10 Secret Pasts Of WWE Wrestlers

9. Elias

Elias Heavy Metal Jesus
WWE/Twitter/@IAmEliasWWE

Pre-"Walk With Elias", WWE's go-to guitar man (who, unlike previous musical acts, can actually play the instrument proficiently) had another gimmick on the indy scene. He wasn't Elias, he was the 'Heavy Metal Jesus'. Yes, he was pretty much independent wrestling's closest thing to a physical meme.

What would Jesus do? Rock out, apparently.

Eli worked this character for a solid six-year spell before being picked up by WWE in 2014. During that time, he'd work for a few small promotions in the North East and do everything in his power to stand out. It worked too, because WWE eventually came calling, tweaked the preachy style of his character and turned him into Bruce Springsteen after some protein shakes.

'Heavy Metal Jesus' became a nickname rather than the name, and then that bit the dust so WWE could replace it with their own ideas.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.