Elias Shows Star Potential in Standout Performance vs. Roman Reigns on WWE Raw

Elias' biggest hit to date came without his guitar in hand. The Drifter turned an Intercontinental Championship match on Monday's WWE Raw against Roman Reigns into his personal coming-out party.

On an up-and-down edition of Raw in Knoxville, Tennessee, Elias' standout showing was one of the clear highlights.

His latest bit of success continued a pattern. Each time WWE has given him an opportunity, the guitar-toting grappler has made the most of it. Elias has turned what could have been a forgettable midcard act into one of the show's weekly highlights. 

He works the crowd masterfully with mockery-rich songs. His arrogance and aggression make it easy to dislike him, to root against him. He's become one of the red brand's most dependable characters.

Most of his key moments to this point, though, have come with him sitting on his stool, trashing whatever city he was in that night via song. His ring work hadn't been nearly as outstanding.

With The Miztourage at his side, Elias answered Reigns' Intercontinental Championship open challenge.

Elias more than looked like he belonged; he thrived opposite The Big Dog. He traded hard shots with the champ. He scored near-falls that caused the crowd to gasp. He looked more compelling between the ropes than he has at any point so far.

This was the former NXT prospect's career-best effort in the ring. WrestlingInc's Josh Isenberg was among those who rained praise on The Drifter:

The central narrative of the contest was that Reigns fended off his opponent as well as the distractions from The Miztourage. The Big Dog showed himself to be a fighting champion and a resilient warrior during his win.

But Elias was the bigger story here.

We're used to seeing Reigns deliver in big spots. Fan backlash and all, he's an established name. Elias is still in the process of making his mark, something he did in significant fashion Monday night.

The Drifter looked like a star in his first title bout.

As former WWE star Bubba Ray Dudley pointed out, Elias scored an important kind of victory in the match:

The powerhouse showed flashes of what he can do on center stage opposite top-notch talent. He looked more like a legit title contender on Monday than he has to date. WWE has to be more confident about him moving forward.

Suddenly, it's easier to imagine him colliding with the likes of John Cena or Seth Rollins in high-profile pay-per-view contests.

Braun Strowman, The Shield, Samoa Joe and Alexa Bliss have all made it clear they should be cornerstones of the Raw brand. With each strong performance, Elias is making the case he needs to be considered among that group, too.

That's not something many were saying when he first made the jump to the main roster after an underwhelming NXT run, but it's getting harder to deny The Drifter's potential.