Exploring the Surprise Success and Popularity of James Ellsworth in WWE
By all standard logic, James Ellsworth shouldn't be a WWE smash hit.
He's skinny, pale and looks like someone sanded down his chin. He's unassuming and unremarkable. Ellsworth looks more like the guy that should be fixing AJ Styles' cable, not challenging him for the WWE World Championship.
But none of that has mattered.
Ellsworth has emerged as one of SmackDown's most intriguing stories, a lovable loser who has won over the WWE audience. He is fresh off two straight wins against Styles, and fans have loved every minute of his unexpected journey.
Why is the opposite of the WWE prototypical Superstar having such a great run? How has the chum become as compelling as the shark?
The answer begins with what Ellsworth represents.
In July, the little-known Maryland indy wrestler waited in the ring for his showdown with the monstrous Braun Strowman. Ellsworth stood between the ropes, nervous and fearful, but still ready to give the fight of his life.
The crowd knew he had no shot. He wasn't the dark horse; he was the two-legged colt that didn't even belong in the race.
And in that moment, as he reached up and tagged Strowman with right hands that had zero effect, it was clear that he embodied the "never give up" mantra.
Ellsworth represents the everyman, the underdog who refuses to listen to how poor his odds are.
He is the WWE equivalent of Jimmy Olsen finding himself in a battle being superbeings. He is a motivational poster come to life.
And as Kyle Fowle of the A.V. Club wrote, "He's the stand-in for all of us, for everyone who dreams way too big, gets their ass kicked, and then gets back up to keep chasing that dream."
There is something special about this particular victim of Strowman's wrath. A steady stream of jobbers have faced the big man, but Ellsworth has stood out.
In part, one has to credit his look for that. His minimalist chin, nu metal haircut and emphatically undefined build all make him a cartoon character of sorts.
Beyond that, an understated charisma caught hold of fans from that first clash with Strowman. Chris Jericho told Nick Hauser on Sports Illustrated 120 Sports, "He had this first match a few months ago on Raw and just blew everyone away with the way he carried himself and his presence."
WWE wisely saw that quality and exploited it.
The company surely noticed how much he trended online. It realized it had an opportunity to venture outside of booking norms.
The faceless, nameless jobber trope would soon get turned on its head.
On Sept. 13, the arrogant and unliked Styles was in search of a tag team partner. His rivals John Cena and Dean Ambrose had joined forces. When there was seemingly no other option for an ally, Styles dug through the Superstar bargain bin and pulled out Ellsworth.
Ellsworth stumbled out on the entrance ramp, just as incredulous about him being in that spot as the fans were.
But the Cinderella story of him headlining SmackDown would have to wait. The Miz took the opportunity to ambush the free agent, demanding to be be in the main event instead.
And so just by appearing and taking a beating, Ellsworth generated pathos with the crowd. The Miz crushed his dreams. Ellsworth was a giddy longshot who was tripped up on his way to center stage.
WWE then pushed this story further on the Oct. 11 SmackDown, sliding Ellsworth closer and closer to the blue brand's inner circle.
In search of a less daunting challenge than either Cena or Ambrose, Styles invited the most popular jobber on the block to wrestle him. It was the perfect heel move. The Phenomenal One would bully his way to a cheap win, convincing Ellsworth that he was getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance, not being used as a pawn.
The world champ's arrogance cost him in the end. Thanks to some decidedly bias refereeing from Ambrose, Ellsworth scored an upset for the ages.
Never mind that Ellsworth couldn't stand when The Lunatic Fringe raised his hand in victory. Never mind that Ambrose had handed him the win. Ellsworth now had a stunning achievement on his resume.
SmackDown had traveled into absurdist theater territory.
Seeing the impossible happen on-screen stirred up the audience. WWE reminded its fans that anything can happen in its world. This narrative had become fun, nutty and electric.
And rooting for the underdog is natural for many of us.
Big Show appeared on Wrestling with Rosenberg and discussed how history has shaped our predilection for the warrior "fighting underneath," aka the long shot:
"America and the human race in general has always fought from underneath, through evolution, through war, through disease, through famine, we've always had to overcome these obstacles. That's where sports entertainment comes in and has so many fans who are emotionally invested because we all understand that paradox of life, fighting from underneath and having that obstacle to overcome.
"
Ellsworth has managed to thrive in that role. His gusto and all-in approach has helped lead to that.
Whether he's taking a punch from Styles or shocked to hear SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan give him a title shot, Ellsworth has cranked up his hamminess to 10.
His shtick is half cartoony, half motive.
He balances over-the-top acting with laying out his heart for the world to see. We saw both on display before his WWE World Championship match on Tuesday's SmackDown.
During his backstage interview with Renee Young, he was nervous and emotional. He talked of how lucky he was to be in this spot.
And that rang true.
His rise has been one nobody could have predicted. Even thinking as positively as humanly possible, he couldn't have dreamed that he would go from wrestling at the Delaware Auto Exchange in Felton, Delaware, in front of a sparse crowd to tangling with the WWE world champ in SmackDown's main event inside Denver's Pepsi Center.
There's something hugely inspiring about that jump. And seeing convention tossed aside and the implausible come true has the power to touch even the most cynical of fans.
That recipe of curveball booking, underdog charm and dumb luck produced a story like no other.
It's not clear whether Ellsworth will return to SmackDown, but he is already a massive success. He has his own official WWE T-shirt. He has more wins against Styles than Cena and more WWE world title shots this year than Randy Orton.
Ellsworth has been loudly grateful of everything that's come his way of late:
He knows that he and WWE struck unexpected magic that makes little sense on paper. The fans chose him. They made him.
And Ellsworth ran with it, his two fists at the ready as he fought for every also-ran in the audience.
