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Not everyone's journey from NXT to the main roster of WWE is an easy one. Some people don't even make it and are fired before ever gracing the global stage of RAW or SmackDown.
Elias is a successful WWE Superstar and has been given time to shine on both brands of the WWE main roster over the last few years. However, if some people in NXT had their way during his stint with the black and gold brand, he would have never made it to WWE.
On the latest edition of Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast, Garcia sat down with Elias and the two talked about several topics. When his time in NXT was discussed, Elias revealed some surprising information that is sure to stun his extremely loyal fanbase.
"One thing I became very aware of is that the people who said 'no' at my tryout, they were now in charge at my job and their minds didn't change. William Regal always said yes, liked me, and got me through, but the people that said no, they were running the show. I didn't know anybody in the business, so I'm an outsider to their crew and they can be protective in their circle. I was put on the list to be fired, multiple times in NXT. I was made aware of it two different times. You can imagine walking into work knowing 'that guy right there wants to fire me.' It makes you walk on eggshells, there's extra pressure. There were a lot of ups and downs."
Elias was put on the list to be fired in NXT multiple times
Elias persevered and survived his time in NXT after creating a new character that got him noticed and helped him stand out. It surprisingly wasn't even the character we all know him as today though.
"I had been pulled aside by the head of NXT at the time and he was like, 'Listen, you have to come up with something for us and give us something. We'll examine you in 30 days and maybe you'll be better off somewhere else. Not everyone is meant to be a WWE superstar. Come to me with everything you've got and we'll break it down. Over the next 30 days, I put together a character I refer to as The Judge or The Drifter, which is eventually what I became. I put together a vignette, merchandise, ways to debut, feuds, a whole packet. I presented it to him and he said, 'This is good. Let's meet and talk about it.'
"He brings me into this roundtable room and everyone is there. Dusty Rhodes, Nick Dinsmore, everyone who worked there. He sits down, has my packet, and goes, 'We all looked at it, it's really good.' Shoves it to the side and goes, 'What else you got?' I'm like, '....What?' 'What else you got?' 'I spent the last 30 days making sure this was great. That's what I put my effort into. You said it was good.' 'Yeah, it's good, what else you got? Here's the deal. I'm going to turn the lights off. When I turn the lights back on, you're gonna give me something new.' He turns the lights off, when he turns them back on, I start yelling at everyone in Italian. Dusty Rhodes goes, 'Holy shit.' Nick Dinsmore is like, 'I got goosebumps.' The guy that put me on the spot is like, 'There it is.'"
Even though that gimmick didn't end up working out, The Drifter character got its time to shine in the NXT spotlight and the rest is history. Alls well that ends well, right?
Are you shocked by the news that Elias almost didn't make it through NXT? Let us know by sounding off in the comments section below.
Please credit Fightful and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use these quotes.
