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Is it too late for Bray Wyatt to be a Main event star?

4K views 56 replies 42 participants last post by  Cooper09 
#1 ·
I've really enjoyed Smackdown since the Brand split but the one thing which is disappointing and still leaves a sour taste is how they have completely screwed the pooch with Bray Wyatt.

The question is simple, it's not will WWE give him a push to main event tier? It's could they if they really wanted to or has his booking damaged him too much and how could they do it?

Personally I don't think it's too late, he's got a unique look, entrance, moveset and character. To me it's never been a debate as to whether he has the abilities to be a top tier player it's purely that his booking has consistently undermined any momentum he gets. The fact that the crowd still pops for him when he's still a heel and has been booked to constantly lose should tell WWWE all they need to know. The fans want to get behind this cool charismatic guy but WWE keeps missing the boat.

If I was booking him I had have him try and mess with Orton with a series of well thought out and logical but new/unique mind games in the run up to Backlash with Orton becoming angry that he can't get his hands on him. Really amp up Orton frustration. Then at Backlash Orton comes out first and then attacks Wyatt on the ramp during Bray entrance to sell Orton frustration. Have a brutal match in which momentum Ebs and flows. Orton starts getting frustrated as Wyatt keeps kicking out. So this is the beginning of building Wyatts character showing that he is very difficult to keep down. Eventually Orton will go for the punt but Wyatt will reverse it either into a huge bump for the win or a SA outta nowhere. Give Wyatt a huge win. I wouldn't do a rematch just yet so on the following Smackdown you have Orton give Wyatt props for not staying down and ask for a rematch but before he gets to that someone attacks him. My choice would be Samoa Joe making his debut but thinking about the booking of it maybe Corbin would be better as Orton would have lost to Lesnar and Wyatt. This puts Wyatt vs Orton on the shelf for now. Wyatt would come out later and say how he proved at Backlash that he has changed and he's fed up of waiting for opportunities and now he will take them. The next part of his push would be the tweener/face turn. The new WWE champ AJ Styles is in the ring and he has just attacked Ambrose from behind and is threatening to end his career with a chair wrapped around his head but the lights go out and Wyatt clears Styles out. The crowd pops huge and then Ambrose staggers to his feet before eating a SA. Because Wyatt shouldn't be all out face. I would probably then make Wyatt have to earn his shot at Styles. Really making him out to be a guy who cannot be kept down. Kinda like they should have booked Ambrose vs Lesnar but that's another story. Then you either have a heel screw him out of his shot, needs to be a fairly big name so he can pick up another big win before going after AJ or he wins a shot at AJ. Wyatt as a anti hero, anti authority guy is money. It's a shame that the Authority figures on Smackdown are face but I suppose you could have Shane be the one to screw Bray and have Shane say he's seen how dangerous Wyatt is and how he encourages Anarchy and Shane doesn't want that in the Smackdown champ, needs protect the brand and stop Bray being the face of his show (maybe a bit of tension between Shane and Bryan starts here too) or some such spiel. Then have Wyatt be forced to go through Shane's hand picked guys if he wants his shot at the title. You could bring back some of Shane's old pals or adversaries and try to stack the deck against Wyatt. Make Wyatt sympathetic but no where near a cookie cutter baby face. He doesn't care if it's a face or heel in his way he just hits both with a SA. You tell the story that Shane is continually stacking the deck vs Wyatt but Bray just keeps somehow winning. The crowd will be into him he starts playing up to them more, they sing along to his catchphrases and he's got the whole world in his hands and he brings back the down with the machine shtick and merch. Finally it's Bray vs Shane in some type of gimmick match and you have some run ins as Shane is desperately trying to avoid losing and stop Bray from getting a title shot. Maybe Harper and Rowan return to try to screw Bray or Bo could have been one of his opponents in the run up as well. So you have had his ex family members, his real brother and some other faces from his recent past all set up by Shane as he trys to keep Wyatt away from title picture. Wyatt finally wins and gets his shot at Styles. Because Smackdown is only 2 hours and once a week I would have this whole program play out over a pretty long period. The guys Bray beats to end up vs Shane should be a mixture of lower/mid careers with some big name veterans in on short term deals to help Wyatt win big matches throughout this program. Make the more current/recent stars he faces be the likes of the Wyatt family, Bo, Kane etc and the bigger name veterans be from Shane's past maybe Ken Shamrock or X-Pac. Names big enough to help Bray push but not to big that they damage the objective of the whole program which is turn Wyatt tweener/face, make him the anti hero he is ready made for and solidify him as a top guy on Smackdown. If they wanted to continue down this route then at Royal Rumble you have HHH or Vince screw him to lead into a HHH match at Mania but my personal choice for Wyatt at WM 33 was always to have him beat Lesnar. He needs it more than any of the other top guys and that would be the icing on the cake. But the tension and chemistry between HHH and Wyatt every time they teased it was awesome. Plus I would fucking love to see Joe or Nakamura vs Lesnar at WM and give them the rub but I know deep down that Lesnar rub is being save for the culmination of Project Samoan Superman but I try to not think about that.

