10 Things We Learned From James Ellsworth On Talk Is Jericho

4. His Surprised Reaction On Talking Smack Was Real

James Ellsworth Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

Part of Ellsworth's appeal during his WWE stint was a surprising level of confidence on the microphone. Whether he was telling Byron Saxton that 'any man with two hands' could beat Braun Strowman or hamming it up in pre-taped segments with Carmella, James didn't seem in over his head.

Amazingly, some of his best moments weren't pre-planned.

Those who miss Talking Smack's organic atmosphere might recall Daniel Bryan revealing that Ellsworth would get a WWE Title match against AJ Styles the very next week in October 2016. Ellsworth's shocked expression and outburst of excitement? That was genuine. He didn't have a clue that Bryan was going to do this.

Even after the cameras stopped rolling, James asked producers if Bryan had made a mistake. They assured him they wouldn't have wrapped filming if the SmackDown GM wasn't supposed to make the match. That blew Ellsworth's mind.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.