James Ellsworth and Chelsea Green (FKA Laurel Van Ness) are calling out “Blackcat Events” for non-payment. The company booked several talents for Meet and Greets over WrestleMania weekend but at least two of them are now claiming the company never paid up.

The promotion Tweeted out the following a couple of weeks ago which only recently caught the eye of one of the performers who is claiming the company never paid them.

https://twitter.com/BlackCat_Events/status/986254290548330496

LOL BRO! The truth came out. You’re a fraud and we’ve made sure the wrestling community knows that!

Goodluck surviving in this industry. https://t.co/5YVZP9opEW

— CHELSEA GREEN (@ImChelseaGreen) April 29, 2018

Green’s real-life boyfriend, Zack Ryder, also commented on the situation.

FRAUD. THIEF. LIAR. ETC. https://t.co/bor0GeLgI7

— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) April 29, 2018

James Ellsworth also chimed in to mention he has not been paid and his phone calls are not being returned:

Truth is, you still owe me, @ImChelseaGreen and other $$ and you won’t return calls, texts and have us blocked on all your social media, and will have me blocked after this tweet, loser https://t.co/USGGNfgsjn

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) April 29, 2018

This then set the operator of the Black Cat Events Twitter account off. They posted several Tweets claiming Zack Ryder committed libel against him.

https://twitter.com/BlackCat_Events/status/990719607878103040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightful.com%2Fwrestling%2Fchelsea-green-james-ellsworth-call-out-blackcat-events-not-paying-them-and-other-wrestlers&tfw_creator=fightfulonline&tfw_site=fightfulonline

https://twitter.com/BlackCat_Events/status/990718988719149057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightful.com%2Fwrestling%2Fchelsea-green-james-ellsworth-call-out-blackcat-events-not-paying-them-and-other-wrestlers&tfw_creator=fightfulonline&tfw_site=fightfulonline

Green retorted that they have proof to back-up the claims made by Ryder, which would negate any possible suit for libel.

https://twitter.com/BlackCat_Events/status/990727093255360512?tfw_creator=rdore2000&tfw_site=sportskeeda&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Fwwe%2Fwwe-news-zack-ryder-james-ellsworth-other-in-twitter-war-with-independent-promotion

Black Cat Events Versus Wrestling Community

According to Black Cat Events in the above Tweets, the company attempted to run an event over WrestleMania weekend. Evidently, the event did not go ahead as planned.

In a later Tweet, Green revealed that Rikishi was another talent which did not get paid by the promotion:

Yes, he screwed over @TheREALRIKISHI and some others.

— CHELSEA GREEN (@ImChelseaGreen) April 29, 2018

If Black Cats is claiming the event never went forward, talent is still owed their deposit unless specifically mentioned in the contract. In this case, however, it looks as though Green did not get her deposit ahead of time. She posted an exchange she had with the promoter online:

Here ya go! I believe this goes under the category of “LIAR”… or “FRAUD” if you’d rather that? @BlackCat_Events this was right before you ghosted, and right after your third excuse for not paying us. pic.twitter.com/Y0wCoc4MIr

— CHELSEA GREEN (@ImChelseaGreen) April 29, 2018

The Black Cats page then made some very derogatory comments about Green. One comment, which has since been deleted, was captured via screenshot by a quick-thinking Chelsea Green fan:

https://twitter.com/KiingDeno/status/990733334752804864

Chelsea Green finished up with Impact Wrestling at the promotion’s January tapings in Orlando.Lately, Green has been wrestling for Shimmer and Wrestle Circus.

Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth has been confirmed for a UK bout against one of the premier Deathmatch performers in the world…

The former PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion and CZW Tournament of Death 2017 winner Jimmy Havoc will be taking on Ellsworth as part of IPW:UK’s ‘Chin Up Son’ event which takes place on Wednesday 2nd May from Unit 9 in Milton Keynes, England. Ellsworth has been appearing sporadically on the independent scene since his WWE departure, he faced former UFC star Matt Riddle as part of Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2 event this past weekend in a quick 3 minute match.

This match against Havoc marks his debut in the United Kingdom outside of the WWE…which is quite a way to debut on one of the hottest scenes in the World. Fans of the UK promotion have been quick to ask for a Deathmatch stipulation to be added to the bout but IPW:UK has not yet commented on this, we will update you if this changes, you can see Ellsworth’s reaction to the match via the tweet below.

