You could certainly make an argument that people like Elias too much for him to continue to work heel, and I wouldn’t push back against that too much. But I think it also misses what makes him so great, and why he does work as a heel.
From this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw:
Listen to that audience early on. It’s not even so much that they really like him, it’s that they want so badly to be a part of his act. And he plays along with that at first, allowing them to come along for the ride just long enough to get comfortable and then he just shits all over them.
It’s fantastic.
Your mileage may vary but Bobby Lashley is not all that interesting. Elias got that guy cheered. The one and only job of a heel is to get the babyface over, and he did just that. He’s entertaining as all get out along the way too.
What more could we ask for?