Former Georgia running back has successful debut and honors his dad’s legacy in the process
While things didn’t work out in the NFL for Elijah Holyfield, he’s found his own way in the realm of contact sports.
The Georgia Bulldogs have been known for their lineage of running backs. From Hesrschel Walker to Terrell Davis, Knowshon Moreno, Todd Gurley, and Nick Chubb, it’s been a long and extensive history.
Many believed that Elijah Holyfield was going to be the next in that line. A four-star recruit out of Atlanta, Holyfield had the profile to be a star at running back, but it didn’t manifest that way. He ran a fourth percentile 4.78 40-yard dash and didn’t stick around very long, bouncing around for four years, mainly on practice squads.
Elijah Holyfield finds success in pro wrestling
It took him a few years, but Holyfield has resurfaced in the public eye. He has been at hte WWE Performance Center for some time, and he finally made his debut in Evolve. Not only did he get the win, he also paid homage to his dad, former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield.
Holyfield has the physique of a future pro wrestling star, and the physicality of his father. He isn’t the most fluid mover, but he explodes with physicality when moving forward. That is going to play extremely well in WWE, where those short bursts will play well with the fanbase.
The finishing move, being a short uppercut, looks devastating and violent, which is pretty good for a pro wrestling punch. Being that it looks that good at this stage of his career, it’s going to be fascinating to see how much better he gets.
Evolve is the lowest level of WWE’s developmental, with NXT the next spot before he hits the main roster at some point down the line.
While Georgia fans would rather prefer watching these guys in the NFL, it’s cool to see Holyfield start his wrestling career on a positive note. It will be worth watching with WWE liking the kids of former stars.