:vince3

That's what I would do bit that's just me. The guy is unique in every way, fans want to cheer him and he can talk. Yes he can sometimes be repetitive but when he gets something to focus on, adds a bit of anger/fire and when he plays up to the crowd a bit he is one of if not the best mic worker they have outside of Cena/Heyman.

:harper
 
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#3 ·
If Bray Wyatt actually comes out in admit his predictions have not come true, and I guess admitting and failing what he set out to do, and promised that it was a turning point. And then somehow gets another match with Undertaker and John Cena and actually goes over them, I think it can be fix.

He needs more decisive wins and for his predictions to actually come true.
 
#5 ·
No he still could but he won't.

WWE would need to let him win against Orton and after that squash him The Undertaker to finally become the NEW face of fear.

But that won't happen either and with this he will talk his usual shit no one cares about just to lose the feud and go to another feud where he starts to talk the same shit
 
#6 ·
Mark Henry and The Hall Of Pain.

Anyone can be salvaged...(in theory).

I feel though that Bray is a tricky case though because he gets such regular TV time. He gets constant mic and ring time in high profile feuds so we see him losing high profile feuds all the time. And we see his empty promos make the same grand promises over and over again. In theory anyone can be salvaged but I think Brays high profile makes it trickier because more and more people are fed up with him, sick of him, bored of him. Its not easy to win those fans back over, Bray at this point requires some long term booking to re-establish him and have him appear as a suitable threat to the top tier guys.
 
#24 · (Edited)
It's been too late since June 2014. WWE has failed Bray on many occasions, but they also gave him ample opportunities to revive his character in certain storylines, and he only bored us to death with redundant promos and no action. Now, he's just an irrelevant jobber. You can't have a character like this who doesn't follow through on threats. He's a joke. Imagine if Ministry Taker got his ass whooped every single time he brought the squad out and threatened to sacrifice people.



But the question asks if he can be a main event star. When have you ever seen a jobber become a main eventer?
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
Booking can help anyone, remember how invested the crowd were when it looked like The Wyatts were going in a new direction earlier this year when they went after The League Of Nations? All it took was 2 weeks of great booking since the WrestleMania disaster with Dwayne and Wyatt was back on track. WWE need to explore Wyatt's character, they really don't do it enough, the possibilities are endless . I won't lie, WWE have wasted him for the most part of 3 years on the main roster, WWE have lacked real creativity for storylines with him. It's unbelievable how it took them until the Summer of 2016 to give The Wyatts are a proper character driven segment at The Compound but then WWE in typical WWE fashion decide to break them up weeks later for no reason.
 
#11 ·
I must have seen the words 'Bray Wyatt is done' on here nearly every week since the Cena debacle back in 2014, and yet he still comes back to relevance...only to be shafted back down again by the mongs in creative. These kind of demotions have to stop at some point. He's far from finished, and it's never too late.

One day they will finally realise what they have in their hands with this guy and actually put some goddamn effort in. I can't see it happening with this Orton feud sadly, but next year will be a decisive one for Bray. It would also help if they fucking explained his status with regards to Rowan, and then of course the returning Harper will throw a monkey wrench into things. It's lucky he's on Smackdown and not the endless chasm of despair that is Raw.
 
#12 ·
Bray Wyatt is, in a way, completely untouchable. When you look at how they've treated him and the Wyatt Family, making them lose pretty much every big feud they had and not to mention shit like losing clean to Big Show, Ryback and Kane at Fastlane, and you see that despite all that, Bray still gets a reaction, it's obvious that they could make him into freakin Undertaker, if they actually COMMITTED to it, instead of pushing him strong for two months, then beating him and ruining all his momentum. Give him an undefeated run on top, make everyone fear him, have him no-sell moves by immediately springing into the spider walk as soon as he takes them, and terrifying his opponent. Make him special, instead of just "one of the guys".
 
