Elias on the Beginning and Evolution of the Drifter Character

Sing for me man. Elias has been rocketing up the charts in WWE since his main roster debut last year and there has been almost no stopping him. Whether it’s beating John Cena down or getting to enter the Elimination Chamber match last, there’s something to be said about the man with the guitar. But what does he have to say about himself?

Elias was recently a guest on “E & C’s Pod of Awesomeness” with Edge and Christian. The interview looked at Elias moving up from NXT to the main roster last year and talks about his time on both rosters. This includes his lack of a reaction in NXT, his stronger reactions on the main roster and various other issues. Here are some highlights with transcription courtesy of Wrestlinginc.com:

On the Original Idea of the Drifter Character

“There definitely were times that I had issues, but when I first started doing the Drifter in NXT, I remember I just wanted to sit in the back turnbuckle corner and strum the guitar. I thought that would have been the coolest thing; I wouldn’t have to sing or say anything I kind of thought that it would be mysterious and cool.”

On who Made the Gimmick Work on the Main Roster

“Triple H has told me specifically from the very first time when he saw me, he said that it would be a better main roster character than NXT. It never really clicked with the NXT audience the way it has. The way I see it, I took my live event act in NXT and brought it to the main roster. They saw the live event act and said let’s put that on TV. On NXT, I would sing songs, but wouldn’t even do that, plus it was very dark and cryptic, but this is the kind of stuff I was doing on live events in NXT before being called up.”

And on Where the Character Can Go

“I definitely see my character evolving. I don’t want it to run until the wheels fall off. I am definitely going to get the most out of this incarnation of it, then hopefully whatever the crowd reacts to it, and storylines take me there are many levels. Think about just any kind of rockstar who has had a journey; they have their ups and downs, their egos and demands and then they hit rock bottom. There’s a million ways to go with ‘Elias,’ in my mind I see it evolving in many different ways.”

You can hear the entire interview here:

ELIAS SAMSON on the Edge and Christian Podcast

And here’s one of Elias’ greatest triumphs:

Elias disrespects John Cena: Raw 25, Jan. 22, 2018

Opinion: I’ve been liking Elias more and more every time I’ve seen him as of late. He’s getting into a groove in recent weeks and that’s launched him all the way up to the main event scene. While this might not lead him anywhere, it’s great to see him getting to showcase his talents on the main roster, especially when it’s working better than it did down in NXT.

What do you think of Elias? How far can he go on the main roster? Let us know in the comments below.