5 things that make Elias a great WWE character

Jeffrey Logan Sciullo, better known as Elias was born on June 20, 1986. Elias currently performs under WWE's flagship show- Monday Night RAW.

Elias was trained by Shirley Doe and Super Hentai. He earlier wrestled for various promotions in the Northeastern USA until finally making it to WWE NXT. From there, 'The Drifter' stayed in NXT between the years 2014 to 2017.

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That was a brief introduction to this very unique WWE Character. Of course, Elias has never won a single championship belt under the WWE Brand till now.

So what is so special about him? We can talk about The Undertaker, John Cena & Stone Cold Steve Austin when it comes to successful WWE characters. But nobody really talks about Elias in that way.

So if Elias has not even achieved a whole lot on the main roster, what more could be there to talk about him?

Not everybody realizes it, but Elias is probably a dark horse that goes unnoticed by everyone until its finally time for him to steal the spotlight on Monday Night RAW each week.

So let's talk about a few arguments that might suggest that there is something more to Elias than what meets the eye...

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#1: My Name Is Elias and I'm Waiting For A Town That's Not Such A Disgrace

Hello. I am Elias. And you're going to remember this forever...

Elias has a peculiar segment each week. He comes out to the ring. The announcer announces his name. Right then and there, the audience falls into a trance that always ends the same way.

Is Elias A Heel?

People cheer for him whenever his name is announced. So is Elias a babyface?

Then he manipulates the audience using his bare fingers. The people know what they are going to get, but they still play along nevertheless.

Elias tries to perform, but the WWE Universe prevent him from doing so. Therefore, The Drifter comes up with a verbal insult regarding the town he is currently in. This acts as a Segway for a rival wrestler to come out.

The same thing usually happens every week. But it never gets stale. To sum it up, as Elias would say- That is "The Ballad Of Every Town I've Ever Been To..."

Elias always carries a guitar with him. He sings, he wrestles. But the character's main motive is to find a town where the people are not so stupid after all. It's an absurd gimmick on paper. But it works. Why?

Monday Night RAW is a three-hour show. During the course of those three hours, there are several elements or 'tropes' that have to be repeated over & over again. But there's always that one little segment with Elias, which cheers the people up even when they know that they are going to be insulted in the end.

People cheer up because it is something different. The way Elias preaches his thoughts seems very convincing. Jeffrey Logan Sciullo was born to play this role.

So what lies ahead for this character? I guess the following lyrics perfectly state it:

"So I'll keep searching...Until I find that town...But until that day...I'll be around."

Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns can keep the Universal Title amongst themselves because the underrated truth is that Elias is perhaps the most integral part of Monday Night RAW in 2018...

#2 Elias' position on Monday Night RAW is like The Undertaker on several occasions

Elias and The Undertaker are not alike at all...But they share a small similarity.

That is a bold statement to make. Let's get one thing clear before proceeding any further- Elias is not as huge or as iconic as The Undertaker.

Even The Drifter's character is not similar to that of The Deadman. So what similarity could both of them possibly share?

The Undertaker made his debut in 1984 for World Class Championship Wrestling as Texas Red facing against Bruiser Brody. It is 2018 now. Do the math yourselves.

Many people consider The Phenom as perhaps the greatest wrestler of all time. But what comes off as quite interesting is that "The Show" was never about The Undertaker.

Of course, The Deadman is a four-time WWE Champion and a three-time World Heavyweight Champion. But The Undertaker was rarely the focal point of the show. He always had a special, separate feud for himself.

Elias is nowhere near the legendary status of The Deadman, but The Drifter does have his own segment on the side every week. Sometimes, there are wrestlers like Elias and The Undertaker who can proceed further without leaning on the WWE Championship every time.

This is because their characters speak for themselves. It is "The Show" itself that relies on characters like Elias and Undertaker to stay fresh. Not everybody can be going after the main championship belt.

So what if Elias has never won a title on the main roster? He has a gimmick that's working, and thankfully, it is a gimmick which can evolve on its own without relying on a championship belt too frequently...(just like The Undertaker)

You could say that Elias's position on RAW is a small-scale version of The Undertaker's weekly on-screen dynamic back then...

