Elias, Baron Corbin's Lackluster Returns, Mustafa Ali's Big Shot, More WWE Raw Takes

For the October 17 episode, WWE Raw was an unfortunate letdown after weeks of strong television. Perhaps it was due to Triple H's absence, but the show lacked energy.

This did not stop the company from planting seeds for big moments to come, though, especially helped by two major returns and an important moment for one of WWE's most underused stars.

Mustafa Ali made his desire to become United States champion clear by standing up to Seth Rollins. The future challenger even attacked the champion after his main event match with Matt Riddle and sent him running.

Baron Corbin made his return to little fanfare, though he now has John Bradshaw Layfield as his new manager. Elias also made his comeback to the show in a forgettable concert overshadowed by Riddle's accompaniment.

The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis match was postponed due to a surprise attack by The A-Lister on his rival. The feud continues to crawl forward as fans wait for answers.

It was largely a night to forget, but there was still plenty to talk about in terms of the future of WWE as some big stars finally begin to find their place on the card.

It has been far too long since Mustafa Ali was featured in a major role on WWE programming.

Once a leading member of the 205 Live trio and an upstart on SmackDown who was challenging for the WWE Championship, he has struggled for air time as of late.

An immensely talented performer in the ring and on the mic, Ali may be the best underused talent in the company. It's time to truly commit to the 36-year-old, and that begins with a Seth Rollins feud.

While a great couple months working with The Visionary can help raise Ali's standing, it is too late to simply have him wrestle well. He now has to actually win something.

He has challenged multiple wrestlers for the United States Championship, but he has never actually won the title. In fact, he has no gold to his name over six years in the company. He didn't even win the Cruiserweight Championship before it was retired.

If he cannot defeat Rollins clean for the belt by the end of this feud, he will be right back at square one.

This is the perfect situation for Ali: Defeating one of WWE's top stars in an upset that can change the course of his career.

The Miz and Dexter Lumis continue to inch closer to an inevitable showdown. This week's segment was solid but delaying the match between the two only prolongs a story that is waiting for a real hook.

As good as the two have been together on the comedic front, nothing has been accomplished. There is no forward momentum.

The Tortured Artist will inevitably defeat The A-Lister one-on-one, but the question remains: Why is Lumis after The Miz?

The longer WWE waits to give an answer, the less impact it will have. Hopefully, that response is about ready to be revealed.

Baron Corbin is back with his old name and new attire. Not much has truly changed beyond John Bradshaw Layfield entering the ring to sing his praises.

The problem with Corbin was never a lack of a hype man, though. He just needs to be taken seriously to get beyond where he was before.

Even if the 38-year-old fully adapts to the role of JBL's successor, he will not look much different. He needs a complete character overhaul and a gimmick that makes him more dangerous to top competitors.

Corbin showed in his match with Dolph Ziggler that he can work at a high level in the ring. However, he is still the same man who was a persistent bully to top babyfaces and then lost each big match. He's not believable anymore.

Elias is back, and he is exactly as he was before. In August 2021, he told the world he was done with this gimmick. But he could never escape the shadow of the role.

His first return as Ezekiel was a complete dud that Triple H threw out as one of his first acts as head of WWE Creative. However, instead of using the time between retiring Ezekiel and bringing back Elias, the company could have done something different.

With his interactions alongside Matt Riddle that affected the main event, Elias again came off as a side act. He may be able to get back to drawing heat and cheers from the crowd, but more was possible.

The Living Truth is immensely talented. He could have put together some new songs for his return or set up a real story off the bat. He could have done anything and it would have still felt like more than his appearance on Monday's Raw.