James Ellsworth recently revealed his behind-the-scenes interactions with Brock Lesnar in WWE.
Ellsworth was with WWE for two years, from 2016 to 2018, after making an impression as an enhancement performer in a bout against Braun Strowman. Lesnar was one of the top names on the RAW roster at the moment.
Ellsworth revealed on Hannibal TV that Lesnar was always friendly when they met backstage at shows:
“I always made it a point to find him and shake his hand, so I just wanted to be around this guy and see how he was. Always very nice. Dude, he’s all business, man. He comes in, he does his job, he does it well, and he rolls. He doesn’t bother anybody. It’s not like he’s an arrogant guy that comes in, mean to everyone how people might think.”
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Ellsworth stated in the same interview that he would be willing to return to WWE as a new love interest for Rhea Ripley.
On WWE TV, Brock Lesnar and James Ellsworth almost interacted.
The Royal Rumble bout in 2017 was dominated by Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and The Undertaker. The 30-man competition also included several humorous moments, such as James Ellsworth’s entry from position 11.
According to James Ellsworth, The Undertaker shook the hand and personally praised every single superstar that competed in the Royal Rumble in 2017.
Ellsworth stated in a 2022 interview with EssentiallySports that WWE management first wanted him to engage in a physical brawl with Lesnar.
The plan, however, changed, as he ended up working with his former opponent Braun Strowman instead:
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“When I first got there, they told me I might be doing something in the Royal Rumble with Brock Lesnar,” Ellsworth said. “And I thought, ‘Whoa, whoa, cool.'” ‘No, no, we’re going to do it with Braun instead,’ they say. “I was like, ‘Okay, that makes more sense because him and I have a history together.'”
Strowman eliminated Ellsworth after only 15 seconds in the Royal Rumble. Randy Orton eventually won the bout after defeating Roman Reigns.