review of all the songs and the artists and the podcasts that you listen to. And I was blown away by how many people's lists that I was tagged in. So thank you.

And it also shows you like how many episodes you binged and like people were tagging they binged five episodes in a day. Ten episodes in a day. I can't believe that. One guy, one guy tagged me. He binged 12 episodes in a day.

That's like listening like every waking second of the day. So, man, thank you so much. I'm so, so grateful to be able to do this. And, I mean, it goes without saying, but I could not do this without you. So thank you. And if you are listening on Apple Podcast, please keep those reviews coming in

and I'm going to keep reading him on every episode. This one's from Corey Snellson, who titles it, CVV, the man, the myth, the inspiration. Hands down my favorite podcast, favorite host. Vague goals, get vague results from the CVV show, is written real big at the top of my whiteboard because it's not only true, but an effective way to stay focused. Your conversations are easily digestible and a treat while I'm out making my deliveries. I appreciate your show, and it's a great way to stay. positive in such a crazy time through this pandemic. You've inspired me to take action on my goals,

as well as to launch my very own show, The Room Sound Podcast, on music and inspiration to grow and create. Thank you for what you do. Give CVV a TV show, but please don't stop this podcast ever. Well, thank you, Corey. Also, nice plug in there for your own podcasts. Congratulations on starting it, by the way. I always say there's two things. The two hardest things about podcasting are number one, starting a podcast, and number two, continuing that podcast. So congratulations on the Room Sound podcast. There you go. Shout it out twice there.

So it was such a pleasure to have James Ellsworth on the show here for this. And did you know Ellsworth, by the way, is his middle name? Yeah, fun fact. We get a lot of fun facts during this interview. Like, well, you probably thought that his WWED debut was against Braun Strowman. It actually was not. It was not the first time that we saw him on WWE television. We also find out that that promo he caught about any man with two hands that has a fighting chance.

I kind of feel like that could be his motto in life, not just for wrestling, not just for matches, but in life, in general, because James Ellsworth is the true underdog stories. So please welcome James Ellsworth. You're rocking the Ravens jersey. Which Ravens jersey is this? That's the greatest kicker of all the time, Justin Tucker. Wow, not too many people rock a kicker's jersey. Well, he's been our best player with the team for the last 10 years. And what does that say about your team?

Well, we do have the MVP of the league on our team. He's out with COVID today. But, you know, we have RG3 as our backup. I'm excited for the game. Comes on another hour and a half, and I'm jack for it. you're born and raised in Baltimore, right? Yeah, you know, you ever seen the Rocky Balbole movie where Pauley says you stay at a place so long you become it?

Remember that line? Of course. Me with Baltimore. Like, when I got signed, I was like, maybe I should, like, move the Florida and be around everybody. And I just couldn't leave. I don't know. It's weird.

Well, my dad and I go to a different baseball stadium every single year. And Camden Yards is right up there near the top. That is such an amazing. stadium. And I think one thing that people don't know about it is when you're walking outside of it, they've got these little plaques of all the places that the home runs have been hit out of the stadium. And I was just blown away. We weren't even in the stadium yet. And I'm like, I love this place. It's the best, man. I've been to Wrigley. I've been to Fenway. I've been all the maybe I'm a homer, but Camden Yards is awesome, man. It's the best ballpark indie league,

bar none, I think. So who was James Ellsworth? before we got to know you through WWA, who were you growing up in Baltimore? Well, man, I was definitely a wrestling fan my whole life. I've been watching wrestling since I can remember. I was an Orioles fan. I was a Ravens fan. I'm still the same.

Like, I haven't changed it all, man. Like, I still love football, still love baseball, still love wrestling. Yeah, I grew up in Baltimore. I didn't really grow up in too nice of the neighborhood, but I kind of fought it through and became friends with the big kids, smart. And, you know, just, yeah, man, just had a love and a passion for wrestling and always wanted to do it. That was me.

I was that kid that just talked about wrestling, loved wrestling. And, you know, I'll be 36 here in two weeks. And it's still the same. Yeah, so we're about the same age. What was your, I'm 37. What was your first exposure to pro wrestling? Well, I remember my first house show ever went to was right after Savage won the, the WWE title,

Rustmania 4, and he wrestled Ted DiBiase at a house show for the title. Yeah, he'd be Ted DiBiase in the finals of that tournament. And that's my first memory of going to wrestling was that. And I have pictures somewhere. I got to find them of, like, my grandfather, he took me and the pictures of Savage holding the title up and everything.

Really cool. So that was probably, what, 1988, 88, 89? Yeah, that's, man, that's a long time ago. So who were the people you were? Were you a savage fan? Oh, yeah. I like, you know, when he would get old top rope with points to the crowd, and I'm four years old.

I'm like, oh, he's pointing to me. He's pointing to me. Absolutely. Who wasn't a fan of the Machu, man? He was the best. Yeah. So when you say you made friends with bigger kids, were you always the small kid in school?

Oh, absolutely, man. You know, to this day, I'm 5-8, 170. And, you know, the average person in WWE is like 6-1-2-20, which, you know, because I asked when I got there. I was like, what's the average size guy on the main roster here? I don't know, about 6-1-2-20. I'm like, oh. Yeah, growing up, man, I was always a small kid in class, you know, stuff like that.

I got used to it after a while. Like, if it got to the point where if I went to class and there was a smaller kid than me, I'm like, he's stealing my spot. Like, that's my spot. Were you doing with that said, were you also like a late bloomer? Um, yeah, so when I started wrestling in 2002, I was 17, I just graduated high school. I was fresh out of high school. Four days after I graduated, I started wrestling.

And I was, I think I was five, six, one, twenty-five. So since then, I've gained 50 pounds and two inches. So, yeah, and it was always like that. Like my daughter, I think she's going to be short. You know, she's five, well, my two daughters, eight and five, but the five-year-old. I think she's going to be short like her dad. You know, when you talk about being small growing up and being a wrestling fan, it's not like there were a lot of small guys to look up to.

I mean, they considered Sean Michaels small, but, I mean, compared to you, Sean Michaels is quite a bit bigger. Yeah, Sean Michaels is probably in those days, still 6'1, you know, still 6'1, and probably at least 2006, 7 pounds, you know. And I know I've read it an interview somewhere with him that, you know, the Intercontinental Title Days when he was first the Intercontinental Champion, wrestling all those early roles in Manhattan Center, he was like almost 220, like because he put on a lot of weight, was eating a lot.

So, I mean, he was still in a 200th. I've never seen 200. And if I do, it might not be a good 200. What they say when you wrestle with your gut stuck out more than your chest? No, yeah, yeah. It's not like that anymore. But, I mean, yeah, I think David O'Tonga said that. I can pretty much remember everything I did there, which is crazy.

