10 Wrestlers You Can't Believe WWE Haven't Signed (Yet)

4. Eli Drake

Eli Drake
ImpactWrestling.com

The caveat to this entry for hardcore Drake fans is that WWE did lock Eli down to a contract in 2013. Things never panned out the way they or he wanted them to though, and he merrily found his way back onto the indy market before carving a name for himself in Impact Wrestling. Now, Drake exclusively works as NWA talent.

Lucky them.

WWE missed the boat a bit on Eli Drake, and it's difficult to see why. He clearly takes pride in his appearance (a big Vince McMahon pet peeve is people who don't), has that smart-assed promo style the company love heels to have and is none-to-shabby bell-to-bell either. Christ only knows what went wrong the first time that prevented Drake from becoming WWE gold. Surely falling out with then-coach Bill DeMott wasn't the only thing?

2013 was an exciting time for the company. NXT was starting to bear fruit, The Shield were paving the way for talent to move up the ladder from developmental to main roster, and someone like Eli should've become a gem WWE could mould in their own image.

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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.