Braun Strowman Beat Up James Ellsworth And Rasslin’ Was Great Again
A great big man decimated a great little man and all was right in the world
Of all of the world’s many outstanding art forms, professional wrestling is the most absurdly wonderful of them. Ultimately it’s a simple gambit. Good versus evil fight in front of a crowd of bloodthirsty and/or bemused patrons. There’s an element of magic thrown in for good measure, to ensure that the humans embodying both good and evil are ideally able to do this, ad infinitum, until old age or unexpected injury derail their careers. Thus, professional wrestling is a misnomer. Rather, it’s “timeless play acting” which is actually what’s happening, and when it’s combined with expected storytelling and well-executed thespian work surrounding commonplace tropes, pro wrestling is better than any other art form on the planet. When these conditions occur with mind boggling pathos as the proverbial “cherry on top,” conditions emerge wherein wrestling can be wildly commercially successful in ways that other industries cannot replicate.
That being said, on July 25, 2016, when the monstrous, six foot eight inch tall and 385 pound Braun Strowman defeated the five foot nine inch tall and 150 pound James Ellsworth, it was the kind of match that perfectly encapsulated everything right with the pro wrestling industry. Moreover, it set a precedent upon which (alongside many other things World Wrestling Entertainment is doing right) the pro wrestling industry could build its next era of dynamic and commercial record-breaking success.
World Wrestling Entertainment and pro wrestling in general has met its greatest success when it preys upon the emotional connection we all have to stories like that of the biblical tale of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Odysseus versus the Cyclops, and especially David versus Goliath. There’s something in the size differential that preys upon a level of epic danger that is equally frightening, yet compelling. Add in pop culture and sociology showing us that people love watching monster trucks, Godzilla films, and other size differential-driven brands of entertainment, and pro wrestling has had a template for success for years.
Interestingly enough, roughly 25 years ago, the two most exciting matches in pro wrestling involved golden uses of size dynamics as a pathos creator. The then WWF’s competition of World Championship Wrestling striking paydirt with a match pitting the six foot five inch and 450 pound Godzilla in human form known as Big Van Vader (the masked American born Leon White was a Japanese wrestling legend and nicknamed “The Mastodon,” so yes, he’s basically Godzilla) versus the six foot one inch, 230 pound (and for shits, giggles, and a new dimension of pathos, also then 44 year old) Ric Flair. As well, the WWF had the six foot three and 290 pound Razor Ramon embroiled in a feud with the reed thin six foot tall and 175 pound (and similarly for giggleshits and a new dimension of pathos, barely 21-year old) 1–2–3 Kid.
Flair’s match with Vader at Starrcade 1993 was described by pro wrestling pundit Dave Meltzer as “a defining moment in Flair’s career and most memorable of his numerous title wins.” 1–2–3 Kid’s upset victory over Razor Ramon in May 1993 has been described as “the first iconic moment in Monday Night Raw history,” and a table-setter for the “anything can happen” moniker that has accompanied the show’s now 24-year first run weekly broadcast history.
8,471 days after the 1–2–3 Kid defeated Razor Ramon on Monday Night Raw, James Ellsworth being planted into the ring via Braun Strowman’s face-first choke slam after a 79 second “match” combined elements of Flair vs. Vader and Kid vs. Razor into an “iconic” and “defining” dynamic force that given that Braun Strowman headlined WWE’s most recent WWE Network Special “pay-per-view”-esque event, may make it a much more important match than anyone could’ve ever expected.
“Any man with two hands has a fighting chance,” Ellsworth said, meekly kowtowing in front of announcer Byron Saxton as the bellow of “BRRRRRAAAAUUUUN” rang out throughout the arena and lumbering North Carolina-born giant Strowman strode menacingly down the Raw entrance ramp. Prior to this match, Strowman was “just another big dude” as a follower of bad guy mystic and faith healer character Bray Wyatt. Wyatt had just been transferred to WWE’s Tuesday airing show Smackdown, leaving Strowman to develop his own unique persona as a solo character on Raw.