But yeah, David O'Tongue, he was great on commentary. I wish he would come back and do more commentary because I thought he was really good. And anytime they said stuff like that, it was actually helping my character. People are like, man, they're really bashing you. I'm like, no, they're making people feel sorry for me. Like JVL, I mean, tore me apart. And we would just laugh about it back. And I would tell him, like, man, thank you.

And he's like, yeah, you get it, huh? you get that, you know, me making fun, you make people feel sorry for. I'm like, yeah, absolutely. And then he would ask me, James, do you have any good digs at you, at yourself, that I can settle in the air? And I'm like, oh, yeah, man,

just say I'm a, I look like a gardener that got ran over by a lawnmower. I don't care. He would just laugh. I honestly, man, like, I'm so positive and just like to have fun. I don't care what anybody says. I just have a good time, you know. So if you're 5 foot 6 and 125 pounds when you're getting into wrestling at 17, What makes you go in your heart?

I know I can do this thing. I just, you know, it's weird. Like, I just never thought I couldn't. Like, I just, I guess because I loved it for so long and watched it. Like, for so long, I just, it never, like, even crossed my mind. Like, hey, I might be too small for this, or I might not be as athletically gifted as a lot of these guys trying to make it to the top. Or I might not even be like as GQ looking as a lot of these guys that are trying to make it to the top. And it never occurred to me.

like until after I made it, I'm like, whoa, like that everything started to slow down. I'm like, how the hell did I just do that? It's, you know, yeah, definitely it was a hard, long road, but I enjoyed every minute of trying to make it there. So for you, it was the journey. The journey was the process, the process of getting there. And you're like, look, if I train and I step into the ring and have a match, I mean, I can check that right off the list.

I am now a pro wrestler. That's right. I saw people I compare myself a lot to the movie Rudy. He just wanted to play for Notre Dame, right? And he did all he could. He learned football so well.

I mean, he perfected, you know, the understanding of football, but he was small, way smaller than everybody. He didn't, you know, didn't have the height, didn't have the weight, didn't have the speed.

But he had the smarts and it got him on the team and he wound up sacking the quarterback, you know? So that's, I compare myself a lot to that movie. When you started out, was the plan, I just want to be a wrestler, I just want to have a match, or was the plan I want to

somehow get signed to WWE one day? I always just wanted to get the WWA. Wow. That, I mean, I, you know, I was on the Indies for 14 years and I really enjoy perform it, first and foremost, like, I don't care where it's at. I, you know, because, you know, I've been at WrestleMania now, been to Madison Square Garden. I've also performed in Barnes and West Virginia in front of 25 people, you know, so. But I always,

it doesn't matter where it's at, always enjoy going out there performing. I love it. But yeah, like go back to your question, the goal was to get to WWA 100%. At what point in your life did you start to embrace,

you know, who you were, the way you looked, the fact that you were a little bit smaller than other people, because kids are not nice. And I can imagine that you probably got bullied

quite a bit when you were younger. Well, that's the thing. I mean, I did, but I always like, you know, barked back at them or fought back. Like, I never, like, people say, oh, man, it's sad. I got bullied when I was growing up. And I'm like, well, what did you do about it?

Like, I stuck up for myself. It didn't matter, like, how big the person was or what they were saying, like, I would fire it back. And most of the time, you'll find if somebody was cracking on you, you, calling you small, calling you ugly, calling you, whatever, and you give it back to them verbally, they're not used to it, first and foremost. And then they kind of just, they leave you alone. And then, you know, unfortunately, sometimes it does come to blows, but if you fight back, even if you lose, they respect you more coming out. You can't let people pickle. And you can't, no one should let anyone put them in a position they don't want to be in. And I just never let that happen, man. I didn't. It's funny to talk about. Like, I'm not a tough guy or anything, but I just, I never, because I always thought that was wrong to do that, put people in positions they want to be in. When I would see other people get bullying, I would kind of. I would kind of. I would kind of. I would. I would. I would. I just. I never, because I always thought that was wrong to do that. I don't. I was wrong to do that. I would. I on a butt in and start ragged old the bully. You're like, I don't know. That's just the way it was for me.

So at what point in your life did you accept like, this is it? You know, this is what my chin's going to look like. This is how I'm going to be. You know, I didn't realize the chin thing until WWE. I never said anything. I mean, like, I've got, you know, when I was nine, I kind of got a mall by a dog. I don't have had something to do with it.

But like, it's funny. Nobody ever mentioned anything about my shit until WWA. Wow. Well, that's great. Because then you're an adult, then you can like own it and embrace it rather than this being like this baggage that you carry for so many years. Right.

Yeah. Like I said, I owned everything they were saying. Like I just laughed at it because, you know, like I said, you got to just laugh it off. Life goes on. You know, life's too short, man.

You got to be positive and you got to have positive thinking. And you got to, you know, don't waste days, I like to say. Don't waste days thinking about what people say about here or what day or, you know, stuff like that. It's nothing that should ruin your day, is what I'm trying to say. When you were in high school was the plan, I'm going to be a pro wrestler and there was no backup plan to this? I still don't have a backup plan. Yeah, I, like, you know, so coming out of high school, like I said, I signed up for wrestling school.

I would, you know, get jobs to, you know, take care of myself because I've been taking care of myself since I was 17 years old as well. Because I had to move the wrestling school in Baltimore was like an hour and a half away from where my parents lived. So I slept on my grandfather's couch or my aunt's couch or my girlfriend at the Times couch. You know, just being near the wrestling school. And then, you know, I got jobs, you know, like when I worked at the room store, the furniture store, Burlington Coat Factory, then I started working with people in special needs. And I kept that job for eight years before I got signed at WWA. You know, it's interesting that you mentioned that you worked with kids with special needs

because I just interviewed Eugene. And we had a fascinating conversation about, you know, what Eugene meant to that community and also, you know, how it could be a bit of a controversial character. I'm really interested. You worked with them for eight years. What's your take on Eugene? Well, now, Eugene, so Nick Dunsmore, he, played that character

great and I remember a couple of years before I got signed I wrote with Eugene a little bit to indie shows and he would say that that character was special. Wouldn't use the R award ever and I respected that so much because coming from

that line of work I was like wow he gets it, he understands it he's not only here to poke it fun anybody he's like a lot of them are wrestling fans so that's what I got from that character like this is just a special needs a person that's a wrestling fan. That's what that character was. It's like, wow.

Like, Triple H was his favorite wrestler, which is hilarious to me because Triple Age was a big heel at the time. And to me, that was my favorite UG.G.O. But when the Rock was like, who's the most electrifying man? He said, The Rock, who's the people's chance? He said, The Rock, who's your favorite wrestler of all the time? And he said, Triple Eight. I'm like,

God, this is great. Like, you know, it's a shame because the world is so sensitive now. And to me, my humble opinion, not rightfully so. you probably couldn't do that character anymore, right? And it's a shame because he was amazing. I'll never forget that character.

