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WWE Superstar Elias is a reliable wrestler who routinely gets solid reactions from crowds, yet he's failed to win a match in 2023. As we enter the third month of the year, Elias isn't rumored to be featured on WWE's biggest show of the year, WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.
Presently, Elias appears to be taking on the mentor role for RAW newcomer Rick Boogs. Boogs has only wrestled in two matches this year and has won both of them. Elias, on the other hand, participated in five matches in 2023 and came out on the loser's end each and every time.
What's next for The Drifter in 2023? Could championship gold be on the horizon for Elias? Without further ado, let's review five potential directions for The Troubadour on Monday Night RAW this year.
#5. Elias forms a tag team with Rick Boogs on WWE RAW
Rick Boogs rigorously takes notes whenever Elias is on TV. Boogs is obviously dedicated to learning from the Slammy Award winner. Perhaps the 35-year-old will take it a step further by pairing up with Elias as a tag team.
Monday Night RAW could use another entertaining tag team act, especially if the company decides to split up the Undisputed Tag Team Titles. The WWE Universe could potentially get behind a team like Elias and Boogs with or without championship gold around their waists.
#4. Elias vs. Rick Boogs
WWE has a solid track record when it comes to breaking up tag teams. The potential tandem of Elias & Boogs may meet the fate of this predictable booking method.
Elias can effectively play the role of either a heel or face. Rick Boogs, on the other hand, is a natural babyface and that role appears to be a lock for the electric guitar-playing muscleman.
If these two wrestlers were to break up and fight one another, the predictable outcome would be Elias playing the villain while Boogs plays the hero. But there's always a chance that the company could swerve fans and give audiences an unexpected heel turn for Boogs.
#3. Elias & Rick Boogs become WWE RAW Tag Team Champions
In January and February of 2023, WWE teased splitting up the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Titles. At the time, The Usos were no longer defending the Undisputed Tag Team Championship; rather, they were defending the RAW and SmackDown titles in separate matches.
If Boogs and Elias were to become champions sometime in 2023, it'd be much more realistic for them to become RAW champions rather than becoming undisputed champions with the tag titles of both main brands. The WWE Universe will predictably pop if and when the rockstar team wins gold in 2023.
Not counting his four reigns with the 24/7 Championship, Elias hasn't won a major title in his nine-year WWE career. The talented troubadour is definitely worthy of a title run somewhere down the line, and 2023 may be the year when Elias turns his career around for the better.
Similarly, Rick Boogs has only held the 24/7 title in his nearly six-year WWE career, gaining two reigns with the strap. Boogs and Elias could add RAW Tag Team Titles to their resume sometime this year.
#2. Elias leaves Monday Night Raw for SmackDown on Friday nights
If the Stamford-based promotion decides to bring back the Draft in 2023, Elias and Rick Boogs may find themselves on separate brands once again. WWE didn't hold a draft in 2022, but rumors indicate that the company will shake up its three brands once again sometime after WrestleMania 39.
Elias hasn't won a televised match since the November 21, 2022 episode of Monday Night RAW when he teamed up with Matt Riddle to defeat Alpha Academy. The last time The Drifter won a singles match was on the October 24, 2022 episode of RAW with a win over Chad Gable. Regarding house show events, Elias gained his last victory on December 4th in a tag team match alongside Riddle against Imperium's Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci.
Elias hasn't won a match in a while and could potentially benefit from a fresh start on the blue brand.
#1. Elias vs. Ezekiel - a feud that leads to a cinematic match
Last year, the company introduced Ezekiel, a wrestler claiming to be Elias' younger brother. Of course, many wrestling fans could tell that Ezekiel was just a clean-shaven Elias. WWE scrapped the concept of Ezekiel after a blowoff match against Kevin Owens in August 2022, but the company could always resurrect the angle in 2023.
What if Ezekiel were to return to seek revenge against Elias? This may sound ridiculous to some, but it could be entertaining to watch play out. Former WWE star Matt Cardona has talked about wanting to do a cinematic match with his former persona, Zack Ryder. Perhaps the company could use this concept for a bout between Elias and Ezekiel.
Ezekiel could be upset with his older brother for not effectively helping him win his feud with Kevin Owens. Or perhaps the rivalry goes much deeper than that, going back to when Elias and Zeke were children.
Elrod, the younger brother of the two, could also find himself mixed up in this rivalry. This feud might also throw a wrench in the potential partnership between Rick Boogs and Elias.