#13 ·
Was it too late for Ziggler to get that main event match against Ambrose last month? Bray is fine in the role he's in. He's never fought or contended for the title so it's not like he's damaged good or there won't be any intrigue in that possibility. I'd be hyped for the the shenanigans that they'll pull out of their asses. :lol
 
#14 ·
Yes, Bray Wyatt is damaged beyond repair thanks to the WWE, you can't take him seriously at all. Yes he lost the Cena feud, but he really started to go down hill after losing to Taker. I really wish the WWE would just release him. His promos are always the same and he is honestly boring in the ring.
 
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#15 ·
Absolutely not. Just look at Undertaker's career path...
 
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#16 ·
No. Bray is not in Ziggler territory where he jobbed to guys like Heath Slater (no offense) earlier this year in 2 minutes.

Bray, while losing most of his big matches against guys like Cena and Taker, doesn’t really lose all that often. Really all it would take at this point is a string of big wins to get him to that next level. Hopefully that is the intent of the Orton feud, but I’m not holding my breath.

I remember back in late 2014 and early 2015, Bray went on a big winning streak. Beat Ambrose in all of their matches, beat Bryan, beat Ziggler, he beat everybody. Of course, they were only building him up like that to feed him Taker but still, at the time Bray looked like a threat. All it would take is another run like that.
 
#17 ·
He's so young and already faced the best in the WWE. I kind of understand why he isn't mixed with titles bc at the end of the day why would his character care for gold? BUT they could definitely connect the WWE Title as the throne and how Bray can control the world with it. I don't know man, I think WWE knows he is good and he will get his time at the very top.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Honey Bucket said:
One day they will finally realise what they have in their hands with this guy and actually put some goddamn effort in.
They already did realize it, when they pushed him undefeated for a year leading into the Cena match, and he was plastered all over the show and more relevant than just about anyone in the company, but they still threw it away because he wasn't Vince's pick. They know good and damn well how talented he is, that's not the issue at all. The issue is that they don't give a fuck and they only use him to put guys over. It's not like they're unaware what he brings to the table. If they were, he wouldn't always be facing top stars. They just use him as fodder to the top stars to boost them up because they're not interested in him being a top guy because of his look.

LucasXXII said:
Absolutely not. Just look at Undertaker's career path...
I'd love to hear the explanation for this. Undertaker won the title in his first year and won all his feuds. He wasn't a put over guy.
 
#21 ·
"can" vs "will" is always an important distinction in almost any area of life: but to answer this question of CAN Bray Wyatt become a main event star? Absolutely Bray Wyatt can: he has many situational factors that surround him that play greatly to his character's benefit. Hollywood has been absolutely dominated by superheroes the last what four or so years as people live vicariously through the characters for those couple hours, take in the effects and "badass factor" and whatnot. We see shows like GOT, Walking Dead and from an intricate standpoint the likes of Boardwalk or the final season of Breaking Bad get high acclaim and get really high ratings Obviously, Bray Wyatt is the closest character to Marvel comics' brand of storytelling there is in the E and with far, far improved clarity and direction/pacing in the character's writing beyond being a cryptic false prophet the Bray Wyatt character could have some quite intricate storylines and evolution and given what is selling well today: I predict could be huge.

You also look at some direct-to-WWE factors that play well for Wyatt's future: Bray hasn't even hit thirty yet while a whole host of wrestlers with great careers didn't hit their peak until the mid-late 30s, some cases like Mark Henry even early 40s and we have seen many that did have a nice run but stall have a career resurgence in later years. I would presume even if WWE retcons this brand split: I would figure with the stubborness they will take at least a few years to do so which gives Bray a nice platform to be focused. Guy is 300 lbs and while quite agile doesn't fly alot so that serves well for Bray. One odd factor that may play well for Bray: the WWE ratings are apparently quite inadequate from what I hear/read: so if USA network ever pressures the E into forcing to a new direction: WWE may take a serious look at relevant pop culture right now and for the forseeable future and see Bray Wyatt potentially lines up closest.

Now WILL WWE make Bray Wyatt a star? A star is relative I think as long as there are two brands Bray will be a future cornerstone of one and a future titleholder of some brand but I don't think WWE on their own free will without outside pressure/influence/necessity will feel compelled to evolve their product enough to make Bray a true modern long-term cornerstone along the lines of a Cena or a Triple H when wrestling or a Taker no. I also can't say for certainly how long WWE can withold throwing their chips all-in on Bray Wyatt before his fanbase totally deserts the character feeling that their investment waiting for Bray to be an ultimate player but always losing the big one just leads to a circular waste of time. Already happened twice but then again: Bray is so young and fans still throw up the "fireflies".
@THANOS: your thoughts on this topic? I'd like to read them.
 
