Elias' former rival comments on the absent WWE Superstar's status

Jaxson Ryker is unsure why Elias has not appeared on WWE television in recent months.

Elias lost five consecutive matches against Ryker last summer after their four-month tag team partnership ended. Following that storyline, Elias burned his guitar in a cryptic vignette and declared his character “dead.”

Ryker was a guest on a recent episode of the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast. When discussing his former tag team partner’s current status, he said he does not know what the company has planned for the 34-year-old:

“The people [fans] love him," said Ryker. "They either loved him or hated him. Even when he was singing his songs, even when he was a heel, they were still cheering him at times. He’s just one of those characters that they can latch onto. I don’t know [about WWE's plans for Elias], man, we’ll see what happens.” [16:28-16:42]

Elias has not competed in a WWE ring since losing a Symphony of Destruction match against Ryker on the July 19, 2021 episode of RAW.

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Jaxson Ryker wanted a longer WWE rivalry with Elias

Elias and Jaxson Ryker unsuccessfully challenged AJ Styles and Omos for the RAW Tag Team Championship on the May 31, 2021 episode of RAW. The loss prompted the two men to separate, with Ryker turning babyface during their seven-week feud.

On reflection, Ryker believes the rivalry was worthy of taking place at one of WWE’s premium live events:

“There’s more we could have done," Ryker continued. "We pitched some vignettes, we pitched all kinds of stuff… him jumping me in the parking lot. I mean, I really think we could have stretched it out to a pay-per-view match.” [17:28-17:41]

While Elias is still under contract, he has not appeared on television in more than six months. Ryker remained with the company until November 2021 before receiving his release.

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