Tickets for the show are available to purchase now via IPW:UK’s official site.

Awe gee thanks @IPWUK !!! Hey wait a minute… https://t.co/nBWhqhGL8L

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) April 12, 2018

Last night on Smackdown, Carmella finally cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase. She pinned Charlotte Flair after a beatdown from the Iconic Duo and won her first ever Smackdown Women’s Championship.

James Ellsworth, who played a key role in Carmella winning the MITB briefcase, had this to say about her victory last night:

I’m in tears, you did it girl!

Congratulations @CarmellaWWE

Forever my friend who is a girl .. #SDLive

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) April 11, 2018

James Ellsworth Comments on Carmella’s Championship Victory

Later that night, Carmella was interviewed backstage and said she won Money in the Bank all by herself and she beat Flair all by herself too.

No need to thank me I guess…#SDLive

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) April 11, 2018

Carmella held on to the MITB briefcase longer than any Superstar has done in the past. She sent out the following Tweet yesterday morning:

287 days and counting… Moon Walking. Trash Talking. History Maker. Record Breaker. Ms #MITB ? pic.twitter.com/nHKlo9aqv9

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) April 10, 2018

Former WWE superstar James Ellsworth recently did an interview with Andy Malnoske of Wrestling Inc. to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Ellsworth revealed that competing against AJ Styles for the WWE Championship was his favorite moment with the company:

“If you’re asking what my favorite moment was, it was that, wrestling for the WWE title,” Ellsworth said. “It’s AJ Styles, who’s the best wrestler in the world, in a main event match on SmackDown, favorite moment.”

Back in 2016 Ellsworth worked a match against Braun Strowman as a jobber. The fans’ reaction to him got him over and WWE decided to bring him on as a regular talent. Ellsworth said everything just happened at the right time:

“Luckily for me, it was just lightning in a bottle,” he said. “Right opponent, Braun Strowman, got 15 to 20 seconds of promo time, it just all came together so well. That performance that night with Braun Strowman, fans got behind it after that and I appreciate every fan that’s ever helped me out because of that.”

Ellsworth then discussed what it was like to interact with each of the McMahons – Vince, Shane, and Stephanie:

“Vince is the boss, I’ve had a couple conversations with him up there. It’s like any other job, he’s the boss, so very employee-to-boss conversations,” Ellsworth said. “Shane’s more ‘one of the boys,’ so I’d talk to Shane. Stephanie, I didn’t see her much because she was on RAW and I was on SmackDown, but when I did see her she was very sweet and always said hi. That’s about it.”

Since departing from WWE, Ellsworth has been doing work for NWA (which is now owned by Smashing Pumpkins singer and former IMPACT Wrestling President Billy Corgan). He is also working on the independent circuit as well and hopes to one day make it back to WWE:

“I’m doing stuff with the NWA, Billy Corgan owns the NWA now… So I’m working with them a lot, I’m doing as many indies as possible,” he said. “I get to travel the world still and do my thing, and then when the time is right, I think you’ll see me back in WWE.”

You can read Ellsworth’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. by clicking this link here.

Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth has been announced for IPW:UK’s upcoming ‘Chin Up Son’ event on Wednesday May 2nd from Milton Keynes Unit Nine venue.

This UK exclusive match for Ellsworth will be his debut for both IPW and in the United Kingdom in general. Since leaving WWE Ellsworth has been making sporadic appearances for independent promotions across the United States, including an upcoming bout against former UFC fighter Matt Riddle as part of Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2 on WrestleMania weekend.

This event takes place just days after IPW:UK’s International Battle Royale event which sees Austin Aries, Mark Haskins, Tenille Dashwood and more invading the Casino Rooms in Rochester, England.

Tickets for IPW:UK’s ‘Chin Up Son’ are available to purchase here.

https://twitter.com/IPWUK/status/979415895633223680

Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth was recently interviewed by Andy Malnoske of Wrestling Inc. to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Ellsworth first talked about fans probably being uncomfortable with him being presented as Carmella’s ‘pet’ on WWE TV during their time together on SmackDown Live:

“I was OK with doing it, who wouldn’t? It’s Carmella,” Ellsworth said. “But to me, I thought the fans thought it was weird, so I’m glad it didn’t last long. But again, I personally didn’t mind it but I think it was weird for people to watch.”

