Shield brothers unite against the devious tandem of Jinder Mahal & Elias.

HOUSTON — Elias may have finagled his way into the Intercontinental Title picture by way of some behind-the-back brutality, but make no mistake: His status as a contender for Seth Rollins’ prize is as in-your-face serious as it gets. Not only did Elias administer some chart-topping trash-talk to The Kingslayer in Raw’s opening moments, he actually pinned the fighting champion in a tag team match that roped in another set of Money in the Bank rivals: Jinder Mahal (who teamed with Elias) and Roman Reigns (who naturally threw in with Rollins).

Rollins getting pinned is a rare occurrence of late, so due credit must be given to his opponents; Elias & Mahal focused almost the entirety of their early offense on him (clearly, Mahal was still smarting from Rollins’ steel-chair barrage last week) and pivoted seamlessly to isolating Reigns when he tagged in. The old Shield chemistry began to kick in down the stretch, but luckily for Elias, Sunil Singh caused a distraction that allowed Mahal to toss Reigns into the audience, and Rollins paused his press to pursue Mahal’s herald with steel chair in hand.

Unfortunately, The Architect sprinted headfirst into a DDT from Elias that spiked Rollins into the steel. Drift Away followed in short order, and with it came a resounding win for a young Superstar whose greatest hit may be just around the corner.