WWE Superstar James Ellsworth will meet wrestling fans for free at Dickson City Hyundai on Aug. 11
From a press release:
Almost a month after “WWE SmackDown” returned to Wilkes-Barre, Dickson City Hyundai will host a free meet and greet with WWE Superstar James Ellsworth on Saturday, Aug. 11 from noon until 2 p.m.
Autographs and pictures with the pro wrestler are free. The first 150 fans through the door at Dickson City Hyundai (1519 Scranton Carbondale Hwy., Scranton) will receive free 8×10 photos for Ellsworth to sign.
James Ellsworth wasn’t the biggest guy in WWE. He wasn’t the strongest guy. But he was living proof of his own mantra – any man with two hands has a fighting chance.
Initially trotted out as chum for Braun Strowman on “WWE Monday Night Raw,” Ellsworth soon found himself in the land of opportunity on “SmackDown Live.” With the help of Dean Ambrose, Ellsworth would earn the distinction of picking up two consecutive victories over WWE Champion AJ Styles, one via disqualification in a WWE Title Match.
After Ellsworth used a surprising amount of cunning to get Braun Strowman eliminated while serving as “SmackDown’s” official “mascot” in the 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Men’s Elimination Match, he then notched another miraculous victory, with a little help from Ambrose, over Styles in a Contract Ladder Match to officially make him a member of the Team Blue roster.
By any reckoning, Ellsworth didn’t look like the kind of man you’d expect to be a WWE Superstar. But he didn’t need any kind of preordained success story to make his way or, more importantly, make his mark. You just had to give him a ring, long odds, and his two hands. He took care of the rest.
After making his rounds on the independent pro wrestling circuit, he returned to “SmackDown” briefly last month for a few appearances. On July 24, General Manager Paige fired Ellsworth, officially ending his latest WWE stint. He responded in a statement on Twitter:
Two years ago today I went to Pittsburgh PA for RAW to be an extra talent for WWE.
Little did I know I would be facing Braun Strowman that night. I was picked by Arn Anderson who was the agent for the match to be the one that got to be a part of RAW against the Monster Among Men…
Before the match started I got to cut a promo as Braun made his way down to the ring, talking on a microphone in a WWE ring is a moment I’d dreamed about my whole life. During the promo, I said the most important words of my life, words i’ll always live by, “Any Man With Two Hands Has A Fighting Chance” I believe those words, the beating I took from Braun and my lack of chin of course is all what caught the WWE Universe’s eye about me.
These past two years have been the best years of my life! I’ve been able to support my daughters by doing what I love to do for a living! I’ve been on WWE television the last two years more often that not, got to travel the world more than once, wrestled in my opinion the best wrestler in the world, AJ Styles, even shared the ring with the #1 guy in the business, John Cena! Not to mention I got to be a part of Wrestlemania!
Smackdown Live has been my home for the majority of the past two years, and that show along with every writer, producer, agent, camera man, and all other staff will always have a place in my heart! Last but certainly not least, spent a lot of time on TV with my home girl Carmella! She’s an amazing person, and so fun to work with. Can’t say eough good things about her.
What an amazing ride the last two years have been! The fans have been great, WWE has taught me so much and given me opportunities I would’ve never dreamed I would get.
In closing, I’m not sure what’s next for me, but I promise you this, I will keep fighting, never give up on my dream. if anything, when people look back at James Ellsworth, I want them to be inspired by the fact that I refused to give up on my dream, even after accomplishing so much, because there’s so much more left to do and to prove. I’ll continue to show the world “Any Man With Two Hands Has A Fighting Chance”
Thank you all, James Ellsworth
See NEPA Scene’s photos of “WWE SmackDown” filmed live at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre last month here.