So entertaining. I'm sure the interview went well with him, but he's well aware of what that character should have been and how it should have been portrayed, and he did it. I think he did it very well. Yeah, he embraced the character, and he talked about how, like,

when you're given an opportunity, you either take the ball and run with it, or maybe you'll be sitting on the sidelines. Maybe you won't even have a job. And it's a similar situation. Hurricane described that to me. Chavo described that to me with his Kerwin White character. And it's like, you know, you just got to take it and you got to run with it.

Right. Yeah. You got to realize it's just a show. I mean, there was stuff. Like, I enjoyed 99.9% of my run there and the stuff I was doing. But, like, there was a time where they were going something and I just didn't get it. And instead of just not getting it and questioning it, I should have just embraced it more and just went for it. Because it's just a show.

You know, this guy, man. is your boss and it's his show. It's his company and he's paying you very well to do this job. And you just go ahead and do it. Then if it, you know, if you get 100%, he'll notice that. And if it don't work, you'll move on to the next thing. So that's the way you should think. If anybody's out there listening to this, that's current new superstar, you know, going to be in a future. Just whatever they give you to do, just do it 100%. And, you know, he'll understand and realize that. I don't think that people understand it as a television show. You know, if you were on any network television show and they gave you your script,

you wouldn't go, my character does not do that. You just be like, well, that's what's written for me. So I'll do that. All right. That's where wrestling's so weird and different from other television programs. Because I think a lot of us live in this world where, like, wrestling is a sport because it's not. You know, yes, it takes athleticism and all that.

And that's the sport to it, but it's a TV show. Every wrestling show is just a TV show. That's what it is. Yeah. It's a TV show that does 52 episodes a year, which is, that's mind-blowing them in. No one else does that. Right. If you add Ronald SmackDown together, that's 104.

Then add MXT. That's what, my math is correct? That'd be 150. Well, then you just keep adding them on. They're doing, and live shows when that becomes a thing again. Yeah, it's a lot. Yeah. I'm very curious to know before you were James Ellsworth, who was pretty Jimmy Dean?

Pretty Jimmy Dream. So on the Indies, again... Very bad writing here. It's all good. So before I was pretty Jimmy Dream on the Indies, I was kind of wrestling at as Jimmy Dream. Didn't really have a gimmick. And, you know, you got the small guy, 5-6, 5-7, 5-8, you know, 125, 150 pounds. didn't have a gimmick, didn't have much going for me.

I was like, man, I need to try a gimmick, do something to get myself noticed. And my partner at the time, my friend, his name was Adam Ugly. I was like, well, I'd be pretty Jimmy and you're Adam Ugly, and we'll be a tag team called Pretty Ugly. Pretty Ugly. And I was like, I'll wear fish nets. I had long, stringy, blonde hair back then. I'll just act like I'm the hottest guy in the world, which obviously am not.

And, you know, he was kind of chumped chubby, picked his nose, came out with a tulip seat on his head. I was like, this would be. So we did that, man. And everywhere we went, people love that. And we would try to do like some of the top indies. And, you know, back in those days, like, it was very political. And it probably still is. I don't know. And so we would come in if anywhere we would do the gimmick, like the audience would react to it. To me, that's the most important thing. If the audience is reacting to a character or a performer, that performer of that character, regardless who are friends with in the back and who's politic and who that performance. performer and that talent should get the opportunities. Right. You know, so him and I never got those opportunities with that gimmick.

That gimmick was great, man. Like, it was so good of a gimmick. And, yeah, so that's how that came about just I wasn't doing much and wanted to come up with something to get myself noticed. So before WWE, you had never wrestled as James Ellsworth on the Indies. No. So James is my real first name and Ellsworth's my real middle name. And always just thought it was a cool name.

Ellsworth, nobody else really has this middle names. It's weird. And my dad is junior and his dad, it's senior. So I'm the third, actually. And I always, I don't know, I was like, I always said to myself, man, if I get one of those squash matches on WWE, I'll be that's the name I'm going to use. I said that for years, years and years. That's the name I'm going to use because I can't be Jimmy Dream. They're not, that sounds too gimmicky. When you, you know, if you were a squash match on TV, you kind of have to look like nothing. You got to have, I don't have enough name. Like, popular person on the Indies can't do a squash match. People know who they are.

So people in the crowd would be yelling at them. You know, the 10% of, you know, smart mark fans in the crowd would be yelling their name and people would hear. So to do a squash match, you basically have to be like nothing happening in India wrestler for the most far. And so I was like, if I ever get a chance to do that, I was like, I'm going to use that name. And I stuck to that.

So it's funny because so many other people that Braun Strowman had wrestled, and we're kind of fast forwarding a little bit here, but they were just the local, competitor. You actually had a name. Well, yeah, well, I think a lot of the time he was wrestling two or three at a time, so they couldn't say all their names. And, man, but, like, you got to think about this, man, for indie guys that don't really have a lot going on to get the opportunity to be on

raw or smack done or whatever, like, just be on TV so their friends and family can see it. That's really cool. Like, the guys that get a little bit of a head afterwards, that put themselves a flyer out of Seattle on WWD here on that news guys, that's cool. You got the opportunity. but you're not a WWE superstar. Yeah, yeah. But when was the first time that WWE called you? Because I think a lot of people know you from that time,

the squash match with Braun-Strauman, but you had done a few other things before that. Yeah, so, well, it's back in those days, I don't know how it is now. I don't think they're using extra talent now just because of precautionary reasons for the pandemic. But, like, when they come near your town, you just email anybody can do it.

Like, email and say, hey, you know, so and so I wrestle in the Indies. Here's pictures of me. Here's a match of mine. Can I come to TV? And a lot of times, especially when they're doing squash matches, they're looking for smaller guys because next to their superstar,

the smaller guy makes their superstar look way more like a superstar than a bigger guy does, right? Yeah. So I'm like, okay, I'm small. I can probably do this. So I started sending my stuff, maybe 2012, and

yeah, like it took a couple of times. And then I got called, a couple times. They were in like Brooklyn, New York or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, here in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., or Pittsburgh. And, you know, I'd get there and nothing would happen. I'd see other guys do, like, matches with, you know, whoever. I'm like, man, hopefully I get to do one one day.

Yeah, so it took a couple of years. The first time I was, I did anything on screen was with, I was a Rosebud with Adam Rose. I was a cheeseburger. That's the first time I seen the crowd. I was like, oh, man, that's cool. I remember I put on my Facebook and I still have it. I just saw it the other day.

