Teddy Long airs frustration with WWE for fumbling released fan-favorite star (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long recently made some insightful remarks about the company's creative decisions regarding a fan-favorite star. The name in question, Elias, was released from the promotion in September 2023.
Elias was one of the talents to watch out for in 2018, winning the WWE Breakout Superstar of the Year for his work. Despite being immensely popular among fans, he did not receive a significant push from the creative team and failed to secure a major championship.
On Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine hosted by Mac Davis, Teddy Long expressed his frustration with the global juggernaut's creative team for seemingly not booking Elias to succeed.
"I have no idea what could have happened to him. I mean Jesus Christ, those people liked him. You couldn't wait to see him play that guitar." [6:38 onwards]
Another WWE veteran was not happy with Elias' release
Elias portrayed multiple gimmicks in WWE and shared the ring with top names like Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, and others. Many were displeased with the company's decision to release him.
On Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws last year, Vince Russo reacted to Elias' WWE exit. According to the former writer, the 36-year-old deserved much better than the flimsy storylines he was booked in during his run.
"A victim of too many people with too many ideas. He's in, he's out, he's in, he's out, he's in, he's out. He deserves so much better. This guy has talent. He's gonna land somewhere else," said Russo. [34:03 – 34:15]
Vince Russo also praised Elias' ability as a pro wrestler, claiming that it would be very easy for the creative team to get him over with fans.
"Elias is a cool guy. Elias has been a cool guy from day one. They have never one single time tapped into Elias being a cool guy. Could it be that people writing for him are not cool? I don't know but he is another guy who should not be too difficult to get over." [40:50 – 41:27]
Elias is currently competing on the independent circuit. It remains to be seen whether he will be hired by a major promotion after his WWE departure.
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