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James Ellsworth recently recalled how The Undertaker shook hands backstage with every participant in the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble match.
The legendary superstar spent eight minutes and 46 seconds in the 30-man contest before being eliminated by Roman Reigns. Earlier in the match, Ellsworth lasted just 15 seconds before he was thrown over the top rope by Braun Strowman.
Speaking on the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, Ellsworth said the WWE icon personally thanked every Royal Rumble entrant after the match:
“He came in the locker room, The Undertaker, and shook everyone’s hand that was in the Royal Rumble and said thank you. That was like the coolest thing to me. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s respect, that’s old school, and that’s the way it should be.’ I remember thinking that. People need to learn from that.” [25:36-25:55]
The four-time WWE Champion retired from in-ring competition in 2020 after 30 years in Vince McMahon's company and 33 years in the wrestling business. He did not feature in another Royal Rumble match after his 2017 appearance.
James Ellsworth on Randy Orton and The Undertaker’s respect comments
The Undertaker said on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2021 that current superstars are “soft” compared to past generations. Randy Orton recently spoke about a similar issue with BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani, claiming that some members of the locker room lack respect for veterans.
James Ellsworth, who appeared in WWE between 2016 and 2018, agrees with Orton’s opinion and wishes traditional wrestling values were still present today:
"Randy Orton just talked about it on some podcast this week. There’s not a lot of respect between the boys anymore, which is a shame, man, because I love the boys. I love being around them, I love talking smack to them, I love ribbing them, getting ribbed. To me, my humble opinion, it’s not as cool or fun anymore, but it is what it is.”
Ellsworth made his name in WWE after working as an enhancement talent against Braun Strowman in 2016. He left the company in 2017 before briefly returning in 2018 to revive his storyline with Carmella.
Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
