Elias Samson Suffers Fractured Ankle
"The Drifter" hurt in Nashville.
WWE.com is reporting that "The Drifter" Elias Samson suffered a fractured left ankle during Saturday's NXT show in Nashville, Tennessee.
The injury occurred during a bout with Andrade "Cien" Almas (according to live reports, Samson was hurt when delivering a Hotshot to Almas) and forced the stoppage of the match.
WWE ringside physician Chris Amann was quoted in the piece, explaining that Samson was unable to put any weight on his injured ankle and had to be helped to the back. He confirmed that, after a time in a cast and on crutches, Samson would make a full recovery, but did not offer any timetable for "The Drifter's" return.
The 28-year-old Samson signed with WWE in early 2014, reporting to developmental territory NXT. After over a year of use as an enhancement talent, Samson was repackaged as a guitar-playing vagabond heel. The gimmick has been polarizing, with fans routinely driven to anger by Samson's pre-match song routine, which has added heat to the otherwise-unremarkable star's bouts.
After being re-introduced on TV last December, Samson went on a months-long winning streak that was eventually ended by Johnny Gargano. Since then, he has floundered in singles action, losing bouts to Apollo Crews, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, and Austin Aries.