James Ellsworth looks at his WWE run in a positive light, despite the abrupt ending.
He spoke to Rolling Stone about various aspects of his run. When he was asked about turning heel, and if he would have preferred to remain a babyface, he said yes. Regardless, it didn't matter to him if he was a face or a heel -- he had fun doing both:
When they turned me heel, I thought, "Whoa, that's happened quickly, but now I'll get to show what I've got as a heel." I feel like the opportunities I got to speak on the microphone as a heel, I really showed I can do it. I thought after the Carmella thing, I would go back to being that underdog babyface. I thought there was still something left with that. I was only a babyface for three months, so I thought we'd get back to that, but I guess it wasn't in the cards. I have fun doing either/or. I just like using the art form of professional wrestling to entertain people.
At the end of the day, he's happy with the run he got in WWE, despite his abrupt release back in November. He thinks there was a lot more to do, but ultimately those kind of decisions are up to them.
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.
Ellsworth is currently sitting out the 90 day no compete clause in his contract. He'll be table to take bookings in the spring.
