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HOUSTON — Looking to continue his impressive surge up the ranks on Raw, Elias squared off against Matt Hardy on the Survivor Series Kickoff. But first, he took the time to strum little tune for the WWE Universe in Houston that besmirched the great city and its citizens. Hardy was in no mood for music, however, looking beyond determined to silence Elias in H-Town.
The veteran Hardy brought his best, using his cunning and experience to gain the edge at several points in the contest despite Elias’ size and strength advantage. Elias used those attributes to systematically pick Hardy apart, though, zoning in specifically on the former Raw Tag Team Champion’s shoulder.
In the match’s critical moments, Elias weathered a flurry of offense from Hardy, which included a ring-rattling Side Effect onto the hardest part of the canvas. Elias surged back after ramming Hardy’s vulnerable shoulder into the steel ring post, however. The brutal move left the Team Xtreme member defenseless as Elias hit Drift Away for one of the biggest victories of his career to date.