When This 8-Year-Old With Cancer Sent an Audition Tape to the WWE
Elijah Mainville has been a WWE wrestling fan his entire life.
The 8-year-old, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was 3, even sent an audition tape (video below) to the wrestling league’s “Tough Enough” reality show in May 2015. The show selects candidates to undergo rigorous wrestling training and compete to earn a contract with the WWE.
Elijah’s tape impressed the WWE so much that the league went a step further than giving him a spot on the show. WWE officials Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque (who goes by “Triple H” in the WWE world) brought Elijah into the ring to present him with an honorary contract at the league’s “Monday Night Raw” competition in San Jose, California, on August 3, Fox Sports reported. Elijah’s favorite WWE wrestler, Cody Rhodes (now known as “Stardust” in the ring), also attended the contract signing.
“Every good WWE superstar has a catchphrase. Do you have a catchphrase?” Levesque asked Elijah amid cheers as he presented him with his contract.
“Don’t fear the darkness. Fear the shadow!” Elijah, whose superhero name is “Drax Shadow,” bellowed out to the crowd.
Watch the touching contract signing ceremony in the video below.
Rachel Kassenbrock is an Associate Editor at The Mighty. She recently graduated from the College of Wooster with a degree in English, and has previously written for the Ms. magazine blog and LifeinLA.com. She now lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys live music, being outside and all things coffee-related. You can follow her at @rkassenbrock or email her at rachel@themighty.com.
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