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#22 ·
"can" vs "will" is always an important distinction in almost any area of life: but to answer this question of CAN Bray Wyatt become a main event star? Absolutely Bray Wyatt can: he has many situational factors that surround him that play greatly to his character's benefit. Hollywood has been absolutely dominated by superheroes the last what four or so years as people live vicariously through the characters for those couple hours, take in the effects and "badass factor" and whatnot. We see shows like GOT, Walking Dead and from an intricate standpoint the likes of Boardwalk or the final season of Breaking Bad get high acclaim and get really high ratings Obviously, Bray Wyatt is the closest character to Marvel comics' brand of storytelling there is in the E and with far, far improved clarity and direction/pacing in the character's writing beyond being a cryptic false prophet the Bray Wyatt character could have some quite intricate storylines and evolution and given what is selling well today: I predict could be huge.

You also look at some direct-to-WWE factors that play well for Wyatt's future: Bray hasn't even hit thirty yet while a whole host of wrestlers with great careers didn't hit their peak until the mid-late 30s, some cases like Mark Henry even early 40s and we have seen many that did have a nice run but stall have a career resurgence in later years. I would presume even if WWE retcons this brand split: I would figure with the stubborness they will take at least a few years to do so which gives Bray a nice platform to be focused. Guy is 300 lbs and while quite agile doesn't fly alot so that serves well for Bray. One odd factor that may play well for Bray: the WWE ratings are apparently quite inadequate from what I hear/read: so if USA network ever pressures the E into forcing to a new direction: WWE may take a serious look at relevant pop culture right now and for the forseeable future and see Bray Wyatt potentially lines up closest.

Now WILL WWE make Bray Wyatt a star? A star is relative I think as long as there are two brands Bray will be a future cornerstone of one and a future titleholder of some brand but I don't think WWE on their own free will without outside pressure/influence/necessity will feel compelled to evolve their product enough to make Bray a true modern long-term cornerstone along the lines of a Cena or a Triple H when wrestling or a Taker no. I also can't say for certainly how long WWE can withold throwing their chips all-in on Bray Wyatt before his fanbase totally deserts the character feeling that their investment waiting for Bray to be an ultimate player but always losing the big one just leads to a circular waste of time. Already happened twice but then again: Bray is so young and fans still throw up the "fireflies".

@THANOS: your thoughts on this topic? I'd like to read them.
Fantastic post as usual Oracle. I love the points on the relevance and popularity potential his character has in this era. I couldn't agree more. There's so much potential with the character, but nothing will ever steadily take off unless they give him less restrictions and better promo/segment locations. There was so much potential with that New Day/Wyatt Compound idea and they completely botched it. They didn't even show the haunted house or tease any dread/terror like they should have. Wyatt needs to be handled/produced they same way LU produces the likes of Matanza and Muertes for his potential to be reached. He also needs to win a helluva lot more.
 
#23 ·
He IS a main event star. Just because he rarely headlines PPVs doesn't make him a midcarder. That's like saying that the Undertaker was a midcarder from 1992-1997 because he seldomly main evented during those years. There's a clear distinction between the resources provided to market Bray's character... and a Tyson Kidd.
 
#33 ·
Too late, I don't think so.

But I'm not taking him seriously any time soon, and I'm someone that REALLY wanted to see him do big things.

Right now he's just the laughable bad guy that the kids can hate on. He's Wiley Coyote, and he never catches the Road Runner.

He's going to job to Randy to make Randy look like he's still a bad@$$ after the beating Lesnar put on him.
Hell, he just got done losing to Ziggler, who couldn't be any more under if you literally buried him.
 
#35 ·
It's rare somebody is so fucked they could never main event if the WWE wanted them to, and Bray is definitely not one of those people. Can he reach the potential he had during his debut? I doubt it. It still amazes me week in, and week out, how they manage to fuck him up time and time again. They know they desperately need stars, yet they have never given him a chance. Most of the time I feel like WWE are intentionally screwing themselves over.

With the thinner rosters since the brand split, NOW is the time to push him to the stars. If they don't push him now, I don't think they'll ever give him a legitimate sustained push
 
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