Why does HHH not want to Walk With Elias?

[fw91]

Could be jumping the gun here, but despite not being a workhorse, Elias has been one the most consistently over acts over the past 5 years. However between abruptly ending the Zeke angle, and last night’s return segment not being given much time, it seems like Elias will be relegated to lower card status. Sure he got involved last night in the title match, but that quickly segwayed to Ali (who is not close to being as over as Elias) Idk I just don’t get it. Sure, Elias isn’t someone I’d give a word title run, but HHH loves guys like Kross who the crowd is more or less indifferent for.

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

Honestly, I think if anything it shows he knows what works for the guy. They killed Ezekiel off pretty quickly and brought him back to the gimmick that had him most over. It's hard to know for sure, but the way they treated him and who he was mixing it up with last night makes me think he'll at least be in the US Title mix.

[Jindrak Mark]

Elias is a great character but it just doesn't work as well once the bell rings. He shines in promos/segments, not matches. Has there honestly every been an Elias match that had the crowd rocking?

Wrestling talk shows are overplayed at this point but if you're going to have one then I think Elias would be a good person to do it with. You could have it be music related and it gives him a regular role on TV playing to his strengths and he can still wrestle occasionally.

[Mid-Carder]

He's jealous of Elias' amazing beard

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

Because at some point he needs to wrestle and people stop caring.

[nisidhe]

Am I the only one here who thought Ezekiel was actually an improvement over Elias?

I mean, Elias could entertain as a gimmick, but I felt that Ezekiel was a means to "sink or swim" the guy in terms of workrate and to push his in-ring skills a bit more. A character like Elias can often be abused as a "crutch" to hide some limitations in the technical side. A whitemeat babyface having to answer his critics in-ring may seem boring, but the whole in-joke with the crowd really helped to set Zeke up as a separate character from Elias and, dare I say, his in-ring work did seem better.

It was an interesting evolution of the dual-character trope we got from Mick Foley. Here's a man who not only dressed differently and looked different in each persona, but also could wrestle differently. I'd prefer to see the experiment continue, myself.

[Final Countdown Jones]

What's wrong with him being a lower card guy, though? WWE frankly should go back to having a decently developed undercard where guys have stories and fgeuds and we have fun characters across the show again. Elias is good for that and I kind of see that as his ceiling. I didn't see the Ezekiel character at all, but everything I have seen of him screams of a guy who is fine at the lower rungs of the show.

[Pooh Carlson]

Oct 18, 2022 9:56:00 GMT -5 nisidhe said:

Am I the only one here who thought Ezekiel was actually an improvement over Elias?

I mean, Elias could entertain as a gimmick, but I felt that Ezekiel was a means to "sink or swim" the guy in terms of workrate and to push his in-ring skills a bit more. A character like Elias can often be abused as a "crutch" to hide some limitations in the technical side. A whitemeat babyface having to answer his critics in-ring may seem boring, but the whole in-joke with the crowd really helped to set Zeke up as a separate character from Elias and, dare I say, his in-ring work did seem better.

It was an interesting evolution of the dual-character trope we got from Mick Foley. Here's a man who not only dressed differently and looked different in each persona, but also could wrestle differently. I'd prefer to see the experiment continue, myself.

Everything about Ezekiel was better. Better look that showed off his physique. The "concert" gimmick is so freakin old that I was incredibly tired of it before the change and now it's back. I actively tuned in to see the Ezekiel shenanigans. Don't care about Elias and his concerts.

[Perd]

Because he prefer that Elias run. Like a good little bitch, from a smoking gun.

[fw91]

Oct 18, 2022 9:35:17 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

Because at some point he needs to wrestle and people stop caring.

But has he ever received a strong feud where’d people would care? I think decisive feud ender with KO would have kept peoples attention. Not everyone has to be a ring general for people to care.

