Bray Wyatt: What’s The Plan?

I’m just going to throw this out there. Raw was bad. It was actually really bad. They were advertising next weeks show before that week’s Raw was over. There were some bright spots. Overall, I wasn’t entertained but among all of it, I noticed something missing. Anyone else notice how Bray Wyatt wasn’t on Raw last night at all? Anyone else notice that he went from the Jericho feud to absolutely nothing. He’s not even doing promos. Sure, they are kinda keeping it going by having the two rekindle their rivalry next week in a Steel Cage, but that feels odd considering where he was just a few weeks ago. It is clear that they wanted to end the Jericho feud, but had nothing else for him to do. I don’t know why. I can think of a ton of things for him to do right now.

It seems to my ears that a lot of you having been cautious and more or less bitter about how Wyatt’s momentum has been used since his Cena feud. I actually may be in the minority when I say that his momentum is fine, but not having him on TV is an issue. Not having a story to tell is an issue. I’ll admit the faults of the Jericho/Wyatt feud. I don’t think anyone is going to argue it was bad, it just wasn’t what I expected from two guys that I know can do better. Excuse me Brock Lesnar, but the thing about Wyatt is he is a conqueror. He is the Eater of Worlds. He goals are to create chaos and destroy guys. That is the essence of Bray Wyatt. He is only as powerful as he is because of the man he is trying to take out, or the story he is telling. Any character in wrestling without a story or purpose isn’t going to look great, but for Bray Wyatt it is essential. He is character based, and he can’t get away with floating around like Orton did for a few years. It isn’t about wasting talent. It is about utilizing it. Since the powers that be within WWE appear to be confused about how to do that, allow me to drop a few ideas around just to show that Wyatt is versatile and the fact that he isn’t on Raw at all is ridiculous.

Here is another thing about Bray Wyatt, he is a natural heel. I love the idea of the crowd behind him, and NXT proved that it can work. They played with the face turn, but they didn’t solidify it with a big moment. Sometimes faces just happen over time, but Wyatt was a big moment guy. Sometimes you need something big to really twist the turn over fully. Wyatt’s general atmosphere and strength comes from his dominance and when he on fire when he can lay waste and poke at a face’s flaws. That was what made the Cena feud so good. It made sense. The Bryan feud made Wyatt look unstoppablem and I think it solidified him as a big player. I think Wyatt’s dynamic with other characters is just naturally easier to create tension when he is on the offense going after a face. The problem is he has taken on the big established faces already. However, as you saw with the Bryan feud, Wyatt can be so dominant that it can create good spirit for the other guy. With this fact, I give you the options that I think would work for Wyatt right now.

Option One: Randy Orton. This feud is going to happen eventually, and I think it is going to be wonderful. I know what you’re thinking, “But Will, Orton’s a heel.” I realize that, but look at it like this: Wyatt starts destroying Orton. The crowd is probably going to be confused at first. Confused as to why Wyatt targeted Orton, who to chant for and who to go against. If Wyatt explains and exposes Orton the way he should, then people will either want to see Orton destroyed because he is a part of The Authority, or they will begin to understand him again because Wyatt brought up his dirt like he usually does. The metaphors that Wyatt would drop on Orton would make the feud interesting. The heel vs. heel thing is an issue, but I really think the audience would gravitate one way or the other. A face vs. face matchup always comes down to who the people love more, so why can’t a heel vs. heel feud be the standard of who is the more vile and villainous character. You want to tell me that the brutality of Orton mixed with the obscure unpredictability of Wyatt wouldn’t create some great matches? I see something here that would help Orton out of the funk he is in, because he is back to floating around. Trying to reestablish Orton as someone who is light and dark to the audience is a lot better than trying to just put him in The Authority to keep his heel run lukewarm.

Option Two: Dolph Ziggler. I don’t mind the Ziggler/Miz thing, but it isn’t really grabbing me the way it should. I think this idea needs to hold off unfortunately until Night of Champions, or the Raw afterward. I think Wyatt should cost Ziggler the title and go after Ziggler. I want to make this clear, my vision of this feud is about Wyatt taking out Ziggler, not the championship. I really don’t think Wyatt would care about a midcard championship. It just doesn’t seem like something he would waste his time on. I think even if Ziggler had the title still, Wyatt destroying him, getting disqualified and being overly brutal to him would get fans way behind Ziggler. If you notice, Ziggler is back on the rise. It is happening slowly, but it is moving that way. Any good face run needs a heel, they seem to think it is Miz, but I think it is Wyatt. I think the fans getting behind Ziggler as Wyatt preaches to Ziggler that the people are pawns in their game, and how showing off is a waste of time is a decent story that would benefit both guys. Not to mention, that Ziggler would make Wyatt look dominant and he would come off better for it.

Option Three: Big Show. Big Show hasn’t been used well in a while. He’s been on and off TV, and really hasn’t done anything since the Lesnar thing which when looking back simply looks like they were just building Lesnar as a threat to Taker. However, look at Bray Wyatt. Can you imagine the promos he could do against The Giant? He’s arguably the biggest target that Wyatt should be facing. The Wyatt family is already feuding with him, Henry has the Rusev thing and even better, Wyatt taking down a giant would make him look dominant again. Harper and Rowan would be tested against Show, and Wyatt’s offense actually works against big guys like that. He can’t do power moves or anything, but watching him promo and battle a giant would be fun as hell to watch. It would give him new dimensions because he is usually of equal physical stature to the men he faces. Big Show would be a challenge for him. It would make him look strong. I think this is the number one feud that he should get into right now. I’m actually shocked they aren’t doing it.

I have other ideas as well. Look at Adam Rose, a guy with ability who can’t wrestle on TV to save his life. Wyatt trying to crush the party and forcing Rose to get serious could be interesting. There isn’t anything wrong with Wyatt costing Sheamus the US Title and giving Cesaro the ball while Wyatt takes down Sheamus. The matches would be physical. There’s a lot of things Wyatt could be doing right now that he isn’t. Unless they have something up their sleeve with the Jericho thing, I’d vote for any of the three options I listed. Orton would bring the intensity back to Orton, and even though the heel vs. heel dynamic complicates things a little, I think fans would get behind the matches and pick a favorite. Then the booking will take care of itself. I think the Ziggler feud gives Ziggler better face momentum and gives Wyatt serious power as a heel. I think it elevates the division and potentially the title. My favorite is the Big Show idea because it challenges Bray Wyatt and makes his character adapt to new situations in the ring. That is something we haven’t seen before and you know that when it is required, the people get behind Big Show. They like him. Wyatt could definitely use Show to perform some damn good giant promos.

If you think my ideas suck, the whole point is just to brainstorm and reevaluate what is the plan with Bray Wyatt because if I’m judging by his build lately and through Night of Champions, there doesn’t seem to be one. Everyone seems stuck to find something for him to do. The Wyatt Family is a crucial part of the tag division right now. It’s not like anyone is being wasted. I just think there is a difference between using talent and utilizing talent to elevate as many performers as possible. That is why some guys on the roster just vanish, or float around for awhile. The focus is on certain guys, and the concern is getting them over first and not sustaining the other guys momentum at the same time. We’ve seen it a million times. Do you want to see Bray Wyatt do the same? I see too much potential to let him fade away, or be unnoticed.

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.