It’s Elias’ time to shine on WWE Raw.Credit: WWE.com
After the historic happening that occurred at WWE Survivor Series 2018, Elias remains one of the most interesting aspects of Monday Night Raw and thus should be featured more prominently on the program going forward.
Despite not accomplishing anything of note while in NXT, Elias has exceeded all expectations since arriving on WWE’s main roster in the spring of 2017.
He also managed to get organically over with the audience through his weekly concerts and impressive outings against the red brand’s most notable names, which played a factor in his abrupt face turn in October.
With Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and even Braun Strowman out of commission for the foreseeable future, now is the time for WWE to not only walk with Elias but run with him as one of their top stars on Raw.
Credit: WWE.com
Elias’ evolution as a character seemed to peak following his excellent encounter with intercontinental champion Seth Rollins at June’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. That would have been as perfect of an opportunity as any for him to finally win gold, but WWE decided Dolph Ziggler was a better fit for that role when he took the title from The Architect the next night on Raw.
Until recently, Elias was stuck in midcard purgatory in pointless programs with the likes of Bobby Lashley and John Cena. He didn’t seem to have any real direction on Raw and was in desperate need of some sort of change.
Reigns’ leave of absence has left a major void toward the top of the card on the red brand for both babyfaces and heels. Elias wasn’t going to get anywhere continuing to play the same bad guy he had been for years, so his transition into a face was exactly what he needed to revive his stagnant career and get him rolling on Raw.
In recent weeks, Elias has had fans buzzing by setting his sights on Baron Corbin, Lashley, Ziggler and other heels on Raw. Although he was regarded as a beloved figure before, his stock has never been higher since the face turn.
All that’s left for WWE to do is to place him in a meaningful storyline and position him as a top talent on Raw. Elias vs. Corbin wouldn’t light the world on fire, mind you, but at least that feud would score him consistent television time considering The Lone Wolf is the acting Raw general manager.
There’s also no reason he shouldn’t be in possession of the Intercontinental Championship right now, seeing as how the belt has been nothing more than an afterthought while around the waist of Rollins.
Finding matches, segments and Superstars worth investing in on Raw nowadays is a tough task. Somehow, Elias has withstood WWE’s bad booking and has actually gotten even more over with the audience after being overlooked for so long.
Along with Rollins’ rivalry with Dean Ambrose, Elias is among the few reasons to watch Raw regularly to see what he’ll do (or sing) next. He’s so different from everyone else on the roster that it helps make him feel special, meaning all that’s missing is “the machine” getting behind him.
The WWE Universe has been walking with Elias since the start, and if the company can get behind him as much as the fans have, there’s nothing stopping him from enjoying a successful stint on Raw in the months to come.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and “like” his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
