star Elias hasn’t been seen in months, and his Raw return after WrestleMania showed he is a totally changed man.
The former troubadour with a series of graveside vignettes, but he made a shock comeback on Monday night’s show – although the man who came out maintained he’s actually Elias’ younger brother Ezekiel.
The clean shaven man – who was also sporting shorter hair – came out to interrupt Kevin Owens early on in the show as the latter was in the ring insisting because of a back injury.
In a funny moment, the “debuting” Ezekiel deadpanned as he insisted he is simply Elias’ sibling, while KO wasn’t having any of it.
The crowd lapped it up, and it was a genuine highlight during a Raw after WrestleMania which didn’t quite live up to the pre-pandemic reputation the show carried.
There is also genuine intrigue now, with WWE clearly invested in Elias/Ezekiel on some level to give him this kind of relaunch.
For a long time, he was one of the most popular acts with fans in arenas across the country, instantly getting a reaction with his performances before the inevitable interruption.
WWE seemed to go all in with the character too, releasing two EPs – Walk With Elias and Universal Truth – and letting him play live on Bourbon Street.
He even worked with and The Undertaker back on consecutive nights at WrestleMania 35 and Raw the next evening.
However, for a spell – particularly without live crowds – things changed, and he was seen in a midcard feud with Jaxson Ryker before killing off his character in August 2021.
One clip saw the star , and placing it down before walking away as he said in a voiceover: ‘I’ve had number one records, songs about every city, fans eating out of the palm of my hands.
‘Music didn’t fail me – it just wasn’t enough. WWE stood for Walk With Elias… but Elias is dead.’
WWE Raw airs Monday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