Got my paycheck from my first ever paycheck from WWE. So I'm rewining a little bit. I think it was 2012. And I go, man, I wish this was my paycheck every week. And I wrote that in 2012 with the picture of the check. Not how much the check was. Sure.

Yeah. And so this small stuff like that. Like, you know, I sit here on same bit. I never thought I couldn't do it. Like there's Facebook statuses and stuff like that through the years. just kind of like, I'm guessing this is going to happen, this is going to happen. I'm telling you that, like, this should be my paycheck every week or it can be and stuff like that.

But you get this boost, you know, after appearing on WWE, even if you're an extra, you get this boost, this ego boost. You're like, I can do this. I've tasted it. And then you've got to go back to the Indies. You've got to go back to your, you know, day job. Yeah. And I'm sure for a lot of guys, that's hard.

And for me, it wasn't. I'm like, hell, yeah, that was fun. Like, you know, and I went back to much, oh, you know, it was cool. I was one of wrong. you know, a lot of fun, you know. I just wish I could, and I would say, I wish that was my job. Like, yeah, it's cool. I got to do it once or whatever, but I wish that was my job.

Like, that was the goal. It wasn't a goal to get on. My personal goal was never to get on there one time. It was to get signed and travel the world. That was my goal. How did they first, you know, consider you for that spot with Braun Strowman? How did you get on their radar for that? Well, again, just you call them and you get booked.

Okay. And so anyway, we get there. This is how stuff works every week. We get there. Nobody knows what's going on. Right? And I, we get, and they're saying, Braunstrom's debut tonight,

one of you guys is going to wrestle in the raw. And I'm looking around, I'm like, there's like six guys there and two girls. And then one of the girls was going to get to wrestle Nia Jacks. I'll get back to that in a minute. So I'm like, okay, they're going to pick one guy, one girl. There's only two girls there, two or three. but I'm like, man, I hope I get the spot.

This might be bullied shot. So Arne Harrison comes up to us all. He's like, hey, whoever throws the best punch gets the spot. He's like, I'm going to see you guys throw a punch. He's like, let me see you throw a punch. And I threw one with one of the other extras. And Arne Anderson just looked at me and he goes, yeah, I don't need to see the rest of you guys. He's like, you got the spot.

I'm like, what? What? What? And so he gets, we get in a ring. He goes, all right, let me see you throw it on Braun here. I've never met bro. I'm looking at it. I'm like, hi, I throw a punch, boom.

And all her goes, good. You still threw the same punch. He's like, so that wasn't a fluke back there. I was like, thank you. And I goes, yeah, okay, guys have a match. He's like, we're doing this thing every week. But this was the idea. It was pretty cool idea.

Every week they were going to have, you know, and they did for a while have extra talent, say their last words before Braun kills them. Those are your last words before you go to the execution chamber. Like that promo, I got the cut. So that was their idea. Every week we'll get local talent and they'll say their last words before

Braun executes them. So they told me ID. I'm like, well, okay, this is cool. But at the same time, he's executing me. So I'll never be seen on here again. So I better make this good because it'll be my one match in WWE that I got to talk. I got to be on role that I could show my kids when they're older. They're like, hey, look, your daddy was on WWE once.

Yeah. You know, and yeah, it just, and everything started slowly progressing that day from there. So you have this squash match with Braun and you go to the back, and how are you received when you go to the back after that match? It was crazy. So I'll rewind before the match. I'm standing in Gorilla and Sasha Banks just won her first women's title, role in women's title. And I'm standing in Gorilla, and they said, hey, before your match, you'll go down the sidesteps to the gorilla. walk around through the crowd

through the timekeeper's position and into the rank. So I remember like I'm a big fan Sasha Beck's work. I think she's amazing. I think she's top three best wrestlers there. Wrestlers, including everybody. And so I'm sitting there

like, I'm nervous because I've never been Woodrow in front of, you know, 10,000 people or whatever was in Pittsburgh that night. And some like nervous. But then I'm like watching her match. Maybe it was Charlotte she was wrestling. I can't remember, but I'm watching this match, and I'm like, and Charlotte went, and Sasha wins. I'm like, oh, that's cool.

And then she comes to the guerrilla position with the title and, like, Stephanie McMahon's hugging her, Triple H is hugging her. And I'm enjoying this moment, right? I'm like, this is cool, right? Yeah. Hey, you got to get out there. You got to get out there. And I completely forgot to go down to the steps and around to the crowd and into the rain.

I walk down the ramp. So there's a reason for this story later. I walked around the ramp and I get the ring the referee goes Oh you know You're supposed to go through The crowd

I'm like yeah I know I know I'm sorry I'm sorry So you know I'm sitting there And it's a commercial break

and Jojo's in the ring And Jojo's like Hi how are you Like it's just so nonchaline I'm like I you know About to get destroyed here And yeah

So then they had Byron Saxon Who I love He gets in a ring Lights come on And we do a promo for television and I say all the lines and the any man with two hands line was the line I came up myself who I asked Jimmy Jacobs who was the writer for that promo that day I was like can I say this

line just the idea to pop in my head because I know I'm hitting him twice so can I say any man with two hands has a fighting chance and he goes yeah he's like definitely that's a good line he could say he's like no problem like I guess it was like yeah whatever say what you will you know he was great Jimmy Jacobs is awesome by the way so do the match um like I say the proxie in my head, I go, man, I think I went well. I think I did a good job there. Like, that's what I'm thinking. The braw gets in the ring.

I'm like, all right, what do I need to do? Oh, he needs to do this, this and this to me. And every, you know, when you're on TV, the camera's right up on you. So they got to lay it in. They got to lay it in. So there's a point in the match where he has me bent over and he clums me in the chest. And it looks like I take this beautiful bump. That wasn't a bump.

That was actually me falling down. Because that club in the chest still to this day was the hardest I've ever been hit in my life. Wow. Yeah. And which, I mean, he has to. It's TV. This is his debut. You better lay it in.

You better make it look good. And he did. And so we get through the match. And, you know, the referee's checking all me after the match because I just got murdered. You know, everything he did, I felt. And the referee's like, you're okay? You're okay? I'm like, yeah, yeah.

So, again, got to go to the side of the ramp, not through guerrilla to decide it. So I get backstage. And Orange's like, hey, kid, you did a great job. He goes out. He's like, Vince wants to see you. And I'm going, oh, crap, Vince McMahon himself is going to yell at me for walking down the ramp. And I'm through the crowd. Right.

So I'm like scared. I'm like taking like the slowest walk to gorilla I can take. And I get there and I see Vince coming down the steps in gorilla. He's like, hey, hey, come here, James. Come here. I'm like, hide. I'm like scared. And I almost like apologize to him about walking down the ramp before he can say a word.