[fw91]

Oct 18, 2022 10:16:21 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

What's wrong with him being a lower card guy, though? WWE frankly should go back to having a decently developed undercard where guys have stories and fgeuds and we have fun characters across the show again. Elias is good for that and I kind of see that as his ceiling. I didn't see the Ezekiel character at all, but everything I have seen of him screams of a guy who is fine at the lower rungs of the show.

He’s over enough to be Miz level. Doesn’t have to be in the main event. Don’t get me wrong, but I can see him on main event and not getting sufficient tv time that he deserves

[The Heartbreak TWERK]

Remember the time that Elias walked to Takeover London?

How did he walk across the ocean? Explain!

[Rudy Gobert Weather Machine]

Dude looking face down at the keyboard just goin hard was hilarious

[ayumidah]

I don't mind so much if Elias is kept as a mid-card guy, a lot of my favorite wrestlers are midcarders, but the whole interrupting his segment with RIDDLE of all people just to get a stupid bong joke in there... ugh.

[J is Justice]

Oct 18, 2022 9:35:17 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

Because at some point he needs to wrestle and people stop caring.

That's why I don't get why they got rid of Ezekial. He could talk and was pretty good in the ring, too.

[papagiorgio]

Oct 18, 2022 10:16:21 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

What's wrong with him being a lower card guy, though? WWE frankly should go back to having a decently developed undercard where guys have stories and fgeuds and we have fun characters across the show again. Elias is good for that and I kind of see that as his ceiling. I didn't see the Ezekiel character at all, but everything I have seen of him screams of a guy who is fine at the lower rungs of the show.

He seems too over to be a lower card guy. He can definitely be a mid carder and is 10 times more over than Ali.

[Final Countdown Jones]

Oct 18, 2022 17:32:20 GMT -5 papagiorgio said:

Oct 18, 2022 10:16:21 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

What's wrong with him being a lower card guy, though? WWE frankly should go back to having a decently developed undercard where guys have stories and fgeuds and we have fun characters across the show again. Elias is good for that and I kind of see that as his ceiling. I didn't see the Ezekiel character at all, but everything I have seen of him screams of a guy who is fine at the lower rungs of the show.

He seems too over to be a lower card guy. He can definitely be a mid carder and is 10 times more over than Ali.

I don't think 'too over to be a lower card guy' is really a thing in a healthy company. Your lower card guys should be acts the fans will get into, or else the whole point is neutered.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Elias has always been a lower card act

Like seriously he has at most fought for, and failed at getting, US and IC titles. The guy's always seemed to be very over at his peak, but with an established ceiling.

[fw91]

Oct 18, 2022 17:45:56 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

Oct 18, 2022 17:32:20 GMT -5 papagiorgio said:

He seems too over to be a lower card guy. He can definitely be a mid carder and is 10 times more over than Ali.

I don't think 'too over to be a lower card guy' is really a thing in a healthy company. Your lower card guys should be acts the fans will get into, or else the whole point is neutered.

I get it, but this way of thinkng imo, doesn't apply to Elias. Like Too Cool were lower card guy that fans were into. However unlike Elias, they weren't as over as the upper card guys of their time. Elias is over like rover, more than most in the company.

[papagiorgio]

Oct 18, 2022 17:53:45 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Oct 18, 2022 17:45:56 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

I don't think 'too over to be a lower card guy' is really a thing in a healthy company. Your lower card guys should be acts the fans will get into, or else the whole point is neutered.

I get it, but this way of thinkng imo, doesn't apply to Elias. Like Too Cool were lower card guy that fans were into. However unlike Elias, they weren't as over as the upper card guys of their time. Elias is over like rover, more than most in the company.

Yes, pretty much everyone was over in the Attitude Era. WWE right now has too many in the mid to upper range that aren't over enough to justify their spots. They should take advantage of who is over. They should worry about solidifying the mid card before worrying about the lower card. Elias is a guy that can be brought up for the occasional big feud and have a go with some of the middle tier belts.