As the Royal Rumble rapidly approaches, fans across the wrestling world have begun to wonder which Superstars will appear in the match, where they will land in the 1-30 pecking order, and who from the past, developmental, or another promotion entirely, will make their presence known in a surprising fashion.
One performer who has a better chance than most to make his debut in the first WWE Premium Live Event of the year is none other than Julius Creed, the big brother – in terms of age and stature – of RAW‘s newest tag team contenders, the Creed Brothers.
Sitting down for an interview with Ella Jay of SEScoops, Ivy Nile, the third member of the group formerly known as the Diamond Mine, put over both of her teammates but especially Julius, as he believes might just be one of the strongest members of the WWE Universe, period.
“I cannot say enough about these guys. They are my brothers. They are real brothers, I wish I was their real sister. They are just incredible, incredible guys. We all push each other in so many different ways,” Ivy Nile told Ella Jay of SEScoops via Fightful. “Julius, he is probably, I'm going to say this in full confidence, hands down the most athletic and strongest person in WWE. He does the most outrageous, most out of the box stuff that you just wouldn't think possible, and he does it. He is one of those guys that doesn't feel pain. He'll come in the back a mess and he's like, ‘I'm fine.' ‘You're not fine!' He's so passionate about this business and what he wants to do. Brutus right there along with him. Their bond as brothers is really powerful. If I'm ringside and they have a match, you can feel them pushing each other to do their best and they both have this mentality of keep your head down and work hard. I think we all have that and that's why we work so well together.”
Now, for fans out of the know, WWE has reportedly been high on Julius Creed for a very long time, with Dave Meltzer noting as much on social media since midway through 2023. Give him a strong run in the Royal Rumble or maybe a key elimination of a top performer like Gunther, Cody Rhodes, or even CM Punk and who knows, maybe the Creeds could be the act to watch heading into WrestleMania 40, either as tag team contenders or with Julius taking center stage like Jeff Hardy in Team Extreme back in the day.
Julius Creed is happy but unsatisfied heading into the Royal Rumble.
Speaking of Julius Creed's initial run on RAW following a very successful run in NXT alongside his brother Brutus, the former NXT Tag Team Champion discussed his experience on the main roster thus far with Denise Salcedo and let it be known that while he's happy to have found a professional wrestling home, he's far from satisfied.
“It's crazy, right? There are times that it doesn't feel real. There are times that, maybe you want more. But overall, it'd be like getting in a washing machine and just getting tumbled around and getting spit out on the other side. And you're like, is this real life? Is it not real life? Am I living a dream? If it's a dream, I got a long ways to go,” Julius Creed told Denise Salcedo via Fightful.
“So I think the best way to describe it right now, honestly, would just be happy but not content. We're very happy with where we're at. Life's going good. Growing up, Florida was a place that the rich people lived or people vacationed. Swimming pool was the best part about traveling and going to a hotel. And pro wrestling was something we watched on the TV. I wake up every single day, I live in Florida. I got a swimming pool in my backyard. And I'm a pro wrestler on TV for a living. So I'm very, very happy about those things. But I also take a look at, you know, Judgment Day with unified titles. Cody Rhodes on a 2K cover. Jey Uso, CM Punk as top merchandise sellers. And I realize we also got a long ways to go. So we're very happy, but we're not content. We're going to get that last little bit and get up with those guys and be big names like them soon.”
Could the Royal Rumble serve as another inflection point in the career of Julius Creed, marking the first hint at future singles aspirations in the future former Duke wrestler? Maybe yes, maybe no, but if there's one performer who knows how to lift someone up and throw them into the air, it's the 6-foot-2 collegiate All-American from Lexington, Ohio.