I go, hey, sir. He goes, hey, hey. great job great job pal he goes i'll be in touch with you it shakes my hand and triple h goes he's serious he'll be in touch with you and i'm like what so wow so then i just go to catering and i sit down you know and everybody's coming up telling me how good a job i did and i'm kind of like being cool about i'm like oh thank you thank you thank you you you know i'm eating and brawn comes up gives me a big bear hug man you did great man thank you so much much. I said, no, thank you. And, you know, I'm keeping my cool. And I'm like, you know,

all this has happened in so fast, you know, and I'm like, what is going on? Like, I couldn't grasp it myself, right? Yeah. So I'm just sitting there and I'm like, what is happening? And then, I mean, Vince kept his word. He kept in touch with me and it wound up turning to everything and did. I think it's safe to say a lot of things have changed in 2020, including how we work. Businesses across the globe now are challenged to be their most efficient. which means every hire is critical. Indeed is here to help. Indeed is the number one job site in the world with more visits than any other job site.

Indeed helps you find quality candidates quickly so you can focus on hiring the person you need to keep your business going. Unlike other job sites, Indeed gives you full control and payment flexibility over your hiring. You only pay for what you need and you can pause your account at any time. There's no long-term contracts. And now Indeed's new way of matching you with candidates instantly delivers a short list of quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job criteria so you can contact them the moment you sponsor a job. This makes Indeed the only job site that can move as fast as you do.

And right now, Indeed is offering our listeners a free $75 credit to boost your job post, which means more quality candidates will see it fast. Try Indeed out with a free $75 credit today at Indeed.com slash Bluewire. This is their best offer that you will find anywhere. So go right now to Indeed.com slash Blue Wire. The offer is valid through December 31st. Terms and conditions apply. And football is back in full swing, baby.

You might not be at a game this year, but you can still be in on the action at Bed Online. Bet Online is going the extra mile to make sure you can get in on every possible chance to win this season. From game spreads and totals to team player and coaching props, Bet Online gives you more options to wager than anywhere else. You can get in on their season opening bonuses today and start off by wagering on wins, division and championship futures. You can do this all day every day.

So head to bet online and take advantage of their great sign-up bonus. Just make sure you use the code bluewire at betonline.ag. That's blue wire, all one word at betonline.org. Betonline, your online sportsbook experts. I want to go back to what you were saying earlier about Nia Jacks. You said that you had a story about that, too. So the girl that they wind up picking that day was Britt Baker. Wow.

Wow. Which I think something happened where they locked up and lied through, and this wasn't Nye's fault. But like, you know, face bump, you got to turn your head. And I think Britt, I love Brett, by the way. She's doing an outstanding job on television. I'm glad she got a spot. And I'm glad they turned her heel because she's doing amazing. And I've knew Britt for a little while.

I think for, I've known Brit for about five years now. So I'm very happy for it. But yeah, like, I don't know, something happened where she took a face bump and hurt her face or something. And what night is gone? I know Nye has this, like, stupid reputation or whatever, have hurt me, but she didn't heard it. But I always remember that was Britt that day, because now Britt's doing a very good job on television.

Like I said, I'm very happy for her. But so it was me and Britt Baker, who got picked that day out of everybody. So I think those producers there know what they're doing. I'd say so. So Vince said he'd be in touch. How long did you have to wait until he was in touch again? So the next day, I went to the Smackdown in Buffalo, New York,

because when you're in extra talent, you do all the TVs. We did the pay-per-view today before. Then we did Raw. The Paperview was in D.C. The Rawls was in Pittsburgh, and then Smackdown was in Buffalo, New York. And so when we walk, like, that day was crazy, too. So I get out of the car, and, like, I'm walking in the arena past fans and they're like, hey, James Ellsworth. Hey, James.

I'm like, oh, I guess they watched last night. That's cool. Like, that's the first time. Like, I got recognized as James Ellsworth. You know, because after the show in Pittsburgh, I just got my car. We drove the Buffalo. And so that was weird. And then when I walk in, one of the camera guys, the head camera guy there, he comes up and he's like, hey, man, you're going to be a star.

And I think they're all just red in me. I'm like, yeah, whatever, whatever. They're just making fun of me getting killed last night, whatever. So, you know, that day, like a lot of Smackdown guys were like, hey, we watched you last night. Like Ziegler. I remember Ziegler distinctively came up to me. He said, hey, he did a great job last night. Kid very good.

I was like, man, that's cool. And then I'm skipping something. On the car ride to Buffalo, one of the referees there of Derek. more good friend of mine for years. He called me when I was on my ride to Buffalo. He's like, hey, Chris Jericho wants to talk to you. Like what? And Chris Jericho got on phone.

He said, dude, he's like, I was kind of making fun of you. We saw you on TV. I'm like, who's this guy? What's he doing in here? Like, you're going to get killed. He's like, you really did a good job. He's like, I'm really impressed with how good you did. I'm like, oh, thank you.

That Enzo Amori got on the phone. He's like, dude, I was in guerrilla. He said, the way Vince is going to, was reacting to you. He's like, I feel like he's going to sign you. He said, so I'm just going to be the first congratulate you. He's like, because you're going to get signed. Wow. And I'm just thinking this is a rip.

I really have. I'm like, oh, thanks, guys. I thought it was like my referee buddy having these guys rib me, right? Derek's a great guy and he's still referee in there until his day. So you have a smackdown thing happens. Next day, I go to work with people with special needs. I go to work. And I'm sitting there at work and I get an email from WWE.

They're like, hey, can we do an interview with you for W. W.E.com. I'm like, cool. So I do the interview for www.com. And we just, you know, basically the same questions we're doing here. What do I do for a living? All that. So I do that. And then the next day, I get a call or an email and it goes, hey, can you be at Role Monday? I'm like, yeah, if you guys, name me sure, like for the next Monday. And so that was Thursday of that week. And then the next day Friday, you're like, hey, never mind. You just got killed by Strom and like, we got to give it a few weeks before we bring. you back. But when I see

those words before we bring you back, I'm like, something's got, like, I've been watching wrestling my whole life. You've got to remember. Yeah. Something's going on here. Like, this is, now I'm starting to think, this might, this might be my chance. Like, this might be it. And, you know,

they would email me every week, like, ideas. Like, that particular role, the week after, they were going to have Chris Jericho bring me out dressed as Enzo because they were, I think him and Kevin Ellen was a few with Enzo and Kaz at the time. and they were going to beat me up, like dressed his end up. And so that didn't happen.

