9 Wrestling Gimmicks That Took YEARS To Get Over
5. Elias Drifts On NXT For Years Before Being Called Up
Long before he was mysteriously absent from TV while his brother Ezekiel was stealing the show on Raw, and then disappearing once again after his eventual return in 2022, Elias Samson first popped up on NXT programming alongside a certain House of Black figure: Buddy Matthews.
The two would be obliterated by Ascension on that night in May 2014, and after spending the next year or so getting some reps in on the black and gold show, Elias finally debuted his intriguing second album.
Wandering down to the ring with a guitar over his shoulder, this 'Drifter' didn't exactly demand your attention from the get-go back in August 2015 when taking on Bull Dempsey. But there was certainly something there.
And while the gimmick he continually plucked away at over the next few years didn't ever really find its audience on a developmental brand full of compelling super-workers, Elias finally appeared to have found his stage when he first strolled onto the red brand in April 2017.
This unassuming debut very quickly turned into an unexpected movement in the months that followed, with the bearded acoustic star's weekly concerts regularly producing deafening reactions as he tore down the various hometown teams of those still happily "Walking with Elias."
One of the rare NXT call-ups that led to a far more successful run than the one he'd drifted through in Full Sail.