WWE: What will make Elias’ latest face run different from his last?

Elias can go far as a fan favorite in WWE, assuming the promotion doesn’t once again relegate him to midcard mediocrity.

To say Elias has far exceeded fans’ expectations since joining the main roster three years ago would be an understatement, especially coming off his less-than-stellar stint in NXT. Within a matter of months, he found his footing as a heel and became a mainstay of WWE Raw’s midcard division.

The closest he came to capturing gold was when he challenged Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship at Money in the Bank 2018. That should have been when WWE capitalized on his hot momentum.

Instead, the company forced him to flounder until turning him face at the tail end of 2018.

It was a role he surprisingly thrived in, but despite the audience getting behind him, a string losses to Baron Corbin led to him reverting back to his heel roots soon after.

Is history about to repeat itself?

Although Elias is a natural heel, he was in desperate need of some sort of change late last year after being relegated to enhancement talent status. A quick loss to Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank 2019, a few forgettable reigns as 24/7 champion, and an ankle injury were all contributing factors in his fall from grace in the company.

He hadn’t been the same since moving to SmackDown in the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, so it seemed like another babyface run was his only option. Unfortunately, it was never explained why he suddenly decided to embrace the audience again, as randomly popped up in a backstage segment on SmackDown in November attempting to swoon Dana Brooke.

On the bright side, he started to catch fire as a face by the first few months of 2020 and built credibility as an in-ring performer with wins over Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.

WWE’s renewed interest in Elias was reportedly supposed to culminate in him facing John Cena at WrestleMania 36, but once the card on the SmackDown side was switched around, he was left without a dance partner on the grandest stage of them all.

Enter King Corbin.

Elias confronting Corbin on the SmackDown before the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view seemed to indicate that they were on a collision course en route to WrestleMania. Those fears were confirmed this Friday on SmackDown when WrestleMania host Rob Gronkowski made that match official for the event.

While it’s cool for Elias to be wrestling in a singles matchup at ‘Mania for the first time ever this year, facing Corbin is not the answer. Their feud has been far from stellar so far and hasn’t done anything to benefit either guy.

Granted, Elias beating a former United States champion and Mr. Money in the Bank at the Show of Shows would be a nice feather in his cap, but it isn’t likely to take him to the next level on the blue brand. In fact, it might do more to harm than help the self-professed Living Truth in the long run than anything.

For what it’s worth, Elias vs. Corbin will happen in front of an empty arena at the Performance Center, so there won’t be anyone there to sit on their hands if the match underwhelms.

Regardless of the result, WWE needs to find ways to keep Elias entertaining and relevant with this latest face run. Booking him to lose to Corbin in back-to-back bouts like last year will only cause fans to lose faith in him faster.

As exceptional of a heel as Corbin is, few faces have been better off after feuding with him, and Elias is bound to be no exception at this rate. If WWE is adamant about viewers taking him seriously, a drawn-out program with Corbin is not the answer.

Corbin has already had his fair share of “WrestleMania moments” between winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in his main roster debut and retiring Kurt Angle last year, whereas Elias has been embarrassed by Cena for two straight years.

In other words, it’s imperative Elias wins at WrestleMania before moving on to bigger and better things from that point forward (depending on when WWE decides to tape television again, that is).

Let’s face it: the WWE Championship will probably never be in his future, but there’s no reason he can’t win the Intercontinental Championship at some point, especially if current champion Sami Zayn retains his title at WrestleMania.

Those two teased tension for several weeks during Zayn’s rivalry with Braun Strowman that Elias played a part in, so it would make total sense for Elias to target his title eventually. It’s an improvement over continuing to chase the 24/7 Championship or serenading the audience with the same song week after week.

Babyface Elias has potential, but until WWE proves they are committed to pushing him differently this time around, he may soon suffer the same fate he did a year ago.