10 Things We Learned From Speaking To Eli Drake

1. The Fun And Freedom Of The NWA

Eli Drake NWA
NWA

From watching at home, everybody in the NWA seems to be hugely enjoying themselves - and Eli Drake couldn't help from grinning like a Cheshire cat as he regaled us with just how much of a blast he's having right now with the National Wrestling Alliance.

When asked the simple question of how much fun he was having, Drake beamed, "I don't know how evident it is, [but] I feel that when I watch this stuff back I can see how much fun I'm having. And I am, because it's some of the most fun I've had in my career. Partially because there's a lot of trust there. Billy and Lagana really trust what the talent are doing, but particularly with me, just because we have a history, we know each other, we've worked together before."

On the creative freedom afforded to the NWA roster, Eli added, "I can remember the very first day we all showed up in Atlanta. Billy was just, 'I want you guys to take chances. Aside from maybe creating your own storylines that we haven't approved, within the confines of the storylines we want you to take chances, to do stuff, and to create within that space.'"

The current co-holder of the NWA Tag Team Championships continued, "It's just been a lot of fun. I've felt free. That audience is crazy. It's not a big room, but everybody in there is super passionate and loud and excited about everything that's going on. And that just makes everything so much better, because they're so invested, they're hanging on every word you're saying, they're hanging on every move."

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.