“There are several different types of men in this world. There are men who dream and never make it off their couch. There are men who dream and fail. And then there are men who dream and change the landscape of this world, people like Bray Wyatt.
What about you, man? That’s what I want to know. Aren’t you tired of feeling unwanted? Aren’t you tired of feeling like an outcast and being stepped upon? Well then today is your day because today is the day that Bray Wyatt decided he was going to change everything. Today is the day that hell froze. Today is the day that pigs fly. Today, me and my people looked at fear right in the eye and said ‘Mr. Fear, sir, you are a liar’.
Today, I want you to go and tell all these so-called world leaders that they better heed my warning: take notice to Bray Wyatt. Because today is the day that Bray Wyatt decided to bring down the machine.
Today, we say goodbye to NXT … for now. But if you need me, I ain’t hard to find. All you gotta do is go look up in the sky and follow the buzzards.” – Bray Wyatt, 31/7/13
Bray Wyatt is easily one of WWE’s finest characters in their history, I don’t mean in terms of success just yet but just for the fact that he every bit mysterious as the Undertaker, as vicious as Vader, he can cut a promo unlike any other and move like a seasoned pro in the ring. The scope of Bray and what WWE can do with him is still unknown, there are so many avenues WWE could go down with a character such as his. From what started off as a small time character in the now defunct FCW has grown into something that not even ‘Husky Harris’ could believe.
From the first moment I saw Wyatt I was taken in, from his entrance, promo, mannerisms and then match performance everything was done for a reason. Windham Rotunda the 3rd generation superstar had found the gimmick that will eventually make him a WWE Hall of Famer. The grandson of ‘Blackjack Mulligan’ son of ‘Mike Rotunda (IRS)’ Bray has wrestling in his DNA, when he steps foot on stage now Bray owns it, he becomes the show, the reason you came to the show.
If you’re not a believer then watch just one Bray Wyatt promo and you will be. He has it all, every skill a wrestler would want…….however I feel sometimes WWE just don’t really understand who Bray is or what they do with him, this is the main reason his on screen WWE career has stopped and stalled, one step forward for Bray equals two steps backward.
Making his debut on screen with his extended family Erick Rowan and Luke Harper Bray’s first appearance had him targeting the ‘Devil’s favourite Demon’ Kane, with cryptic video packages and haunting promos he had us in the palm of his hand. The WWE audience was captivated by the monster of a man and flanked by his two ‘brothers’ there was nothing that could stop him
The debut of Bray was welcomed by wrestling fans who had witnessed his actions in NXT, his was psychotic unhinged character capable of absolutely anything at the drop of a hat and the fans loved it. The inevitable match with Kane was scheduled for Summerslam and it turned out to be an inferno match, booked heavily and hyped by all involved the anticipation for Bray’s in ring debut was extremely high, unfortunately when the opening bell rang all the hype and anticipation went on the window. What we got was a slow paced mediocre brawl, even both combatants looked bored, it was not the match many hoped for.
So Bray’s first showing on PPV wasn’t what we expected at all but WWE continued with the push, there was something about Bray that made you sit up and take notice, he was a superstar worth your attention. Although they were a very new act on the main roster WWE were pushing them hard, Wyatt’s next victim was Kofi Kingston who he easily dispatched with at Battleground, this was a feud only to enhance the Wyatt’s power and influence and it worked as their next feud after only debuting in June was with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, two of WWE’s most popular and best superstars.
This feud against two of the best workers would be a test for the Wyatt’s as a two but a three, Bray stayed mainly on the sidelines shouting orders and tearing it up on Raw and Smackdown with promos. The result of this feud ended with Punk & Bryan facing Rowan & Harper at the Survivor Series in a losing effort, however that didn’t stop the Wyatt’s making Daniel Bryan their target and trying to make him a member of the family.
The Bryan/Wyatt feud I thought was excellent, packed with an intriguing storyline and awesome action Bryan and the family told a great story, the main thread being that Bray believed he could save Bryan and make him the newest member of the family. As always Bray was excellent throughout the feud, delivering his message with his usual lyrical wit which captivated the WWE fan base. Bray rounded off 2013 by having the Wyatt family take on Daniel Bryan at the TLC PPV in December, in a 3 on 1 handicap match the Wyatt’s were always favourites and they proved that by dispensing of Bryan that night.
The feud continued into the new year with Bray still wanting Bryan to become a part of the family, during this period I really felt Wyatt was becoming the character he was meant to be, everything he touched turned to gold and we as the fans were the true benefactors. I also firmly believe that Bray Wyatt was one of the main factors in making Daniel Bryan the star he was in 2014, this feud most definitely got the Bryan band wagon rolling.
Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan one on one finally took place at the 2014 Royal Rumble event, this was after Bryan’s epic turn on Bray inside a steel cage on Raw prior to the event, that is the night I believe that Bryan captured the audience. However at the Royal Rumble Bray showed everyone what he was truly capable of inside the ring when he and Bryan tore the house down and gave us one of the best matches of 2014.
The Rumble match was point in Bray’s career when you can look and say “yeah he’s special” Bray truly put everyone on notice who ever doubted him during his career, that night the chants for ‘Husky Harris’ died and ‘Follow the Buzzards’ started. In what was a awesome match for both competitors Bray surprisingly I should say got the victory, not because he wasn’t deserving but because Bryan was the top babyface in the company and going on to bigger and better things.
The success of the feud and of that match worked wonders for Bray as it greenlit he next huge feud against WWE’s No1 guy John Cena. In the Rumbles’ main event Bray decided to insert himself into the match and take out John and cost him his title opportunity.
Since the summer of 2013 Bray had been booked stronger than most in recent years and after the Rumble his star was shining very brightly, it looked from the outside as if WWE were truly behind the ‘Eater of Worlds’ as he entered the most challenging feud of his career. We all know the outcome of this feud as it spanned 5 months and more or less was a mirror image of Cena’s recent feud with Rusev, long story short is that Bray’s career came to a halt at the hands of John Cena.
With Bray WWE had an epic character at their disposal yet they allowed him to fall like a Sunday Night Heat jobber in every encounter with Cena….oh actually he won at Extreme Rules with the help of a child in a sheep mask!!!! The feud was a sham as soon as Wrestlemania 30 ended, that night you just knew WWE had wasted a career-defining moment for Bray and Cena. The Cena feud was a career killer for Bray from start to finish, he was booked to look weak and foolish and all the good work done from October to April was undone in one match, WWE wasted a golden opportunity and everyone knew it.
After realising they had completely wasted Bray Wyatt WWE booked him in a feud with the returning Chris Jericho, the feud was nonsensical but at least the action in the ring was better, Bray scored a victory on PPV and won the feud by defeating Jericho is a cage match on Raw in September 2014. What started of as a great year descended into mediocrity as the Wyatt family was quietly disbanded on TV and Bray disappeared.
He resurfaced during the Rollins/Ambrose HIAC match in October and cost Dean the victory, this signalled the start of Bray’s next feud and new victim. After the Wyatt’s/Shield match at Elimination Chamber many imagined what a feud between Dean and Bray could offer, they are two of WWE’s best characters and stars for years to come but once more there seemed to be no direction or reasoning behind this latest campaign. In ring wise this was a winner for Bray as he scored 2 PPV victories and won the feud ending match on Raw in January 2015.
2015 started slow for Bray, he had a good Rumble showing before it turned into the mess it was and then he quietly haunted Raw and Smackdown through out January and February. Due to everyone being tied up in confirmed matches and feuds, Bray was alone heading into Wrestlemania 31 but there was one man whom he wanted a Wrestlemania moment with. WWE started airing vingnettes on TV more or less hyping the return on the Undertaker, last seen falling to Brock Lesnar at WM30.
After an abysmal 2014 Bray needed rebuilding but in my opinion the Undertaker should not have been part of that process, as I’ve mentioned in previous articles WWE’s own inane booking system keeps tripping them up at every turn. They needed to make Bray strong yet also wanted Undertaker to look strong on his return to WWE???? Confusing isn’t it? Welcome to WWE’s booking philosophy.
Personally if WWE wanted this match to happen then Bray should have been the one to end the streak the previous year not lose to a beaten down returning Deadman a year later. The Wrestlemania moment was epic and Bray’s entrance an performance was very good, five years earlier and this match would have stolen the show. Bray did the job and he was back to the start again.
Bray’s performances have been sporadic since WM, the mini feud with Ryback heralded a great match at Payback which was widely appreciated, however that was it, Bray went again. Bray now finds himself embroiled deeply in what should be an epic showdown with Roman Reigns, a feud completely of his own making Bray seems to be back to his psychological best.
This is a conflict that can firmly get Bray back on the right path in WWE, win or lose this should be beneficial to both competitors in the long run. Roman/Bray is actually a feud we may look back on in years to come when these to reach the pinnacles of their respective careers in WWE, it also a feud that will happen again years down the road when both men are WWE legends.
My only fear is that Bray is a stepping stone in the story of Roman’s return to the top of the mountain, that once defeated he will move to another feud just because there is nothing else to do and because he is Bray Wyatt.
Bray Wyatt is a character unlike any other, he has bags of potential in WWE but I worry sometimes they don’t know what to do with him, is he that little bit to wacky, that little to alternative in this PG era? No matter what WWE think Bray has the respect of the critics and fans after transforming himself from the going nowhere Husky Harris the sure fire HOF Bray Wyatt, there is so much more to come from Bray and the possibilities are endless. We as fans are the ones who are going to benefit, but as long WWE allow us to.
Recent Comments