10 Wrestlers Likely To Miss WWE WrestleMania 38
7. Elias
This might be a case of aspirational scoopsters connecting a few dots - Elias was scaled back on television when a certain loyal Vince lieutenant emerged into prominence once again - but "the rumour and innuendo" has it that the man has lost favour with the dreaded office.
There's something to this, provided cynical speculation accounts for anything. In WWE - a wrestling promotion insistent on not promoting its talent's best attributes (!) - it often does. In a series of vignettes screened last year, Elias killed off his strumming drifter gimmick. That version of Elias was dead. The new version of Elias hasn't popped out between Vince's legs yet. What can he do? He's not exactly a banger match guy, nor, despite his impressive physique, does he possess a formidable aura. He's excellent at cheap, local crowd-baiting heat.
His disingenuous cadence and deadpan delivery almost invariably generates a reaction, so what's going on?
He hasn't been released, either, which suggests somebody of influence must like him a bit - that, or a useless Orlando administrator forgot to sign off on the main roster pay increase, and he hasn't fallen under the ruthless glare of Nick Khan.