10 Secret Pasts Of WWE Wrestlers

9. Elias

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.