Elias Talks Excitement For His 2019, Cena, & Memphis Ahead Of Upcoming RAW

Elias is one of WWE’s up-and-coming stars on the RAW brand. The musical savant is gearing up for Monday Night Raw next week at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennesse and took some time out of his busy recording schedule to chat with the Commercial Appeal about RAW, John Cena, his goals for 2019 and more:

Elias On His Feud With Lashley:

“I’ve had to deal with Bobby Lashley the majority of 2018, and it’s taken years off my life, I’m sure, but to finally get in there and do a little Christmas street fight where I dropped him on a bunch of Legos, blasted him in the face with a fire extinguisher and rolled a bowling ball into his (nether region), it felt great.”

Elias On His 2019:

“The performances need to get bigger, more grand and in front of more people. Secondly, as hard as it may be to believe, I have not yet captured any sort of championship title in my career. Now, I’m not out here plotting my way to steal the title on Monday night, but I’ve got no desire to go the long route.

“Whatever opportunities come my way, I’ll make the most of them.”

Elias On John Cena:

“John Cena has been a thorn in my side almost my entire career. It seems like every big event, whatever it may be, he seems to pop up and make life tough for Elias. It probably comes down to jealousy. There are a lot of similarities in our careers: the music, the crowd (reactions), things like that. But the difference is our mentalities. He’s got the ‘never give up’ mentality. It’s a very self-involved mentality. Whereas, I’m saying, ‘Walk with Elias. I’ll take care of you.’ It’s just clashing philosophies.”

Elias On Memphis:

“Memphis gets me right off the bat because it’s got such a rich music history. Elvis (Presley), B.B. King. These guys are legends. Of course, everything in music is influenced by someone else. I used to fall asleep listening to (Eric) Clapton as a teenager, and he was influenced by guys like B.B. King. And now I’m influencing legions of people.”

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Elias On His Musical Process:

“I kind of wait til I’m in the city, wherever I’ll be that night for that show. I’ll take in the sights and scenes and whatever’s going on there and start formulating what I’m going to write. (As far as the music goes), that’s just me picking up the guitar and letting loose. Going wherever my mind and my ears take me.”

The Backstory Of His Track The Ballad of Every Town I Have Been To:

“In that song, I say I’m searching for a town that’s not such a disgrace,” said Elias – ever in character. “Throughout my career, there’ve been few and far between. There are some out there, and I’m hoping Memphis proves not to be a disgrace.

“It’s not necessarily me being insulting. I am the living truth. I’m going up there and speaking the truth. Whether people like it or not, I can’t change who I am. I have to speak my truth and sometimes it can hurt. (But) that’s Elias for you.”