You must be getting a lot of phone calls during this. Yeah, man. It never stops with it. Geez, your phone is in popular mode. I think my friend doesn't like talking to be out of it. But so, yeah, that didn't happen. And then they were doing this thing where Heath Slater didn't get drafted by Rawl or Smackdown. So then the major idea that never happened was originally I was going to wrestle

with Heath Slater at SummerSlam. and the winner gets a smackdown contract. And I was going to win. That was the original idea to bring me in and get me. And then Heath started getting over as a baby face doing that. So they were like, ah, well, you're both baby faces. We can't do that. And that I got bummed out.

Because, you know, I only had just did the bronze drumming match up until then. I'm like, man, I could have been on SummerSlam. Now I'm not. I'm bummed out. I'm telling my friends. I was like, they were going to use me for SummerSlam. They're like, yeah. You know, they're starting to like be like, whatever.

So it took six weeks, but finally six weeks after that first role appearance, they brought me in to Philadelphia, which is cool for me, only an hour and half from my house. And they did the angle where AJ was looking for a partner, but nobody wanted to team with them. So Daniel Bryan, who was a general manager at the time, made me his partner. And I was walking out. I had my entrance and then the Miz beat me up and the Miz wound up being his partner. So that night they go, hey, we're going to bring you back next month and you're going to be involved in the Miz. Ziegler rivalry.

Like they were fuming over the intercontinental title at the time. Yeah. And I was like, that's why we have Ms. beat you up. We're going to do a match with you and the Ms. You know, and Ms. that night, he's like, hey, man,

can't wait to wrestle you. It'll be fun. And I'm like, oh, okay, cool. So they brought me back a month later. And they did the same idea they had, they were going to do with Ms. and Ziegler,

just with AJ and Ambrose, Moxley. It was the same. So they just, instead of wrestling the intercontinental champion, I was wrestling to do, WWE champion. And it's just, man,

it all just happened so fast and slow at the same time. Like those six weeks were the slowest six weeks of my life. Checking my email nonstop. Still doing indie shows, still working my regular job, not getting ahead of myself at all.

Sure. So doing them still doing my regular job in case it don't work out for whatever reason. And, you know, very fortunate and just a blessing in the sky for me, it did work out. But you had that title match with AJ Siles before you were actually signed a WWA. Yeah, well, we knew, like, they already had told me, like, hey, you're going to get, you know, we're just, we don't know if we're going to get you, give you one or two years.

We're just trying to figure that out. You are getting signed. Wow. You know, like, and so they told me that pretty early on. They just couldn't figure if it was going to be one or two years. And I'm like, and I'm going, man, I'm pretty smart about this stuff, man. hey, well, can I, do I have to move to Florida? Can I, you know, go to NXT?

Like, I wanted to go to NXT. Like, the thing is, the people, like, you know, a lot of people go, oh, man, well, he never wants to NXT. He never wants a performance center. I'm sad that I did. Like, yes, I had a great run at WWE, but if you go through the performance center and you go on to NXT, like, they have time and money invested in you. So you got a job.

As long as you stay cool, you got a job for. forever. Like, you know what I mean? Like, and I knew that. I'm like, and I remember them telling me, no, no, NXT, you're here on the main roster. And I'm like, well, well, they have nothing for me. I'm like, hey, can I go to NXT?

I will move to Florida. I'll go to Performance Center every day. So like, I think there was like some envy there from people when I first got there. Like, oh, you didn't go through the performance center. But I'm envy of the people that did. You know, not only did they get the best learning experience and wrestling ever. Yeah. They got job security because if someone has time and money invested in you, like me,

I was kind of a guy that got over out of nowhere that they sold some T-shirts off of, you know what I mean? And then my job was to get Carmelo over. Yeah, it's, I understood that, man. Like, I would have loved to went down there. I would have busted my ass. But it wasn't in the cards for me. Like, they were just trying to figure out if they gave me a year or two contract.

And they wind up giving me two years. Well, James, there's a lot of guys who work squash matches. And very, very few, and girls, very, very few of them get signed. So what was different? What was different about you that made you realize there was something, made them realize there was something in you? You know, to me, I just think I looked like the ultimate job. I had to slick back blonde hair, right?

And black tights with red boots, you know what I mean? And, you know, I'm not in terrible shape, but I'm not a great shape, you know, and I'm trying to fight. You know, I'm the little guy that's trying to fight you. I just looked like, you know, the first guy you fight in the video game punch out. You know, it's just like the... That's right. Slick Joe.

No, glass Joe. Glass Joe. I think that's what it was. I looked like the perfect job guy. You know what I mean? And then the promo, I really, man, dude, like I always say, my best match ever was that match with Braun Strum. Yeah, it was a squash match, but... I really, like, I felt like I cut the best promo in my life that day,

and I felt like I sold in that match better than I've ever sold any match ever in my life. Like, I feel like that was a grand slam. There's singles, there's doubles, there's triples, there's home runs, and there's grand slam. That might have been my only grand slam ever. Wow. And I think that's what did it. Like, I just looked like the ultimate job. I cut this promo with, you remember the enemy?

with two hands, very memorable, and then I'm just taking this butt whip in. And I think Vince just saw something because it was him. Like a lot of people said, oh, it was the people on the internet. It was the memes. No, it was Vince. Vince saw it. Like I said, as soon as I got to the back, he told me he was going to be in touch with me. And it's just something he saw right away.

And I'm very, very fortunate of that. I'll always love Vince McMahon for the opportunity that he gave me for sure. And I know you sent another interesting. view that the original plan, or at least your idea, was that you wanted to interrupt the men's money in the bank ladder match and cost, you know, the briefcase there. How did this get spun around so that it was the women's match and Carmela? No, it was always the women's match. I, again, it was a Vince idea. He just, like, the thing is, again, the internet. Like, we always had that second money in the bank plan. Like, when we got to the business,

building that day and they told Carmela and I and the rest of the girls what was going on. They're like, hey, James is going to help her win. This is the way we're doing it. And then two weeks later on Smackdown, we'll have the rematch and redo it because this will create controversy

and we'll pop a rating on Smackdown off of it doing the second one, which it all worked to a T. But I remember, I think this is what you're talking about. I remember when I was climbing the ladder, that night in St. Louis. Like, you go back, watch the crowd's going nuts.

Yeah. I think they wanted me to grab the briefcase, the crowd, and run with it and take off with it. And I just have it now. Right. It would have been hilarious, by the way. And, you know, I think that's because as soon as I dropped it to Carmela, they started booing, which is what we wanted.

Sure. We wanted heat on Carmela. Carmela's not, she's not easy to boo. She does a great job. with their promos as a heel. Fantastic job with the promos of heel. But she comes off as very cool, very, you know,

like, you know, and the guys like her and the girls think she dresses nice. And it's not easy to boo. Like, you want to like her. You know, and this is the first ever women's ladder, women's money in the bank match.

