10 WWE Main Roster Wrestlers Who Were WORSE In NXT

In NXT, Elias debuted as enhancement talent. His first televised match on 24 April 2014 episode saw him and Buddy Murphy lose to the Ascension in 1:32. Elias came into his own when he landed upon his drifter musician gimmick, though in the early days he often looked like a millennial barista with a heavy dose of midlife blues. He became a popular character in NXT but was prone to losing streaks, eventually suffering defeat in a Loser Leaves NXT bout and being unmasked when he attempted to sneak back under the guise of El Vagabundo.

In his two years on the Raw brand (2017-2019), Elias developed his heel work, greatly spurred on by his comically irritating acoustic performances. He shone so much he inadvertently got over with the crowd and provided consistent entertainment competing in memorable gimmick matches such as Guitar on a Pole, Symphony of Destruction, and Miracle on 34th Street Fight stipulations. A move to SmackDown and an alliance with Shane McMahon further cemented Elias as a fixture of WWE programming.

While he has continued to drift among the roster, falling short of championship success, Elias is a constant source of amusement and has the in-ring technique that makes him primed for a title push at some point.