Apparently, the former Impact World Champion was very close to being all in with the new promotion.
Eli Drake revealed on the
Wrestling Perspective Podcast that he nearly inked a deal with All Elite Wrestling; however, the two sides just didn’t see eye to eye (transcript courtesy of
fightful.com):
“We had a deal worked out. And then we didn't And then we did again. And then we didn't. We just couldn't come to terms with everything," said Eli. "Then, I spoke with Joey Mercury at Ring of Honor and that happened just before talking to [Dave] Lagana and Billy [Corgan] at NWA. At that point, I was just weighing my options and seeing what was what.”
With rumors stating that Drake’s previous employer, WWE, was indeed interested in the Impact star, many thought for sure that the Maryland native would end up going back in the company; however, Drake reveals that he didn’t bother reaching out:
“I had been contacted by friends of mine who are in WWE and they said, 'You should let them know you're available.' I was like, 'For the last three years, I've kinda jerked their chain. I'm gonna ease off of that for right now.' Because for three years I was like, 'I'd love to come over there.' They were like, 'Great, we'd love to have you.' And I was like, 'Ah, I'm gonna stay where I am.' I don't wanna keep being the boy who cried wolf. So I didn't even bother reaching out to them."
Check out the full interview where Drake talks about NWA and the freedom he has, and much more regarding his wrestling career.