Do you know what WWE stands for? It’s not “World Wrestling Entertainment,” but “Walk With Elias.” The popularity of Elias has skyrocketed toward the end of 2017 and he’s starting to gain momentum heading into WrestleMania 34 . The success of Elias on the main roster is a rarity because he was considered a flop in NXT.
In a recent appearance on the Edge and Christian Pod of Awesomeness , Elias revealed the reason why he is much more successful in the big lights of the main roster than down at developmental. “The Drifter” noted that he is enjoying creative freedom for his character and he has the support of some of the top people backstage.
“I don’t want to put too many names out there, but people in charge have given me a great deal of freedom when it comes to being out there. So I’m able to try a lot of things and say a lot of things. I’ll say ‘if you don’t let me sing, I’m just going to leave’ and then say ‘wait, I like the sound of my voice, I think I’ll stay.’”
Elias has found a way to stand out from the rest with his weekly guitar segments. He gets a lot of cheers despite telling the audience to shut their mouths while also singing hurtful things about the city he is performing in.
The WWE signed Elias to a developmental deal back in 2013 and he spent three years there. Elias had a very disappointing stint at NXT, but he still got promoted to the main roster last year. Elias had his surname, Samson, scrapped, as well as “The Drifter” persona, but it led to an even better character on WWE television.
Some of the big names Elias has defeated include Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor, and Matt Hardy. Elias got the biggest win of his career last week when he pinned John Cena in a Triple Threat Match, which also involved Braun Strowman, to earn the right to enter last in the Elimination Chamber Match, per the website for WWE .
Despite the chance to have a title shot at WrestleMania 34 , Elias is still involved in a feud with Cena. Elias made his presence felt in the Raw 25 show when he beat up Cena and hit him with a guitar. The two are expected to continue their feud and some fans are hoping that Cena puts over the younger Elias.
At the age of 30-years-old, Elias is entering the prime of his career, and things will get better as more fans get behind him. Elias will face off against Roman Reigns, John Cena, The Miz, Braun Strowman, and a WWE superstar to be determined later, possibly Finn Balor.
