10 Wrestlers Who Failed In NXT (But Were Successful Elsewhere)

4. Eli Drake

Cj Parker Juice Robinson
ImpactWrestling.com

So often, those in the wrestling business talk about that magical “it factor” that a truly special talent has to have if they're to connect to a mass audience. And one person who has that special something is Eli Drake.

A fantastic talker and a good in-ring hand, Drake became one of the very few bright lights of some absolutely dire years of TNA/Impact Wrestling upon arriving in the company in 2015. Where his time in NXT is concerned, Drake actually had a couple of stints with WWE. The most notable of these spells came in 2013, with the real-life Shaun Ricker heading to Florida to begin training under the NXT brand. The charismatic Ricker would only have a total of 13 matches in NXT before being released from his WWE contract just eight months later in August 2014.

In a move that could see things come full circle, WWE has reportedly expressed strong interest in signing Eli Drake over the past couple of years – even more-so now that Drake is a free agent after leaving Impact Wrestling earlier this year.

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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, Jamie Hayer, 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.