I mean, that's the cherry on top here. Yep. So, man, we got our heat right there. And I remember walking out at Smackdown that Tuesday and just they booed us out of the building.

And especially me, like the heat. was supposed to be more than her, but it was my fault. You know what I mean? I'm the one. So they booed me, it fooded me, it booed me. And, you know, I hate questioning, booking and all that stuff. But I thought we were going fire right there, white hot. They did an angle where, like, I got suspended for a month. Like, Daniel, they had Daniel

Brian suspend me for a month, which did make sense, because what are you going to do to this guy to keep interrupting everything? So it made sense, but I'm like, man, this is our heat, though. Like, we're white hot right now. was heels and you know I'd like I should have been quiet there but like I really really you felt those reactions every night at the hell shows every TV you felt that he had like man we have something special here I thought

and yeah that was definitely probably my biggest moment WWE meaning that's where that's where I'll be remembered the most is for that moment I think yeah and so it's very special to me and it went down so good that particular night that was well executed well-booked, well-written, and props to everybody involved. It was amazing.

Yeah, I mean, you had a great thing going with Carmel. I was so surprised when you got released. Were you also surprised? Yeah, then you can start, I mean, yeah, because I felt like I got over his baby face when I needed to, and I got over as a heel when I needed to. But the crowd was always, it goes back to, the crowd was always making noise when I was out there. Yeah. And that was what we want. Isn't that what it's supposed to be, right? Like, even the week before I got released, a week before I got released, I wrestled Becky on Smackdown. You can go back and watch that, Matt.

And all these chants were directed towards me. They were chant, where's your chin? Becky's going to kill you. Ellsworth sucks. Like, like, big reactions, you know? And I'm like, so when they released me, I was upset. I was crying. I mean, you lose your dream job.

And I'm questioned him why. You know, I'm like, but then I go, maybe it's because Carmelah has the briefcase right now. and they don't really need me because she has a briefcase. That's her heat is the briefcase. I said, maybe we'll bring me back when she needs me. I thought that right away. So I was like, you know what? Deep breath.

I was like, I'll go out of the Indies. I'll have fun, you know. 20% left on the phone there. I was like, I'll go on the Indies. I'll have fun. And I swear to you, man, Chris, right away, I was like, I'll be back. And I was like, I'll be back sooner than later.

Like, I felt that. I just felt it. And I mean, they, brought me back seven months later that's all it was seven months later they brought me back and i came back at money in the bank and helped carmella beat oska then they used me for a couple of months there and uh in my last appearance was um i did a wwecccom exclusive for smackdown 1 000 in october 2018 originally i was supposed to wrestle daniel bryn on that show and a j was supposed to be the referee like they were going to do to Daniel Bryan

what Daniel Brian did to AJ because remember he made Mark of Ambrose the referee when I wrestled AJ. Right. And if I won the match because, you know, a couple of weeks prior, Paige and Fire Me on Smackdown, that was my last time.

So if I were won that match, you get my job back. And AJ's the referee. And that's how I might win because AJ's the referee and they're a few in at the time. So, you know, you get to the building, plans change. and I'm like, man, I just really wanted to wrestle Daniel Bryan because I respect him so much. And he's, you know, again, top three wrestler in the world. So, yeah, but yeah, man, I thought the character had legs, but everybody probably thinks that one A, one A Lee, right?

Everybody's probably, why are they doing this to me? I could do so much more. But I really thought that character was so different from everyone else. Like, you're going forward in my career, even now, like, I want to be like the next Bobby Hennon or Jimmy hard or Jim Cornett, but more so a Bobby Heenan where when the heat got so hot, you could put Bobby in a match

because he was a wrestler. Yeah. So that's what, you know, that's what my goal is going forward is to be like that mouthpiece, you know, just heal that, you know, when the heat gets hot, then now I'm in a match because now I've got to eat crap, right?

Yeah. I think that's where the James Ellsworth character would work the best going forward anywhere. Like I think there's a lot of left to do with that was worth an apposition. I mean,

it's a weird time in the world right now, but are you still holding out hope that WWE is going to reach out and book you in another program? Well,

you never know. I mean, you never give up hope. Like, I do, I, the way I look at it, I have my time there. I loved every minute of it.

I had a run that I'll never have again. Most likely, I don't see myself ever beat the world champion again or crazy stuff. Like, yeah. So I'm very grateful for my run.

I'm very blessed that I had it. And anything that to me that happens going forward is extra credit, right? And I'm, you know, I'm willing to listen to anybody. I'm willing to do what needs to be done to, you know, move forward. But, yeah, like I do think, like I said, my goal is to be like that next real good, Heel, you know, manager that takes bumps. And I guess, yeah, we don't really have a lot of that right now. Yeah.

Like Paul Heyman is great, right? Paul, him is great spokesman for whoever he's met. And he's, him and Roman Raines are the best thing on television right now. I'm a humbled opinion. Like, Roman Raines is killing it. But Paul, I mean, it's not getting beat up a lot. You know, every now and then he'll take a bump. And it does mean a lot when he takes a bump.

But just to have that guy, like, one of the house shows, I would get bumped every night. The crowd would go nuts. And I'm like, this is what the Ellsworth character is supposed to be. Like this idiot that's trying to interfere it. He eats crap at the end, you know? So going forward, I'd like to do something like that, for sure. I think you'd be a really good fit in impact.

Did they ever reach out to you? Well, I did a little bit of impact, which I love Scott. Themore, he was a great guy. I think in 2018, I did some live events with them in California. Had a lot of fun. You can find those on YouTube. Had a lot of fun. And I did Bound for Glory, which, again, me just kind of,

maybe I feel like I'm smarter. Like Eli Drake, who I think is tremendous. They bound for glory that year. the crowd thought Chris Jericho was going to show up and Face Eli Drake. And then it was just me. And I'm like, I'm going to get crap doing.

I'm not Chris Jericho. I wish I would have cut the promo because they were chanting Y2J. Like, you wanted Y2J? You got Y2J. Y2James. I wish I would have said that. I thought about that afterwards.

That would have been great. But, I mean, I'm going to listen to anybody, man. Wrestling's fun for me. Like I said, I like performing on any level. It doesn't matter if it's in the barn of West Virginia and 15 people were at the Royal. Rumble at San Antonio, Texas at the Alamo do them in front of 54,000 people, in front of 75,000 people in Campi World Stadium or Orlando.

Like, I've been in front of seven people. I've been in front of 75,000 people. Like, I just like to do it. I really genuinely like to use the art form of professional wrestling to perform. And that's, you know, just the biggest high I get in my life is that. Is the plan to be in wrestling for many years to come? or are you going to be looking for a quote unquote, you know, real job? Well, luckily for me, I saved all my money and I'm investing it.

