Elias Trap Biography

Epiphanies, right? Epiphanies are a funny thing. They can hit you at any time or any place and leave you feeling some kind of way about your life. In the case of one Elias Cohen, his came when he was eight years old in the form of a wrestling match on a Spanish Public Broadcasting channel in his hometown of New York City. As young Elias' eyes gazed at the screen, he watched Mexican wrestlers defy gravity, faces hidden behind gaudy masks in glorious 360p standard definition, he felt that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when your life is about to change forever. The Spanish announcers sounded like they were speaking in tongues. It was the closest thing to a religious experience as he would ever get. It was in that moment that his future was laid bare in front of him and he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: A Luchador.


For the next year and a half, while the rest of the kids in his neighborhood were playing with Power Rangers action figures, celebrating the Yankees with hero worship, and planning their Bar Mitzvahs, Elias Cohen became obsessed. He made his own Luchador mask out of duct tape and pieces of aluminum foil. He took to screaming “ODELAY!” as a greeting. He once got into a fight outside of his school and broke his arm trying to perform a moonsault on his would-be assailant. With his parents horrified enough to ban wrestling from their household and Williamsburg slowly being gentrified by an influx of artists/Bohemians/idiots taking advantage of the low income housing, Elias did the only thing he could do in that climate: He became a fucking hipster.


Fast forward. The year is 2016. Williamsburg has become ground zero for the hipster invasion. You can't spit without hitting a plaid wearing pseudo-intellectual drinking organic coffee from the vegan-friendly cruelty-free artisan coffee shop next to an indie record store. After dropping his surname during a particularly angsty time in his life and replacing it with 'Pop' (for the patron saints Iggy, Warhol, and MJ), Elias adopted a perfectly twirled mustache, a penchant for Pabst Blue Ribbon, and a preoccupation with the AAI trifecta (Authenticity. Aesthetic. Irony.). With years spent in the New York/New Jersey indie federations that you've probably never heard of, Pop eventually turned his back on these small time promotions and found his way out of obscurity by signing with Legacy of Champions.

Within a few months at Legacy of Champions, Pop found himself feuding with "The Latin Assasin" Cordova, a fellow Luchador. Pop eventually came out the victor in this feud, but unfortunately his celebration didn't last long when he received a Cease and Desist letter from Pabst Blue Ribbon, a beer company that he had taken upon himself to promote during his tenure at LoC. Never one to back down from adversity, Elias dropped out of his contract with Legacy of Champions overnight and decided to take Pabst Blue Ribbon to court in order to secure his right to use their logo.

Unfortunately, after months in court and with his entire trust fund spent, Pop lost his case and found himself, for the first time in his life, completely broke.

This had a lasting effect on Pop's psyche. Suddenly facing the reality of being a broke twenty-something with no natural talents outside of wrestling, Pop couldn't find a job to save his life. With no other choice in his mind, Pop dropped his hipster lifestyle and relocated to Zone 6 of Atlanta, GA to pursue his new passion: The Trap Life.

From drug dealing to gang banging, Elias did his best to adapt to the new culture, going so far as developing a new persona and dropping his 'Pop' surname, dubbing himself 'Elias Trap' from there on out. Elias left the wrestling world behind, assuming that his time in the ring was over... until he received a call Defiance, having seen him in a street fight video uploaded to World Star Hip-Hop. With his new philosophy on life being "Fuck bitches, get money", Elias signed the deal immediately. 

Williamsburg Wrestling Association, Legacy of Champions  

WWA Neighborhood Title (x2), WWA Tag Title (x1)  

 

Things haven't been great for your boy Elias in the interim period between his time with LoC and his arrival at DEF. Once a certified hipster with a vintage vinyl collection, an obsession with his authenticity, and a stupidly curled mustache, that all changed... with the loss of his trust fund. While he doesn't like to talk about the specifics, whether it be that his parents cut him off or that he blew through it all, Elias found himself broke for the first time in his life. It didn't help that his passing interest in wrestling and his involvement with LoC made him far too recognizable on the streets. With no actual job experience and his recognizably rendering his ability to work as a barista almost impossible, Elias turned to the only thing he could think of: The Trap Life. Almost overnight, Elias reinvented himself as a drug dealing, gun toting, hip hop listening, street fighting thug. To say it was convincing would be an overstatement... and an outright lie. However, never one to be deterred by what people told him he couldn't do, Elias kept at it, even going so far as to relocate to Atlanta's infamous Zone 6 in order to have a more 'authentic' experience. In order words, this is the same old Elias Pop, except now he has a grill and face tattoos. 

1) In his effort to leave his hipster past behind, Elias had gone for broke. The problem with this, of course, is that Elias doesn't completely comprehend how his appropriation of black culture can be viewed as offensive by others. More so, despite hours of online research, it would be a lie to say Elias actually understands the culture he's emulating. This has, unfortunately, led to more bad than good. Basically, Elias is almost completely lacking in self-awareness of just how awful he really is.
2) Coincidentally, because of this lack of self-awareness and his attempted emulation of the trap life, Elias has become much more aggressive in the worst possible way. Where as before he would fly off the handle when someone questioned his 'authenticity' or 'aesthetic', Elias now routinely gets pissed off for no reason whatsoever. This comes from his belief that he has to act hard in order to be accepted. This has, of course, also led to more bad than good.
3) It's still not clear whether or not Elias takes wrestling seriously. While it was likely he saw it as a sort of ironic pastime or art project in his past life as a hipster, it now seems he's more concerned with using it as a means to get money. This indifference towards the history and tradition of wrestling leads to people not really taking him seriously, which is something Elias simply can't abide by. Even without the trappings of his hipsterdom, he's still thoroughly concerned about how others see him.
4) Let's be honest here: He's a liability. While he's doing a piss poor job of emulating the trap life, it's undeniable that he IS still attempting it. That means that, more often than not, he's packing a gun and holding drugs on his person. Due to his lack of self-awareness, he doesn't see how this could be used against him.
5) Despite his past as a high flying, Lucha Libre-inspired cruiserweight, Elias has found himself more interested in presenting himself as a brawler. Unfortunately, his brawling skills pale in comparison to his Lucha Libre skills. 

1) Despite his personal and professional failings, it's pretty hard to deny that Elias has quite a bit of talent as a wrestler. Even with his sudden interest in brawling, he's still faster than most other wrestlers and has a whole arsenal of highflying moves under his belt. Unfortunately, as point five in his weaknesses says, he seems almost unwilling to use these moves as he did in the past. That being said, he DOES have some skill as a brawler, even if it isn't as pronounced. He knows how to throw a punch.
2) Elias has the gift of gab and a stubbornness that won't allow him to back down. This means he's able to talk circles around most others, even when what he's saying is wrong or a flat out lie. He often lays in bed at night, going over made up scenarios in his head and compiling a stockpile of verbal ammunition, making it near impossible to leave him at a loss for words.
3) Elias has found a new philosophy for his life: "Fuck bitches. Get money." Bitches, of course, refers to everyone that isn't him. This new philosophy has led to a newfound ability to actually get things done without getting caught up in the usual bullshit that used to plague his life.