Elias Samson's WWE Main Roster Debut Offers Promising Glimpse into Future

The drifting may have officially stopped for Elias Samson following his main roster in-ring debut on Raw this past week, but the journey is just beginning.

It's been intriguing to see Samson's slow build to a first match on Raw, when he took on Dean Ambrose and actually picked up a win, albeit a controversial one which furthered Ambrose vs. The Miz.

As great as it would have been to see Samson randomly appearing in backstage segments, playing his guitar and then drifting off, WWE had to pull the trigger on a main roster debut at some stage.

And all in all, there was plenty of promise and potential in Samson's first in-ring showing since coming up from NXT.

His promotion from Full Sail University wasn't exactly one of the most anticipated, certainly in comparison to recent promotions like Shinsuke Nakamura, for example.

But Samson looks like he has all the capabilities to make it on Raw, so long as WWE stick to what it's done with him so far.

First of all, his showing inside the ring itself was, for a first performance, pretty encouraging. Samson has a great look, and he moves well for a big guy, something which will definitely stand him in good stead moving forward.

He delivered a great knee strike off the top rope which caught Ambrose perfectly, and that was perhaps the standout moment of the bout in itself.

The end of the match shows WWE is deadly serious about Samson's standing as a credible part of Monday nights, too. Ambrose has struggled with the Intercontinental Championship, and a clean victory here could have been seen as a major way to boost the champion heading into his Extreme Rules match with The Miz.

But instead, Miz interfered and handed Samson a victory via DQ. It was a smart piece of booking, as it didn't hinder on Ambrose too much given how he was screwed, while it also handed Samson a winning start.

And from here, he can move forward with confidence.

But just because he's now wrestled a match doesn't mean WWE has to abandon the thing which has gotten him this far.

Here's hoping Samson keeps on drifting. WWE could have taken it to the maximum and had him drift in between Raw and SmackDown, but given how he looks to be exclusively on the blue brand, Elias can cause confusion aplenty and make many enemies over the next few weeks.

While Ambrose and Miz tidy up their program for the Intercontinental Championship, this should be the opportunity to patch some momentum together for Samson.

One week, he drifts into a conversation with Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil. The latter tries to get him on board with his "Titus Brand" but is upset when Samson ignores him and simply walks away. That leads to a match, and Samson wins.

The next, he appears while Heath Slater and Rhyno are talking backstage. Rhyno doesn't like it, but Samson settles it in the ring by beating him. 

That's the beauty of Samson's booking potential at this stage. There really doesn't have to be any fixed plan right now. Most major feuds are way down the line, so this is a golden period to build up some interest and momentum in The Drifter.

From there? The world could be his oyster. 

One performance doesn't make a career. Far from it, in fact. But all the signs point to Elias Samson being a great asset for Raw moving forward.

Crucially, WWE just has to make sure it doesn't take away from the gimmick which has made him so appealing thus far.