Elias reveals secret plans Vince McMahon withheld until WWE WrestleMania 34
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has created numerous great characters and storyline ideas over the years. Past and present WWE Superstars have spoken about their interactions with McMahon, and while some have been critical of him, others have praised him.
Elias, who recently returned to WWE television, recently revealed in an interview how Vince McMahon promised him a role at WrestleMania two years ago. The WWE Chairman said that it was a secret and he couldn't tell him yet and Elias revealed that he learnt about his role on the day of The Show of Shows.
Elias on what Vince McMahon told him on the road to WrestleMania 34
In his interview with Sports Illustrated, Elias said that a couple of weeks before WrestleMania 34 in 2018, which was to be his first WrestleMania, Vince McMahon spoke to him backstage about his role for WWE's marquee event:
“I’ve got an idea for you. I can’t tell you about it yet, but it’s going to be good. I remember getting goosebumps when Vince said that to me. He stressed that he couldn’t tell anyone yet. But I hadn’t heard anything for weeks, and now it’s the night before WrestleMania. I thought maybe I’d end up in the battle royale.”
The former 24/7 Champion said that he received a call from an unknown number at 1 am on the day of WrestleMania 34 and that he was told to arrive to the arena immediately.
"It was one of our talent relations guys. He said, ‘We need you to come to the arena right now.’ And I said, ‘Really? Right now?’ And I was told there was a car waiting outside the hotel for me.”
Elias' role on The Show of Shows that Vince McMahon had kept a secret was to interrupt 16-time World Champion John Cena, who was set to face off against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. Cena attacked Elias as he was expecting The Undertaker to arrive to the ring.
The two then had a segment in the following year's WrestleMania, where Cena brought back his Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick. Elias revealed in the same interview that he was supposed to face John Cena this year, at WrestleMania 36.
Elias recently returned to WWE television after being out of action for a few months due to injury. The guitar-wielding Superstar was drafted to RAW in the 2020 WWE Draft.