#3: Walk With Elias...He Can Improvise

"You Were Living Life In The Dark...Before I Came On Your TV"

So far, we know that Elias has to follow a basic structure each week. Why doesn't the gimmick get redundant then?

The simple answer is that Elias somehow manages to improvise without breaking the structure he has to obey during his segment. For example, on the 6th August 2018 edition of Monday Night RAW- A film crew followed Elias in the ring for a "new documentary".

But Elias is an attention-seeker, a drifter who basically travels everywhere just to gather followers who abide by his ideas. So he wants everything to be about him.

He orders the film crew to circle around him, stating:

"It's like you're orbiting around the sun and I'm the center of the universe...You know, I'm the center of the WWE Universe"

Subtle moments like that are why Elias comes off as so different. You can order the character to do the same thing every week, but he will still manage to improvise so as to keep the gimmick afresh.

If people remember, improvisation was an important part leading up to The Attitude Era. Spontaneous moments can sometimes create long-lasting memories. Elias uses this trick to his advantage every week.

There are tons of other examples out there. All one needs to do is tune in each week & pay attention to realize how Elias succeeds at executing his own schtick.

But let's not forget- This is still a wrestling show. We have talked enough about characters & how important they are. What about the wrestling? Is Elias an exceptional in-ring performer? You have to be a great wrestler in order to succeed in the business these days, don't you?

Well, this very question brings me to my next point...

#4 Elias Does Not Rely On Fancy Wrestling Moves at all

Elias manages to stay relevant without relying on exceptional in-ring skills

It is 2018. People watch a lot of wrestling promotions these days. NJPW, ROH, Lucha Underground are just a few examples of this modern uprising.

The in-ring product is the best now than it has ever been before. So the question stands- "Can a wrestler stand-out in 2018 without relying on phenomenal in-ring skills?"

Turns out, it is possible. In a three-hour show where people push the stakes by performing insane stunts one after the other leads in over-saturation to some extent.

A relatively unknown performer can perform 10 successive frog-splashes, but he or she will never get a reaction as huge as another performer with a three-dimensional character on any wrestling show.

This is because a three-dimensional character can connect with the audience better. In my book, character-work should be a primary motive in order to stand out from the rest of the pack.

As previously stated, Elias is a great character. He manages to stay relevant without dabbling too much into outside dives and strong-style strikes.

Not that there is anything wrong with being an exceptional performer, it's just that Elias is living proof of the fact that you can succeed in this business solely based on your character-work (provided that it is exceptional).

Therefore, we get it now- Elias is different, he is unique. But there is still one more argument that provides some insight into this character's future...

#5 The Drifter has already found a core, but he's just getting started

It is very rare when a wrestler finds his/her core in an organic way...

Where does Elias currently fit into the WWE Landscape? Is he pursuing a title? Is he in a Tag-Team? How does he play into other WWE Storylines? What is his purpose on the main roster?

The truth is, nobody really knows. Elias is his own storyline. He does his own thing every week. People don't complain. They love it. WWE officials haven't really made an effort to push him straight to the top.

He managed to stay relevant on his own, he managed to stay unique. In the end, Elias managed to connect with the audience organically.

When you contemplate about it for hours, you will realize that Elias is such a bizarre case in the modern WWE Landscape.

He has no purpose but he steals the show nevertheless. All he needs is a guitar & a mic. They are basically giving him standard stuff to work with here. But Elias turns it into gold. This particular WWE Character is a perfect example of what organic growth stands for.

But Elias is just getting started. He has already found a stable core. There are several wrestlers with a definite purpose who still fail to find a core despite being pushed to the moon.

So what happens when WWE actually serves him with a purpose? That is a great question to ask.

Until then, all one can do is wait for the future & see how things turn out for Elias in the end.

What are your thoughts on Elias?

So that was an essay (if that's what you want to call it) on how Elias works & what makes Elias so great.

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