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Of all the WWE Superstars who have made the switch to the main roster from NXT, it’s fair to say that very few fans had high expectations for Elias.
Monday Night Raw’s singing sensation made little impact in NXT, at least in terms of television storylines, and even die-hard wrestling fans would have been forgiven for barely knowing who he was when he debuted.
However, ever since he first appeared on Raw, Elias has featured prominently on the show and his popularity has grown to such an extent that he has become one of the best things on WWE television every week.
In this article, we take a look at five things about the man behind the character, real name Jeffrey Logan Sciullo, that you probably didn’t know.
#5 Jeff Hardy named his finishing move
In an era where seemingly everybody’s finisher can be kicked out of on a monthly basis, Elias’ Drift Away finishing manoeuvre is more clinical than most on the WWE roster and it’s rare that the move doesn’t put somebody away for the 1-2-3.
Speaking on The Steve Austin Show in December 2017, Elias recalled how fans used to chant “Drift A-Way” (to the tune of The New Day clapping) at him in NXT.
The Pittsburgh native’s finisher used to be called the Rolling Cutter during his NXT days but, after a suggestion backstage from none other than Jeff Hardy, he decided to pay homage to the crowd chant by renaming the move Drift Away.
#4 His dream opponent is The Undertaker
Elias has gone toe-to-toe with several of WWE’s top stars during his time on the main roster, including John Cena, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, but his dream opponent is The Undertaker.
The man formerly known as “The Drifter” grew up as a fan of ‘Taker, as well as Shawn Michaels, but has never crossed paths with the WrestleMania icon since joining Raw in April 2017.
He told the Baltimore Sun in January 2018: “If I could pick anybody, I'd probably pick The Undertaker at WrestleMania. I don't know if the guy is done or not. I threw a little shot at him on Monday Night Raw. So if he's not done, I'd love to be the guy to make sure he is done.”
#3 He has a degree in Business Management
When Elias started out in the wrestling business, he wrestled for multiple different promotions across America, including International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), and he often made around $45 per show.
Needless to say, that wasn’t enough for a wrestler to make a living, so he worked in retail and at gyms to earn some extra cash.
He also studied a four-year degree in Business Management but he never pursued a career with his qualification because his heart was always set on wrestling and becoming a WWE Superstar.
#2 His uncle created the ‘Walk With Elias’ phrase
Throughout his main-roster run on Raw, Elias has been asking fans “Who wants to walk with Elias?” during promos, and recently he has been telling audiences that WWE actually stands for “Walk With Elias”.
In an interview with Yahoo, the man behind the character said the phrase was initially created when his uncle mentioned it to him a few months ago, but he didn’t use the “WWE stands for Walk With Elias” phrase for the first time in front of an audience on television until Christmas Day 2017.
“As soon as I said it I felt that the entire audience got it right away,” said Elias, who decided to go ahead with the phrase on television after John Cena reacted positively to him saying it backstage.
#1 He was rejected by WWE four times
In another story from his appearance on The Steve Austin Show, Elias revealed that he was rejected four times by WWE before they finally offered him a contract to begin training at the Performance Centre in 2014.
He failed three tryouts to join FCW, WWE’s former developmental brand, and then he was given a paid NXT tryout after impressing during a dark match with Dean Ambrose. However, once again, he was not signed by the company.
Six months later, he received a call from Canyon Ceman (WWE’s Senior Director of Talent Development) and, after being told ‘no’ four times, he was finally offered a contract.
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