Ellsworth was released from his WWE deal back in November and has been working the independent circuit ever since. He has since established an Intergender Championship that he plans on defending. When asked who he’d like to defend the belt against, Ellsworth named former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood (a.k.a. Emma):

“I’m wrestling Emma next month who’s also in the indies, she goes by Tenille Dashwood now. I think on the independent scene she’s probably the biggest name that’s a girl,” he said. “I would love to wrestle Carmella for it, that would be cool, I think people would love that. But yeah, as far as the indies go I can’t wait to get in the ring with Emma next month, I think that will get a lot of people talking.”

He was then asked about his thoughts on WWE bringing in former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Ellsworth said he believes the relationship will be mutually beneficial for both WWE and Rousey, and thinks Rousey will surprise some people with how good she’ll be in the ring:

“I mean, she’s one of the biggest stars in the world. As far as star power, she’s great for WWE. It’s good for both, it’s good for her and WWE, I think it’s a good relationship with them too,” he said. “I think both parties will make a lot of money off of her being there. She’s awesome and she’s been working hard in the ring and I think she’s gonna surprise a lot of people and be a really, really good wrestler.”

You can read Ellsworth’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. by clicking this link here.

James Ellsworth has had numerous championship opportunities in recent years. He wrestled AJ Styles on Smackdown for the WWE Championship and he most recently challenged current NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, unsuccessfully as well.

Ellsworth has now created his own championship belt, however. One he plans on defending all across the independent scene.

RT!! I will be defending the "World Inter-gender Championship" all over the world! More on this later this week bookellsworth@gmail.com #DUH pic.twitter.com/tpVMk8BHUV

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) February 20, 2018

Inter-Gender Wrestling

Ellsworth spent his final few months in WWE wrestling superstars from the Smackdown women’s division. It only makes sense he would take this gimmick to the independent scene.

He is not the first world inter-gender wrestling champion, however. That title belongs to Andy Kaufman who declared himself the inter-gender champion in the late 1970s.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, recently announced plans to defend his championship across the globe. Aldis and his manager, Auston Idol, are attempting to defend the NWA title 20x in 60 days. Consequently, they’ve booked title matches for the next 2 months.

The NWA has clarified that should Aldis lose his NWA championship at any point along the tour, the new champion would pick up where he left off.

Yesterday on Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, the NWA revealed Aldis’ first challenger. Episodes of the show are available through the FITE App.

While the challenger was considered a heavy underdog against Aldis, he did have two fists and a chance.

https://youtu.be/bes65fJ-_K0

Nick Aldis vs. James Ellsworth

33-year-old James Ellsworth recently began competing on the independent scene again. His last match in WWE was a November 11th loss on Smackdown to Becky Lynch from Manchester. That same night AJ Styles won the WWE Championship.

Ellsworth’s first post-WWE appearances came at Santino Marella’s wrestling school in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. In addition to wrestling earlier in the evening, Ellsworth would win the first ever “Santino Cobra Battle Royal” that night.

Unfortunately, Ellsworth was unable to defeat Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Aldis now has 19 title defenses left on his tour.

After being released from WWE last year following over a year-long run with the company, James Ellsworth appeared on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho, to talk about his time with the company. Ellsworth was signed after his July 25th, 2016 squash match appearance with Braun Strowman. He instantly became a fan favorite and was signed to a WWE deal shortly thereafter.

During the episode Ellsworth revealed some scrapped plans for him at the 2016 SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV). It was originally pitched to have him defeat Heath Slater for a WWE contract when the pair were both free agents:

“I get an email that says, ‘Hey, there’s an idea for you for SummerSlam. It’s Barclays Center; you could drive there from Baltimore.’ I’m thinking I’m gonna be a part of SummerSlam for two weeks. The Friday before SummerSlam, they’re like, ‘Hey, creative changed, we don’t have anything for you, hopefully, we’ll have something soon. I found out months after that what the SummerSlam thing was supposed to be. When Heath Slater didn’t get drafted by Raw or Smackdown, and he was a free agent.

“He was trying to get a contract out of them both, he was supposed to come out at SummerSlam, demanding, ‘Daniel Bryan, I want a contract!’ Daniel Bryan’s trying to make it easy for him. ‘All right, I’ll give you a Smackdown contract, all you have to do is beat this guy,’ and it was me! The idea was I was supposed to go over and I was supposed to win the contract.

