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WWE Rumors: Is James Ellsworth Joining WWE Full-Time?

By Lorenzo Tanos
Published on: 03:33 PST, Oct 24, 2016

As of now, James Ellsworth is not yet a full-time WWE performer. He is, as the Inquisitr previously reported, a local jobber-turned-cult favorite who is armed with an underdog-friendly catchphrase and the distinction of having beaten AJ Styles on two consecutive episodes of SmackDown Live. But if the latest WWE rumors are to be believed, it might not be long before Ellsworth becomes an official member of the company’s roster. And it may be because of two things: tremendous backstage support and impressive merchandise sales.

PWInsider reported on Monday that the last week has seen a huge groundswell of support for James Ellsworth, as backstage officials are supposedly high on the 31-year-old Baltimore native and pushing for WWE to sign him to a full-time contract with the company. According to the report, that may lead to the wrestler making yet another televised appearance, probably on Tuesday’s edition of SmackDown Live. Based on recent SmackDown storylines, this may see him continue to play a part in the ongoing feud between reigning WWE World Champion Styles and Dean Ambrose, with Styles presumably unhappy about Ellsworth’s two Ambrose-aided fluke victories at his expense.

Aside from having his share of fans backstage, Ellsworth’s merchandise sales are another factor that’s reportedly helping build up support for a full-time WWE deal. Forbes reported that as of last Thursday, James Ellsworth T-shirts were the top seller on WWEShop.com, even doing better than shirts representing big-name stars like Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins and returning WWE legend Goldberg. These black T-shirts cost $24.99 each and feature the wrestler making his trademark grimace. It’s a simple design for a seemingly simple man who’s been one of wrestling’s unlikeliest success stories this year.

The subject of Ellsworth’s prospects should he sign full-time with WWE has been fascinating fodder for discussion as of late. Forbes pointed out that it may be unreasonable to expect Ellsworth-mania to approximate anything close to Daniel Bryan’s rise to superstardom, for instance. James, after all, is in his early 30s and originally debuted as a local jobber to be fed to RAW monster heel Braun Strowman. Bryan, on the other hand, was a big name in the independent scene before he became one of the eight inaugural rookies on NXT, back when it was a televised rookie search and not the name of WWE’s developmental promotion.

One interesting hypothetical scenario for James Ellsworth may be having him serve as the catalyst for a Dean Ambrose heel turn. Writing for the Auburn Citizen, David Wilcox agreed with Forbes’ assessment of WWE’s latest lovable underdog, saying that he likely won’t be upsetting wrestlers like The Miz or main-eventing pay-per-views in the near future. What he can be, however, is someone who could set an Ambrose heel turn in motion.

“The inexplicably popular Ellsworth could be how Ambrose finally gets there (to heel status),” Wilcox posited. “The most tried and true method of turning a guy heel is having him savage a beloved, sympathetic fellow babyface. So delivering one to Ellsworth after losing yet another rematch for Styles’ WWE World Championship could swiftly turn the fans against Ambrose.”

Looking at this fantasy booking scenario, it does seem plausible. Ambrose’s babyface character has arguably gone stale, and Wilcox and many others believe a turn to the dark side may be in order for the “Lunatic Fringe” so he can freshen things up. With that in mind, Tuesday’s SmackDown Live will be an interesting episode to watch, if Ellsworth will be showing up. Now that he’s been successfully used by Ambrose to troll AJ Styles ahead of their expected WWE World Championship match at Survivor Series, what’s next for James Ellsworth if he signs with WWE full-time as rumored?

[Featured Image by WWE]

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