Former WWE Superstar Elias recently revealed a significant revelation about former WWE Champion Seth Rollins’ Messiah gimmick. Elias, known for his guitar gimmick since 2014, has notable feuds with John Cena, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens, and others. He was released from his contract by WWE in September 2023.
Elias, now wrestling as Elijah on the independent wrestling scene, previously feuded with Seth Rollins in 2018 over the Intercontinental Championship. Although he lost to Rollins during that time, he recently revealed shocking details about Seth Rollins’ Messiah gimmick.
Speaking in an interview with Metro UK, Elias revealed that he had come up with several different character ideas, one of which was the Monday Night Messiah gimmick later adopted by Seth Rollins. He stated, “I was always coming up with different characters, ways to evolve Elias into the next thing. There was a character that I really thought could have been incredible myself, it was the Monday Might Messiah. If you realise, Seth Rollins and AOP ended up – for lack of better terms, they just gave it to those guys. I had a real vision of me being the Pied Piper of Monday Night Raw and controlling people, with kind of a cult-like leader. The biblical themes and things like that, I always love that Messiah stuff.”
He continued, “There’s guys that just are getting paid more or getting put more in a spotlight, and they might want to put the resources into those guys. It’s no discredit to Seth, the guy’s absolutely incredible. But this is how that’s how the system works, you know what I mean? That’s the risk you take with giving these ideas.”
Seth Rollins’ Messiah gimmick duration and impact in WWE
Former WWE superstar Elias claims the Monday Night Messiah gimmick was his idea. However, let’s examine the duration and impact of the gimmick when it was portrayed by Seth Rollins.
The gimmick was introduced following Survivor Series 2019, where Seth Rollins blamed his brand RAW for not winning matches. Rollins then aligned himself with the Authors of Pain. This faction also saw the addition of Buddy Murphy.
Seth Rollins took on the Messiah gimmick during the pandemic, engaging in feuds with Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, and Rey Mysterio. His rivalry with Rey Mysterio also marked the debut of Dominik Mysterio against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2020.
Rollins maintained the gimmick throughout the entire year until Survivor Series 2020, where Sheamus eliminated him first after Rollins sacrificed himself. The former WWE Champion took a two-month hiatus and returned at Royal Rumble 2023, introducing fans to The Visionary gimmick. Overall, the gimmick’s impact was short-lived, lasting only a year.