“But what happened was Slater winded up getting babyface reactions before then, he was getting over as a babyface doing that angle. If they ever did anything with me, at first, they wanted me to be a babyface. But I was like, ‘Man, I almost had a SummerSlam match with Heath Slater!’ That would’ve been fun.”

You can listen to Ellsworth on Talk Is Jericho by clicking this link here.

James Ellsworth recently conducted an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. The always-positive 33-year-old, spoke highly of his time in WWE and his future in professional wrestling.

James Ellsworth Interview Highlights

On his time in WWE:

“I feel like I understand the business, and when I signed, I said I’m going to enjoy every moment. I was hoping and praying it was going to be five or 10 years, but I was like, “This is probably going to have a short shelf life, so I’m going to do the best I can to stay here as long as I can.” But I felt I was looked at as short shelf life from the beginning, which I’m not bitter about.

The whole thing’s bittersweet. I appreciate every opportunity WWE gave me. That’s the sweet part. The bitter part is I just don’t feel like I finished. Maybe I just didn’t finish now. Maybe I’ll finish there later, but I don’t think it was time to go. But it’s up to them, and they’re the ones who have taken this industry and made it into a global phenomenon, so they know more than I do I would imagine.”

On Rumors of Vince wanting to give him a transgender gimmick:

“All I can say is Vince never talked to me about it. If that was an idea, I surely didn’t know, and Vince and I never had a conversation about it, so I have no idea. [Laughs] Being in WWE, I can tell you a lot of the dirt sheets is just people guessing. I’m not saying that was, but it’s people guessing and hoping they’re right, and it gives their dirt sheet a reason to pay attention to it I guess.”

The full interview with Rolling Stone can be read here.

– WWE is now advertising WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and John Cena for RAW’s 25th Anniversary special next month at both the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom. They join previously advertised names such as Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and Kevin Nash.

– Recently released WWE star James Ellsworth took to Twitter to share a hilarious story about meeting a fan in traffic. The woman got out of her car in the middle of traffic and went up to Ellsworth’s car to take a picture with him. Ellsworth said he thought he was getting robbed at first:

A lady stopped her car in the middle of traffic at a red-light to come get a selfie with me who was a car over, I thought I was being robbed

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) December 20, 2017

With the release of James Ellsworth from WWE, most have speculated about his future within the world of sports entertainment.  Many have suggested that he could easily demand more money when appearing in other promotions, and that he has an open and easy career ahead of him.

However, James McKenna has revealed some outrageous plans for James Ellsworth that were discussed at creative meetings.  The plans, that are reported to have originated from Vince McMahon, would place Ellsworth in a championship match at WrestleMania 34.

What championship match?

The SmackDown Live Women’s Championship match.

Around the time of Money In The Bank, after James Ellsworth won the first Money In The Bank match for Carmella, Triple H was interviewed on Sky Sports saying: “I wasn’t there, but it doesn’t seem right […] although we are still trying to confirm that James Ellsworth is 100% a man.”

The comment came across as a joke, however the source from James McKenna suggests that Triple H’s interview wasn’t just a joke, but a potential seed for Vince McMahon’s idea – to reveal that James Ellsworth was transgender.

McKenna said that the Chairman and CEO of WWE brought this idea forward and that the creative team had to debate and discuss how it would work.  The whole plan would be for James Ellsworth to eventually feature at WrestleMania 34 to compete with Charlotte (as the champion) for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship.

WWE have done some pretty weird and offensive things in the past; usually resulting in some form of relationship or feud that results in a wedding and nudity.  But using, or even suggesting, gender transitioning is not only ridiculous, but also insensitive.  Thankfully it was stopped in its tracks well before getting out of hand.

Unfortunately, these plans weren’t…

You can find the rest of the interview with James McKenna here.

This week saw WWE release yet another superstar from their roster, James Ellsworth.  Whether you were a fan or not, he had memorable moments and added a certain something to the company.

Thank you @WWE for letting me live my dream,thank you fans for all the support, l'll continue to prove #AnyManWithTwoHandsHasAFightingChance

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) November 15, 2017

After making the announcement, numerous superstars added their comments to Ellsworth’s release:

https://twitter.com/ScottDawsonWWE/status/930920041389969408

Sad to see @realellsworth leave @WWE…but happy i got to see him live his dream. T-shirt…walk out at WrestleMania…Action figure…etc.

— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) November 15, 2017

Classy statement. Be very proud of what you accomplished, Pretty Jimmy. Very few performers get to live the WWE dream. Chin up (figuratively), strong, keep moving forward.. Seeya down the road, pal. https://t.co/1IGPVSZVJN

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) November 16, 2017

https://twitter.com/OfficialTAZ/status/930861323126263826

Most expect James Ellsworth to hit the independent scene as soon as possible.  He became a household name within the WWE Universe and achieved a lot in the time that he had at the company.  It’s also worth considering that this isn’t even the last time he’ll be at WWE; Ellsworth could always sign a new contract a few years down the line to return.  Popular or not, it’s a possibility.

Among all the best wishes, one WWE superstar took the opportunity to make the news a little more self-centered and build some extra heat to his in-ring persona by tweeting a special message to James Ellsworth.

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/930926226465636352

However Ziggler followed this up the next day with a Throw Back Thursday tweet showing that it’s not all about him:

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/931199944140111873

Many have actually speculated that Ziggler is trying to suggest that he is leaving the company soon as well.  However this is pure speculation and rumour built up around Dolph using the word “independent” in a tweet, but perhaps worth noting.

– Ever since it was announced that Chris Jericho will be facing Kenny Omega at the upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 12 event, people have been speculating whether or not Vince McMahon knew about this beforehand.

During his recent appearance on The Ross Report Podcast, Jericho answered this question and claimed that he would never jeopardize his relationship with Mr. McMahon:

“You know how smart I am throughout my career, and you know the relationship I have with Vince, and I would never jeopardize that, or give him any nasty surprises. So, I’ll just leave it at that.”

– James Ellsworth sent out the following tweet revealing that he will be able to take bookings from February 12th next year and can be booked via bookellsworth@gmail.com:

Thank you to the numerous people inquiring to book me, I can start taking bookings February 12th, email me at bookellsworth@gmail.com

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) November 16, 2017

Quotes via Cagesideseats.com

James Ellsworth has been released by WWE, which wishes him the best in all of his future endeavors” Ellsworth had this to say about his year with WWE:

Thank you @WWE for letting me live my dream,thank you fans for all the support, l'll continue to prove #AnyManWithTwoHandsHasAFightingChance

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) November 15, 2017

James Ellsworth’s WWE Career

James Ellsworth had one hell of a year with WWE. He made his first WWE television appearance back in July 2016, losing a squash match to Braun Strowman. The Monster Among Men was mowing through ‘local talents’ on a weekly basis back then, but something about Ellsworth endeared him to the WWE Universe. He was eventually signed to a WWE contract and became a regular character on the SmackDown brand.

He had a notable program with WWE Champion AJ Styles, even picking up a win over the champ in a non-title match (with some interference).  He was later paired up with Carmella and was instrumental in her winning the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

? https://t.co/UYLQBUagKl

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) November 15, 2017

During WWE’s recent European tour, Ellsworth did a comedy angle that saw him getting beat down by the women of SmackDown Live.

https://twitter.com/coupdebanks/status/928413426287763456

– Team RAW got their revenge on SmackDown Live by invading their show last night and laying waste to the roster. One person who was missing from the action was James Ellsworth. He took to Twitter to reveal where he was during the whole debacle:

Um… I was in the bathroom, what I miss? #SDLive

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) November 15, 2017

– At Survivor Series this weekend, RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss will take on newly-crowned SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. During RAW’s invasion of SmackDown Live last night Bliss kicked Flair in the face after attacking the women’s locker room. To add insult to injury, Bliss took to Twitter to fire off yet another shot at “The Queen”:

https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/930625158192291840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fjames-ellsworth-explains-raws-invasion-alexa-bliss-sends-message-charlotte%2F

Ms Money in The Bank has increased her publicity recently by taking part in interviews ahead of her debut on Total Divas, 2 weeks before Survivor Series.  Is WWE preparing for Carmella to cash in her Money in The Bank contract?

During the U.K. tour, Carmella spoke to The Sun to discuss her career in WWE. The interview ranged from her career before entering sports entertainment, to making history and becoming 2 time Money in The Bank winner.