And I'll always probably be my own boss other than the wrestling stuff. I'm learning. I take the time to learn how to invest your money and do things that keep it going. Rather than I just sit around, like, well, I'm good for six years. I'll just sit here and watch TV now. You don't want to do that because six years can come really quick. So I have two daughters that I am responsible for taking care of. So I, like I said, I look for ways to, you know, take what I've been blessed to give from wrestling and invest it and keep it going rather than it just starts fading the way.

Like, I won't allow that to happen. If it ever came down to it, I would 100% get a real job by need it to. I mean, because, you know, there's no such thing as job shame. If anybody's out there working good for them because they're trying to take care of themselves or their family. And that's what life's all about. Take care of your family, first and foremost, then take care of yourself. Because you have to be around you 24-7. So you've got to take care of yourself.

But, I mean, I will, you know, I'm only 36. I love the wrestling business. I mean, obviously it has its ups and downs. It's a roller coaster ride. You know, but I think I'll always be a part of it unless I get tired of it one day. which I am not right now. As we wrap things up here, you got engaged at Disney World, right?

Was it Magic Kingdom? Yes. What is the best ride at Magic Kingdom? Space Mountain. Woo! Right? Oldest ride. Woo! Longest line.

Ain't that the truth? That day I got engaged. An hour and 15 minute wait for Space Mountain. And for her 30 birthday is coming up in February. I want to take her to Disney World then. We haven't been since we got engaged. Right now we're looking to get married in the summer of 2021. She get married at Disney World.

We haven't planned the wedding at all. We picked out, hey, we're going to get married in the summer. We've done that. But we haven't at all planned it. I mean, of course, the pandemic happens. You don't know how many people you're allowed to have at the wedding, who's allowed to be there where you can have it, all that nonsense. And so we just kind of been chilling for now.

We live together, and she's tremendous. She's really made me the best version of myself, and I really needed it. So she, I love her to death, man. I don't want to get too teary. But she's beautiful. I'm definitely, you know, out of my league. People say it all the time.

I just laugh at it because I know. Yeah, I've known her, though, for nine years. We've always been friends. And, yeah, she's tremendous. So I'm very fortunate and blessed to have her. I know that Gilbert means a lot to you. He's a very close friend of yours. And he just recently had a heart attack.

How is he doing right now? He's doing a lot better. I mean, he had chest pains for two weeks prior to the heart attack. So he wants the ER a week before he had the heart attack. And I guess they just gave him some medication, sent him on his way. So the chest pants continue and he went back a week later and they told him they got there and he's in like a lot of pain. And they rushed him to to the, I guess the room where they take care of that, the surgery room. And after it was all set none, they told him if you would have been here about 20, 25 minutes later, we wouldn't have been able to save you.

That's how bad it was. Wow. So now he has two stents in his heart. And Gilberg, he, Dwayne, he had been doing construction for. a job. You can't do whatever again. Like, they're telling him you shouldn't be doing that. Like, he's that bad of health. So,

you know, we started this go-fund-me for him. If you look, go on, go-fummy and look up, Gilbert, you'll find him. And just to help him out. Dude, I've known him my whole life. We're both from Baltimore. Both had similar journeys to WWE, which is crazy, because I've known him. I've known him my whole life. He was friends

of my family before I ever know him, before I was ever born. So, yeah, but he's doing better. And hopefully going forward, he'll be in better health. He's 62. So he should have a lot of life to live going, you know, left. I'm going to leave a link to that GoFundMe down below in the description. So anybody that wants to help out, Dwayne, you know, the link is down below there.

And, man, that's so scary to think that he was possibly 20 minutes away from it all being over. It's just, man, like I said earlier in the end. interview like you know every day is a blessing don't waste days because you just you don't know man you don't know when your number's up and you just got to enjoy your life enjoy it you know all the negativity going on the world all the he said she said and this and that like screw all that like enjoy your life because you don't know you you can't just sit there and go oh well well you know I'm going to make it to 80 you don't know that you might not make it the 40 you have no clue it's not up to you So, yeah, he's 62 when, you know, it was almost over for him that quick.

I love hearing how much gratitude you have throughout this whole interview. You talk about how grateful you are for so many different situations. And I say all the time, in fact, I'm wearing the T-shirt. Be great, be grateful. So I want to end this interview. I end every interview like this. I want to know, what are three things in your life that you're grateful for right now? Oh, that's easy.

So, number one, my children in their health, very healthy kids. my fiance. And then number three, just, I don't know, three is probably a hard one. Just I'm grateful to be blessed to be where I'm at in life. I'm very blessed to have a house and be, you know, financially stable. And I'm very blessed, I guess, to narrow it down to be in the position I am in life. I'm very lucky for sure. I really appreciate this conversation.

It's just so fascinating hearing your entire journey. I really appreciate you making the time to do this. Yeah, man, you've always been cool. I appreciate you. I wish my teeth were pretty as yours. Look at that big. Just good lighting. Just good lighting. You know, I don't, you know, I save my money. Like I said, I can go get a beautiful pair of teeth like that too, but I just don't. Hey, these are my real teeth. Well, you've taken care of them for sure. I've got mine knocked out the last 18 and a half years. Yeah, give us a big smile. We can compare.

No, no. We're not going to do that. I'm not. Great, though. All right, brother. Thank you so much. Thank you, man. God bless and stay safe. Well, there you have it. James Ellsworth. And again,

I'm going to link to Gilberg's GoFund Me in the description of this episode if you feel so inclined to donate to that. And you may have noticed of the last month or so. I've been ending these interviews by asking my guests the three things that they're grateful for in their life right now.

I'm always so interested to hear what they say, but I'm also secretly hoping that as they're giving their answers, you're also thinking about what you're grateful for in your own life. Because I get that 2020 has been a strange year for a lot of people. And, you know, it's been a difficult one. But there's always something to be grateful for.

And I think, unfortunately, we don't highlight that enough. So I'm hoping that as you hear these answers, you're going, oh, you know what? I'm really grateful for my, you know, wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, parents. I'm so grateful for my parents. My parents have been married to 46 years. That great. Forty-six years. I think they should be on the show. What do you think? Helen and Dirk Van Fleet.

Oh, that'd be great. I think we should do this. We'll do this next year. So I'm reading a fascinating book right now called Captivate by Vanessa Van Edwards. And she has a line in there that I think can be applied to interviews and also life in general. Because I'm always blown away when people give me the compliment that I listen in these interviews. I actually let the guests talk. And the quote here is, the best conversations aren't about what you say. They're about what you hear. So true. Be great. Be great for my friends.

We will see you on the next one. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock. But there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley. How did they go from top of the... I'm looking for a music video.

They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of them? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Alley. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.