wrestling / News

ZWI: The Ill-Fated Romance Between Elias and The Universe

February 1, 2019 | Posted by Dino Zee
Elias Samson WWE Main Event Elias'

It wasn’t what many saw coming. Not after so many steps had been taken on the journey to walk with him. For those that had identified as fans of Elias – to be transparent, this columnist is one of those people – it didn’t seem fair. In all honesty, it had only been about three months since the night he first decided to give in and accept the cheers, instead of trying to maintain his façade of needing to be alone.

We all remember that fateful October night, don’t we? Elias had come out to do his usual and play a song for the people, whether they liked it or not. Unfortunately on that night, time was running a little short, and then-Acting General Manager Baron Corbin let him know that he needed him to cancel the performance so that they could get to other matters of business.

Elias decided that didn’t sound good, opting instead to keep playing. Corbin would then have his mic cut, seemingly winning the pissing contest. As Corbin happily gloated, Elias would return and smash his guitar across Corbin’s back. The fans went wild, finally free to cheer a man who, until that point, hadn’t really done anything to earn adoration, outside of having a charisma that can’t help but drag you in.

But he was also actively fighting against other wrestlers who, one could argue, were more popular with the fans. When he attacked Corbin – someone the WWE Universe abhors – the people finally had their outlet and reason to cheer the man.

These last three months – how quickly they seem to have gone by now in retrospect – seemed like they initial phases of a greater plan. Together, we were going to build a phenomenon that was not going to be stopped in 2019. Elias was going to take over the wrestling world, and we were going to be there with him, singing along to his victorious tune.

And sure, it’s easy to get lost in it all when you’re a fan. When you’re not a part of the daily grind, when you’re not the one waking up exhausted, or hurt, then it’s a lot easier to just enjoy it all without taking a moment to appreciate what’s happening. But to be fair, it sure seemed like Elias was actually enjoying it, too. It was as if he freed himself that night when he attacked Corbin.

His performances had become better than ever, as his energy melded with that of the Universe. He seemed to be happier, and that seemed to feed into a confidence that we hadn’t seen before. He had won plenty of matches before, but now he was winning matches through his own gritty work, without any questionable tactics.

We always hear about wrestlers who, upon embracing the fans, just seem to find success a bit easier. Whether it’s an ease that comes with having people openly support you, or not having to worry about making them angry, or maybe something else entirely remains to really be proven, but we’ve all seen it happen. Embrace fans, start to find your winning ways. It wasn’t surprising to see someone as talented as Elias benefit from this formula. In fact, it simply felt right. Together, with everyone willing to walk with him, they truly were going to conquer it all.

That seemed to change with the events of Royal Rumble, which then directly led into what happened on Monday night.

Why would the return of Jeff Jarrett act as such a launching point, though? Was Elias angry that Jarrett’s reception seemed to be louder than that of his own? Was he angry that someone who was once Public Enemy #1 of WWE was now being welcomed back, and would then dare to leech off the popularity that Elias had worked so hard to establish?

Or was it simple professional jealousy when another musician tried to share his stage?

To be honest, I don’t have the answers. Calls to Elias have yet to receive any response, and I’m not exactly sure that I’ll get any type of comment. What we do know, though, is that the second Jeff Jarrett showed up during the Rumble match itself, the entire demeanor of Elias appeared to shift a bit.

Monday night, however, made it clear that this wasn’t just someone getting irritated for the moment. Monday night, as he laced into the fans, he made it clear how disappointed he was in himself for ever believing that the fans were worthy of his attention. After feeling like they had abandoned him for some old relic that didn’t even matter anymore, Elias wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

More intriguing to me than his simple change of attitude, however, is the knowledge that he has gained over the past three months. While he was trying to do things the right way, Elias proved himself to be a top competitor in WWE. His wins over Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, Dolph Ziggler, and even current Intercontinental Champion Lashley in that time showed that he can absolutely defeat anyone on this roster. He doesn’t need to resort to dirty tactics to beat people. He’s not just someone talking up a storm that can’t actually deliver on his promises.

That, ZWI readers, may be the scariest part of it all. He is no longer unsure of himself. He’s not simply looking to make an impact. He knows he’s one of the very best. He knows that he can beat anyone on any given night. Because at the end of the day, as much as we the fans hate to admit it, our cheers are a placebo. We don’t actually help someone win a match. Maybe our cheers help them find that final burst of energy, but the individual wrestler still has to put together that victorious sequence themselves.

Elias figured that out. Whether we love him or hate him, he’s proven to have the ability to win big matches. Some people fall for the trap that the fans are actually assisting – some literally define their careers by it. Hulk Hogan was always quick to proclaim how his Hulkamaniacs powered him through the toughest of moments, while John Cena took a different path and said that every fan reaction makes him a better person. Elias, however, realized that while the fans perhaps helped him find that final level of confidence, they did nothing to actually make him a better wrestler.

He did that. He put in the work. He improved. He won the fans over with that improvement. And, just when it seemed like he could work with the fans, they turned their backs on him for some old toy.

A year ago, that would have hurt. It may have even broken Elias. He wanted so badly to be accepted, and he didn’t have the self-belief to deal with any type of rejection. But the last three months showed him everything he needed to know. He has all he needs. He is all he needs.

And sure, for those of us who were happy to cheer him, it can be a bit disillusioning to know that we’ve let him down. We can still support him, sure, but we shouldn’t expect any type of gratitude from the man. In that sense, we can only be happy to see what we built. It may not be exactly how we wanted it, but Elias is our monster, and while he may not be singing our favorite song anymore, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t right to change his tune.

And maybe, if he bides his time properly, he can wrap this up by taking the WWE Universal Championship from the man that eliminated him from the Rumble, too.

article topics :

Elias, WWE, Dino Zee