“After starting off in NXT and then getting here to SmackDown Live, all I ever wanted to do was to create history and be a part of the women’s revolution. Natalya, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Charlotte, everyone is making history and I wanted to be a part of it and now my name will always be forever etched in history – and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Carmella was also featured in this Total Divas advert:

The Sun’s interview delved deeper into her experience working in the UK with Carmella commenting on her work at NXT Takeover in London. She reminisced about the PPV being in the U.K. explaining that it was like nothing she had felt before. On the topic of another PPV in the U.K. Carmella added her support, saying that it would be amazing if WWE were to hold a PPV in the U.K. again.

On the rivalry between RAW and SmackDown Live, Ms Money in The Bank stated that she uses the pressure and competition to improve her own performance:

“It’s nice to have that rivalry because it makes you work that much harder and you always want to be better than the other side.”

And it appears as though she has done just that.  Carmella has certainly stepped up her game over the past few months.  She has used James Ellsworth well and can hopefully cash in her Money in The Bank contract successfully to begin her reign as SmackDown Live Women’s Champion.  When she’ll cash in, or whether she’ll be able to hold on to her title is another question though.

In the final part of the interview, Carmella gave her opinion on the RAW vs. SmackDown rivalry and reveals she made a promise to the other women on the SmackDown roster.

“I don’t know where people get that Smackdown is the B show – I couldn’t disagree more […] all the women in our locker room came together and vowed to make us the A show and show we are the best women’s division.”

It definitely looks as though all the SmackDown Live women are on the same page in this video at Nottingham, England…

Opinion:

Be on the look out at Survivor Series though, with a diminishing relationship with James Ellsworth, she’ll be looking to move forward.

For the past several months James Ellsworth has been paired up with “Mrs. Money In The Bank” Carmella on SmackDown Live. Ellsworth played a big role in helping Carmella win the MITB briefcase. He was recently a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler’s podcast, Dinner With The King, to discuss his alliance with Carmella and how it came about. You can check out the highlights here below:

Who’s idea it was to pair him with Carmella:

“I think it was last year at the European tour in November, she came to me and said, ‘Hey, I have this idea about putting you with me whenever you’re done with the Dean Ambrose and AJ stuff comes to an end, I have this idea to pitch to them. They put you with me, you fall in love with me, and I use that to my advantage to win matches and get me to the women’s title. I said yeah, that would be a great idea. I didn’t know her much back then. She went to Vince, and she pitched right to Vince, and Vince loved it. It’s ten, going on eleven months that we’ve been on TV together”

Their relationship behind the scenes:

“We are good friends. We text all the time. She’s a very, very smart girl, and she’s easy to talk to. We get along great.”

You can listen to Ellsworth’s interview on Dinner With The King at this link here.

When James Ellsworth made his WWE television debut last July as an ‘enhancement talent’ for Braun Strowman, the lovable loser became somewhat of a cult hero to the WWE Universe. To the surprise of many, Ellsworth’s popularity garnered him a spot on the main roster and even he can’t believe what’s transpired since.

On Thursday, Ellsworth posted the following on Facebook, reflecting on what undeniably been the biggest year of his pro wrestling career. Say what you want about Ellsworth as a wrestler or television character, but he’s living the dream and has accomplished things most people in the business never will.

“In less then a years time, I’ve pinned AJ Styles who was WWE champion at the time, won a match at MSG, entered in the royal rumble, had a WM moment, grabbed the MITB briefcase, and kissed Carmella, follow your dreams people.”

Yes, Ellsworth technically did get a pinfall victory on SmackDown Live over then-WWE Champion AJ Styles. He had help, but it’s in the record books.

Carmella recently spoke with Gorilla Position to talk about various topics including the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match and working with James Ellsworth. Here are the highlights:

Winning the Women’s Money in the Bank Match:

“When I first found out that we were having a ladder match I was a little scared. I’m kind of a small girl so I was a little nervous about jumping off ladders and taking big falls, but I persevered and not only did I get to be part of the match but I got to be the winner – not once but twice. It was exciting, fun and scary all rolled into one. It was the best feeling ever, and I’ve loved shoving in everyone’s face that didn’t believe in me, everyone who told me I would never do anything in WWE other than a cheerleader. It really cemented myself in the history books, and whatever happens from now on I’ll always be Ms. Money In The Bank. It was a really satisfying moment.”

Enjoying the past year on SmackDown Live:

“What a year for the SmackDown women’s division and for me personally, I can’t believe what we’ve done. The girls main evented SmackDown with a cage match, we had the first ever women’s Money In The Bank match and the No DQ match I had with Nikki Bella. If you would have asked me this time last year all of the things that would happen I wouldn’t have believed you, but it’s happening and we’re making history. I’m the first ever two-time Ms. Money In The Bank, I’ve been able to have matches with some incredible talent, it’s like a dream come true.”

Being paired with James Ellsworth:

“He’s the man, he’s a really good friend of mine and because of him, I’m at where I’m at, because of our friendship. I don’t think anyone saw me being with James Ellsworth coming, but it got people talking and it’s different, you really see a woman with a male manager. I really enjoyed the controversy around the Money In The Bank Ladder Match because everyone was so upset about, and I loved it. It’s been a lot of fun and I think we make a great team.”

Looking forward to SummerSlam:

“I can’t wait for SummerSlam and especially as it’s in New York, which is always very special. Summertime in New York is always a lot of fun and I can’t wait for my second SummerSlam. At the moment my plan is to hold onto the contract as long as I can. I’m messing with Naomi right now because she has the title, but who knows how long she’ll have that and maybe I’ll cash it in soon or maybe I won’t. I like to catch whoever it will be off-guard, so I’m not going to reveal my plans just yet.”

You can read the full interview here.

James Ellworth returning to SmackDown soon

It looks like James Ellsworth will be making his return to WWE SmackDown soon. Ellsworth was suspended by SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan on July 4th. Daniel Bryan suspended Ellsworth because he would not stop interfering in Carmella’s matches. Ellsworth also took a couple of verbal shots at Daniel Bryan’s newborn daughter and Daniel Bryan didn’t take too kindly to that. Ellsworth’s suspension has now concluded and he will surely be making his return to SmackDown soon.

https://twitter.com/realellsworth/status/893320729512562688

Drew McIntyre on NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III

Triple H tweeted out the following about NXT TakeOVer: Brooklyn III that is going down at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn on August 19th:

Saturday, August 19th
LIVE from the @barclayscenter and ONLY on @WWENetwork…#NXTTakeOver: Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/93o9Drpdvi

— Triple H (@TripleH) August 2, 2017

Drew McIntyre will be challenging Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship at the main- event of the show. McIntyre responded to Triple H and stated that “10 years in America. 17 years working on a dream w/ many ups & downs. All roads have led to this destination”.

https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE/status/892820674837979137

Johnny Gargano’s new theme

WWE has uploaded Johnny Gargano’s new theme entitled “Rebel Heart” on their YouTube channel and you can check it out in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8TeeCpwkFU

Former UFC welterweight and middleweight contender turned independent wrestling star Matt Riddle is not a fan of the WWE signing James Ellsworth.

Riddle, who has done work for promotions such as Evolve and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, recently did an interview with Metro to talk about his background in mixed martial arts (MMA), making the transition to wrestling, and his opinion on talents the WWE shouldn’t have signed. Check out what he had to say here below:

Making quite a successful transition from MMA to professional wrestling:

“The difference is that I’ve always been a huge fan and always wanted to get into professional wrestling. I just never thought I was big enough or that the opportunity was there. A lot of fighters think it’s going to be easier than MMA and I can tell you this right now, it’s not that the training is harder or you that have to cut weight in pro wrestling, but you have to connect with an audience.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the best wrestler in the world and can do every move perfectly, if you don’t connect with the crowd or sell well or have good promos, nobody cares. People can see through bulls—. When people watch WWE and they hear a guy like Roman Reigns quoting Jack and the Beanstalk, they know he is not speaking from the heart. That’s why I like the indies, because I like being who I am. I get to be who I am in the ring, on the microphone, everywhere, it’s great. I never have to get out of character because I am Matthew Riddle.”

Who the WWE shouldn’t have signed:

“With wrestling, everybody always asks what they can do to get signed or how can they get over. There’s no right or wrong answers, that’s why I think the best thing you can do is be yourself. Decide which of your traits and characteristics are going to stand out to people, and take advantage of that. It’s the same with WWE because they have John Cena who is a legitimate Superman and a machine. And then they have James Ellsworth on the same payroll. So you have James Ellsworth and John Cena.

“If you look at them side by side and look at everything, one guy shouldn’t be collecting a check but he is. Nothing against Ellsworth, but if you’re looking at picture-perfect that’s what everybody should be like, everybody should be like John Cena. Jacked, a machine, get up at 5am go to bed at 2am, but that’s not how it works. And the fans can’t all connect with Superman. Some people are James Ellsworth, nothing wrong with that.”

