3 WWE Superstars that are tailor-made for live crowds and 2 that aren't
The WWE Universe is finally returning to WWE television.
After being absent from Monday Night RAW, Friday Night SmackDown and WWE pay-per-views for over 16 months, live fans return to WWE programming this week on Friday Night SmackDown.
Friday's broadcast on FOX is seen by many as a turning point for WWE, putting the pandemic era of their programming in the past and beginning a new chapter.
The pandemic era of WWE television led to WWE producing episodes of Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown from an empty WWE Performance Center and the WWE ThunderDome on a closed set.
Many of the WWE Superstars were forced to compete inside of an empty arena with no fans present for the first time in their careers. While some thrived under the different circumstances, other WWE Superstars obviously suffered.
A live audience is the lifeblood of any professional wrestling event. Without a crowd to feed off, many characters just haven't felt the same on WWE television.
With live crowds returning to WWE television this week, let's take a closer look at three WWE Superstars that are tailor-made for live crowds and two that aren't.
#5 Tailor-made: WWE Monday Night RAW Superstar Elias
Elias has been both a heel and a babyface during his career.
Irrespective of whether the former 24/7 Champion is a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy,' Elias always generates a loud response from the audience inside of an arena.
The WWE Superstar has several catchphrases such as 'who wants to walk with Elias?' and 'WWE stands for Walk With Elias.' All of which the live crowd are more than happy to cheer out loud in unision with Elias.
This is then usually followed by Elias serenading the WWE Universe with a song or the latest release from one of his several musical projects.
Elias's character has arguably been hurt the most by the lack of fans during the pandemic era of programming. Elias thrives off the response to his various catchphrases, songs and performances during his promos.
With no response, Elias' character has often felt cold and directionless. The character is a talented musician. As is the case with any great musical performer, if there is no crowd to perform to at a concert, the performance is likely to suffer.
Now that live fans are returning, Elias will once again thrive in front of the WWE Universe, as his character is tailor made to perform in front of a live audience.