James Ellsworth Done With Independent Bookings
The chin is in...
According to James Ellsworth's Facebook page, the one-time Braun Strowman squash victim will no longer be accepting independent bookings after this Saturday. This seems to indicate that his full-time deal with WWE - announced weeks ago by PWInsider - has been finalized.
Ellsworth's first Raw match came on July 25, when he was the first local wrestler booked to take on the fearsome Strowman. Prior to the bout, Ellsworth delivered the ad-libbed line "Any man with two hands has a fighting chance." Though he was soundly defeated by Strowman, the line and his unique appearance garnered him a following on the Internet, and he subsequent returned to the company in September, taking a beating from The Miz on Smackdown.
In October, Ellsworth's WWE career began in earnest, as he defeated AJ Styles on Smackdown (with some help from Dean Ambrose) to earn a title shot against "The Phenomenal One." Though Ellsworth couldn't wrest the belt from Styles, he did manage to defeat him via disqualification. Since then, the unlikely star has been aiding Ambrose in his feud with the WWE World Champion.
Prior to joining WWE, Ellsworth spent more than a decade on the independent scene competing as "Pretty" Jimmy Dream. Along with Adam Ugly, he formed the championship-winning tandem "Pretty Ugly."