You can check out Riddle’s full interview with Metro at this link.

Triple H was interviewed on BBC Radio 1 today while in the U.K. During the interview, Triple H poked fun at The Rock’s finishing move The People’s Elbow and stated that the move started out as a joke. Here are some highlights from the interview:

The People’s Elbow starting out as a joke:

“You’re trying to make each other laugh and one night The Rock did The People’s Elbow. [It] wasn’t known as The People’s Elbow, it was known as ‘watch this move that’s going to make all of you lose it in your corners’ These things morph in those ways, but they catch on. Trust me, we’re quick to go, ‘oooh, they like that, I’m sticking with that.’”

Waiting to take the move:

“You’ve gotta wait for like 20 minutes while he takes his elbow pad off and works the crowd,” Triple H said. “He runs back and forth, then he comes up and drops an elbow on you that looks like it barely touches you, except that a lot of times the point of his elbow hits you right in the mouth and you come up bleeding and you’re like, ‘how can you bust me open on that?’ It’s also so funny that you’re running away to the bank with it.”

H/T to Wrestling, Inc for the transcription.

James Ellsworth goes on Twitter rant about SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan

Last night on SmackDown, Daniel Bryan stripped Carmella of her MITB briefcase because James Ellsworth interfered in the match. Bryan also announced that there will be another Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match next week on SmackDown featuring the same five Superstars. Bryan also announced that Ellsworth is banned from the match next week on last night’s episode of Talking Smack. Ellsworth took to Twitter and ranted about Daniel Bryan and his decision in the following tweets:

This is unacceptable, @WWEDanielBryan can't do this, @CarmellaWWE is Ms. #MITB, I'll see you tonight on #TalkingSmack GM this isn't over DUH pic.twitter.com/NRZf4iyziI

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) June 21, 2017

It was beyond ridiculous of @WWEDanielBryan stripping @CarmellaWWE of #MITB total abuse of power by the #SDLive GM #JusticeForCarmella

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) June 21, 2017

Watch tonight's#TalkingSmack on the @WWENetwork to see some more abuse of power by our #SDLive GM @WWEDanielBryan https://t.co/17GL6oQ2ZK

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) June 21, 2017

I haven't slept, what @WWEDanielBryan did to @CarmellaWWE was WRONG #Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #JusticeForCarmella #SDLive #MITB

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) June 21, 2017

The only Male who robbed the @WWEUniverse from their rightful women's #MITB winner is @WWEDanielBryan #Duh #JusticeForCarmella

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) June 21, 2017

SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan returned this week and took decisive action regarding the controversial finish of the Women’s Money in the Bank match that took place Sunday night.

As a result of James Ellsworth interfering in the match, Camella has been stripped of the Money in the Bank contract. Another MITB ladder match will be held next week featuring Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Carmella and Tamina.

As for Ellsworth, he’ll be banned from ringside. Daniel Bryan made the announcement on Talking Smack.

WWE Hall Of Famer and longtime commentator Jim Ross has released another blog on his JR’s BBQ website to offer his thoughts on a variety of professional wrestling topics, including fan’s upset with some of the matches at the WWE’s Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV), the end of the first ever female MITB Ladder Match, and the debut of Maria and Mike Kanellis. Here are the highlights:

Multiple finishes that fans weren’t happy with at MITB:

“Unlike some fans who follow me on Twitter (@JRsBBQ), and thanks if you do, I am more interested in execution and effort than I am the results of most matches including the MITB bouts Sunday night. This PPV was one primarily positioned to future developing storylines with SummerSlam in particular in WWE’s creative cross hairs.”

Ending of the first ever female MITB Ladder Match:

“James Ellsworth winning the MITB match for Carmella was controversial to say the least and one can likely expect that matter to be followed up on significantly on Tuesday’s SmackDown Live. Ellsworth could have a trip to the woodshed in his immediate future by a bevy of hostile ladies.”

The debut of Maria and Mike Kanellis:

“Endorse the hiring of Mike and Maria Kanellis, and Mike discarding his last name Bennett to take Maria’s name is a ‘Heat seeker’ and in a good way, in my opinion. Quality people added to the locker room is always a good thing.”

You can read Ross’ full blog post by going to this link.