Despite Elias’ popularity with fans, WWE still needs to capitalize on his talent and character, resulting in a sense of lost potential. The wrestler’s “Walk With Elias” catchphrase has resonated with audiences, and his guitar performances have been crowd-pleasers. Yet, Elias has yet to achieve greatness on the main roster.

During his first two years on the main roster, Elias struggled to gain a foothold on both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night Smackdown, and his character’s prospects appear bleak. In a recent appearance on the Oh…You Didn’t Know podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg, who served as the lead writer on Smackdown, criticized WWE’s handling of Elias.

Road Dogg stated that he appreciated Elias’ “The Drifter” character and that it could have done well if they had been consistent with the drifter psychology. He believed that WWE mishandled Elias, adding that they treated him like a new toy, which led to several mistakes.

In Road Dogg’s words, “That’s when you get a new toy and you (rough it up) and that’s what we did, and so, we did that several times… Some of the things I cry about at night and my failures as a creative writer in wrestling.”

Elias’ last in-ring appearance was against Omos on Monday Night RAW the previous month, in which he lost to the Nigerian Nightmare. Only time will tell if WWE has any significant plans for Elias.