Eli Drake is a confident man. Some might even call him cocky. On the most recent Impact Wrestling media teleconference, Johnny Impact called him outright delusional. Apparently, Johnny Impact has forgotten who is the current Impact Global Champion.
But when you’ve been champion for 136 days, you start to look at what’s next. For Drake, that’s simple. “You’ve got to think, now it’s a matter of cementing a legacy. It’s a matter of lengthening that reign. Because we’re talking about, what are we almost 150, 200 days into this reign? You can’t think it’s going anywhere. So at this point, it’s kind of cementing that legacy of being the greatest Impact champion there ever was. But it goes beyond that. It’s becoming one of the greatest wrestlers there ever was. And in order to do that, how am I going to do that? I’m going to continue to win, I’m going to continue to grow. I’m going to continue to get bigger than I’ve ever been.”
Alberto El Patron might be just the wrestler to use to build that legacy. El Patron has been on Drake’s radar since Bound for Glory. “If people rewind back to Bound for Glory guess who got five stitches that night. You’re talking about me. Five stitches from a belt shot from Alberto El Patron. So you think he doesn’t have something coming to him? Because I haven’t even gotten the chance to give it back to him yet. I’ve had a couple shots in on him, he’s had a couple shots, but have I given him five stitches worth yet? No, but that’s coming. Believe me when I say that is coming to him. So do I want a match with Alberto El Patron? Do I want a fight with Alberto El Patron? All I want is one good, clean shot.”
With someone like Chris Adonis in his corner, Eli Drake will have a much easier road to whoever he wants. In the last episode of Impact! in 2017, Jimmy Jacobs seemed to also be helping Drake. At this point, he might need all the help he can get. The world of professional wrestling continues to get smaller, as we see wrestlers controlling where they appear more and more. During his title reign, he has battled Jack Swagger, JTG, Cody Hall, X-Pac, and others inside Impact and out. He also names Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho as wrestlers he would love to face. Whether it’s challengers from Pro Wrestling NOAH, WWE, or Ring of Honor, anyone he faces is just another step in building that legacy.
Drake got to the top of Impact, in large part, due to his undeniable charisma. According to the man himself, it isn’t something you can just learn. “I think it’s a God-given ability. The fact is, you’ve got to have confidence. I believe everything that I say, I am everything that I say, and that’s really the key. If you’re going to believe what you say, there’s no way it doesn’t come across as one hundred percent authentic… Here’s what you’ve got to think about: there’s one man who is on top of this thing. There’s one man who is holding that title. And why is that? Because I’m good with a microphone? Maybe. But it’s because I’m even better in that ring.”
As we begin 2018, Eli Drake seems to be backing up every word that comes out of his mouth. With Adonis in his corner, it doesn’t look like anyone will be stopping him anytime soon either. That’s not an insult, that’s just the fact of life.