“Any man with two hands has a fighting chance” is a great statement for defining a man trying to win a fight, real, imagined, existential, or otherwise. However, when it’s used by a muscle-less and extraordinarily meek seeming man to describe his forthcoming bout with a musclebound hyper-behemoth literally three times his size, it takes on a level of absurdity that, again, for shits and giggles, adds a new level of pathos to the story.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus, though smaller than the Cyclops, is at least a wise military strategist capable of defeating his larger opponent. In the Bible, Daniel has the faith of the Lord on his side versus a pack of lions. Similarly, David has a staff, a rock, and a slingshot he’s taking into battle. As for Ellsworth, he had two hands. On a meek body complete with a Offspring band tattoo and bleach blond dye job that, well, not even a mother could love. Ellsworth defeating Strowman would’ve been the kind of defeat that would’ve been completely and totally illogical even in the magical and “anything can happen” world of professional wrestling. That’s actually what made it, Ellsworth, and now Strowman, so captivating.
Never have we ever seen a man so entertainingly small wrestle a man who, by comparison, is so ridiculously big that it’s immediately the height of absurdist comedy. Given that we all know the stories of Odysseus, Daniel, and David so well, the idea that WWE would pervert that story in such a mind-boggling way opened the door for the company’s fanbase, post-Strowman throwing Ellsworth into the mat in the least graceful manner possible, to make Ellsworth into a folk hero of sorts.
It’s said in the Bible’s Book of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 5, that “the meek shall inherit the Earth.” Wikipedia notes regarding this quote that it means that “[“strong” people] tap into hate and anger which ultimately results in violence which leads to destruction,” while “[“meek” people] problem solve (gain power over a difficult situation) in a peaceful way.” Thus, Ellsworth’s one-time WWE appearance and immense fan support turned into Ellsworth becoming a signed member of the WWE main roster, and eventually defeating the WWE World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles in a non-title contest. Of course, then bad guy AJ Styles is one foot and 200 pounds smaller than Braun Strowman. and Therefore, in representing a “micro-aggressive” form of the “hate, anger, violence, and destruction” in the world, Ellsworth’s “two hands” could fight and win.
Wrestling James Ellsworth defined Braun Strowman’s character and career, catapulting him ahead in a meteoric manner. Again, a man so entertainingly small has never wrestled a man who, by comparison, is so ridiculously big. The juxtaposition of these elements has created a psycho-intellectual reaction in the crowd that has allowed Strowman to project his size to a level that makes him seem, by presentation, 68 feet tall and weigh two tons (by comparison, Ellsworth is an on-screen manservant to a crew of four women now, and in being probably appearing as 59 centimeters and 150 ounces in height and weight, in his character’s perception, is superhuman in a manner different than Strowman).
In the past six months on television, Braun Strowman has survived a straight punch to the face by the similarly massive Big Show, and then superplexed Show into the ring, causing the ring to implode. As well, he’s literally picked up a masked Mexican wrestler (Kallisto) and thrown him in a dumpster on multiple occasions, plus tipped over a 14,000 pound ambulance with wrestler Roman Reigns locked inside. After defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of the just occurring and aforementioned Payback event, the fans chanted “Thank You, Strowman.” Even further, after the show went off the air, Strowman as character attempted to drive Reigns battered body through an ambulance door. As Reigns moved, Strowman plowed through said ambulance door, his character suffering “numerous internal injuries.”
Pro wrestling oftentimes features good versus evil fight in front of a crowd of bloodthirsty and/or bemused patrons. When pro wrestling features unimaginable good fighting by comparison astounding evil, with copious amounts of stultifying pathos added, we end up where we are right now.
Because great big man Braun Strowman decimated great little man James Ellsworth, all is right in the world of professional wrestling.
