WWE Royal Rumble 2018: 5 Eliminations That Need to Happen
By Ryan Disdier
Elias Eliminates a Returning Superstar
At the Rumble, Elias looks to walk to WrestleMania.
The Drifter has been given a lot of screen time recently, and for good reason. He’s great on the mic, and can more than deliver inside the ring too.
It makes a lot of sense to see him continue his momentum at the Royal Rumble.
It’s the perfect opportunity for him to build his heat, especially with the return/debut of superstars imminent. The Rumble always features two things: superstars returning from a hiatus, or new superstars making a main-roster debut.
Elias should make his mark on the 30-man match by being the guy who eliminates the fan-favorite. It’s the easiest way to build generate boos, and Elias has the personality for it.
A budding heel disposing of a returning or debuting superstar has worked in the past. This worked well when Kevin Owens tossed AJ Styles out. The same can be said about Cody Rhodes and CM Punk eliminating Booker T.
The only true question would be which superstar would be thrown out by Elias. That’s a bit besides the point, though. As long as the person is well-liked, it can be anybody.
It makes sense, and would help further Elias’ development. If the company wants to continue to generate heat for Elias, having him be the one to get rid of an ultra fan-favorite makes almost too much sense.
What would be really cool would be Elias entering first, eliminating the second entrant and then serenading the crowd with a live, in-match song.