Elias may reportedly not be able to return until WrestleMania 37
Elias was part of a major Hit and Run segment a few weeks back on SmackDown, and it was later revealed that the WWE booked the angle to write him off TV. Elias suffered a legitimate non-storyline torn pectoral muscle injury which required him to take some time off.
The news of the injury was confirmed by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer and John Pollock of POST Wrestling.
Pollock noted:
Elias is out of action with a torn pectoral muscle, POST Wrestling has learned from multiple sources with the angle shot to write him off of television while he recovers. It is not known when he suffered the injury.
During the injury updates segment of Sean Ross Sapp's Backstage Report podcast on FightFul Select, SRS shared a disconcerting detail regarding the timeline of Elias' recovery and his expected WWE return date.
SRS said that Elias might reportedly not be back until WrestleMania 37, which is slated to happen at the end of March 2021 at the SoFI Stadium in Inglewood, California.
SRS noted the following on the Backstage Report podcast:
"Elias got ran over by that car in a segment a couple of weeks ago, but he's got a torn pectoral and may not be back till WrestleMania 37. Heal up soon."
Injuries have hampered Elias' rise in WWE
An unfortunate injury track record has marred the Drifter's career trajectory in the WWE in the past few years.
Elias was originally scheduled to compete in the King of the Ring Tournament semi-finals match in 2019; however, he was taken off the tournament due to an ankle injury. Elias also recently confirmed that he was set to face The Undertaker in 2019, but the match was nixed.
His latest injury is a rather serious one as Elias had to undergo surgery to fix the torn pectoral muscle.
He may have to spend at least six to nine months in rehabilitation, and as things stand, we may not see him in a WWE ring until the company begins building up for the next edition of the Show of Shows.
WWE still expects to go ahead with WrestleMania 37 as scheduled despite the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. What role could Elias play once he returns from his injury, possibly at the Show of Shows? As always, we will keep you updated about his recovery and WWE status.