Markopoulos grew up and went to school in Hudson, Massachusetts. He had graduated from Hudson High School in 2012. The summer after seventh grade ended he decided to begin professional wrestling training at the early age of 13. In 2007 he began training at the Killer Kowalski School of Wrestling. Today its referred to as the New England Pro Wrestling Academy. Elia has trained under Mike Hollow, Todd Hansen, Brian Milonas, and Brian Fury, however he credits the Chaotic Training Center as a whole, Ohio Valley Wrestling and Al Snow as his trainers. was also trained by Todd Hansen "Hanson" from the ROH tag team known as war machine
Independent circuit (2008–present)
Elias has worked for a number of different independent professional wrestling promotions across the Northeast United States. Elia had his first match at the age of 14, against Nick Gamma, and has worked for such promotions as Chaotic Wrestling, New England Championship Wrestling, Millennium Wrestling Federation, Top Rope Promotions, Beyond Wrestling, NWA On Fire, CTWE, Eastern Wrestling Alliance, NWA Vintage Pro, East Coast Wrestling Association, Showcase Pro Wrestling, UFO Wrestling, PWF Northeast, and Big Time Wrestling. Of all his accomplishments, capturing the Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship at just 15 years old is probably his greatest achievement. Elia has been a standout performer in his area since 2009. Before becoming known as Elia Markopoulos in Chaotic Wrestling he was known as the masked Vortex, and also Evan Young. In late 2009, after winning the New England Championship with the help of Alex Arion, Elias started teaming with the then long time heel in New England, and dubbed themselves the Greek Squad. The babyface team failed to capture the Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship numerous times causing Elia to turn heel on Arion in late 2011. The former tag partners then had a match at Cold Fury 10 in 2012, with Arion being victorious. Later in 2012, after Arion had been taken out due to injury by Elia, Markopoulos joined forces with Frankie Arion and named themselves the Greek Squad. In August 2012 Arion returned and ultimately joined the heel faction again, this time Elia was the leader however. On the June 15, 2012 episode of WWE Smackdown, under the ring name Ari Cohen, Elias competed on WWE television. Elias tagged with Mike Testa, losing in a handicap match to Ryback. On January 18, 2013 at Chaotic's first event of the year, Elias returned after a three-month hiatus and defeated Mark Shurman, and joined Sean Gorman's empire along with the man who trained him, Todd Hansen. At Cold Fury 12, on March 1, 2013, Elias captured the vacant Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship in a four-way match, winning the championship for the second time in his career, but later vacated the title in early June 2013. In July 2013 Markopoulos was kayfabe fired from Chaotic Wrestling by then heel president Sean Gorman. The reason being Markopoulos moving to Louisville to further his wrestling training with Ohio Valley Wrestling. Markopoulos did return to Chaotic Wrestling in April 2014. On September 10, 2016, Markopoulos appeared on the Evolve Wrestling 68 show in Deer Park, NY. On July 19, 2019, Markopoulos made his return after a 4-month hiatus to Chaotic Wrestling, this time under the moniker Evan Wallbridge.
Elias received national recognition after appearing as a contestant on TNA Gut Check, using the ring name Evan Markopoulos, competing in a try out against Douglas Williams on the September 20, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling. Evan would lose and was ultimately not awarded a contract. At only 18 years old, Evan became youngest TNA Gut Check contestant there has been. On August 28, 2013, Markopoulos made his Ohio Valley Wrestling debut as a heel in a dark match losing to Dylan Bostic. A few months after starting a friendly heel versus heel feud with Bostic, the two ended the feud and began teaming together due to their cheating and lying antics. Markopoulos was waived from his TNA contract in June 2015.
