Elias: Drifting Down a Different Path

But what about guys who did next to nothing? What about a guy who just drifted through his time in NXT?

Elias Samson, or as Vince has decided, just “Elias” is certainly an exception to the rule. He’s not the only one, but what has he really done? He’s had no title reigns in NXT, and he’s really had no notable matches or feuds. Clearly something else is going on here. He’s got the talent, he’s got a good look, and he can do what WWE needs done. Clearly though, he’s got someone in his corner, and it’s probably Triple H.

I think he has a ton of talent and a bright future over the next 5+ years. I’m simply stating that the man known as Elias took a different path than most NXT call ups. The path is not the same, and neither is The Drifter. For someone like Triple H to supposedly hand pick someone, it’s huge. Look at Orton and Batista…. look at the storied history of Sheamus… Elias will follow down a unique, but similar path and he deserves it. Every week, he’s consistently putting on solid matches and he’s consistently using the guitar and his songs to pull in the heat.

Samson could be IC Champion by Summerslam 2018, and I’m looking forward to that. You always have to question the draft and the brand split, because Elias could be on Smackdown, winning the WWE World Title next year. We never know, really.  What we do know, however, is that The Drifter drifted down a different path than his NXT counterparts and it’s working out very well for everyone involved.  When you can have a solid(not great, but solid) match with guys like Finn Balor and Dean Ambrose, then you’re going to start turning some heads backstage. Triple H might be behind Elias, but I have to think that Vince and Kevin Dunn are taking notice, big time.

The fact that no one calls him “Elias Samson” anymore just proves that Vince is becoming invested in him. It’s well known that Vince likes for people to have one name. Remember Alexander Rusev? Antonio Cesaro? Sheamus O’Shaughnessy?  Big E Langston?  I could go on for days, but Vince clearly plans to do something with Samson, and if it takes a few years, so be it. RAW is stacked, or they could just DRIFT him to Smackdown Live.

Either way, the future is bright for the man drifting down the unconventional path to the top from his early days in NXT. I do hope that Vince allows Corey Graves to tear into him each week though. If Graves ever got one last match, I would love to see him finally get his hands on Elias. There’s only one question left to ask: