PWP Nation’s Editor-in-Chief Eron Ramadanov takes a closer look at the rise and fall of the character and direction of the “Eater of Worlds,” Bray Wyatt.
WWE is host to several characters larger than life. One of those characters is Bray Wyatt. Since his debut in 2013, Wyatt has been a character and talent that fans all over the world have been waiting to break through. But with injuries, disappointing booking decisions and the margin for error, his career hasn’t panned out the way many thought it would, so far.
When first hitting the scene, the buzz around the Wyatt Family comprised of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan was electric. For months, fans of WWE and their developmental system NXT were clamoring for the chance to see Bray and company on the main stage, doing their act in front of millions. Luckily, that hope became a reality and the Wyatt Family imprinted themselves on the main roster. Not only did they come in hot, but their first feud was against someone who’s been around the block a few times; the Big Red Machine, Kane. In this first feud, it was a test for Wyatt. WWE officials and fans wanted to see if the “Eater of Worlds” could hang with the “Demon.”
Well, he did.
Not only did Wyatt start off his career with a big win over Kane, he went on to feud with the likes of John Cena, the Undertaker, Chris Jericho and others. The fans were eating him up and it seemed like Wyatt was on his way to multiple world titles and a successful main event career.
Well, that hasn’t happened yet. In that time, Wyatt’s stock has gone down and it seems like no matter what happens, he just can’t seem to regain the momentum he once had. Whether it’s with or without the family by his side, Wyatt has been plagued on a number of different variables outside of his control. And the most recent one is his scheduled match with Randy Orton at WWE Backlash. Sadly, Orton was not cleared to compete and was forced to cancel the match between the two. Fear not, as Orton’s replacement was Kane. Weird how things work like that, huh?
In 2013, Bray Wyatt debuted and made his mark against Kane by defeating him at SummerSlam. In 2016, Bray Wyatt lost to Kane at a pay-per-view in a no disqualification match, which was just added for filler.
It’s funny how things come full circle like this, isn’t it?
So, what happened? What has happened in between that time when fans were begging for Wyatt to be on the main roster, to now, where he has become an afterthought and a glorified enhancement talent on a brand where they could sure use some more main eventers?
Somewhere along the way, Bray Wyatt lost his message, voice and direction. But why? What caused all of this? Let’s examine.
First off, I think a lot of the bad that’s come out of Wyatt’s career so far has been to no fault of his own. I like Wyatt. He’s one of my favorite workers and characters in wrestling right now. He works smart, not hard and he has a way with words that hasn’t been seen since Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Wyatt uses a set of power moves, but also has the motor to hang with the fastest guys in the business. There is no doubt in my mind about the ability Wyatt possesses in the ring and there’s no need to even question his talent on the stick.
A lot of what’s gone wrong with Wyatt is WWE’s unwillingness to pull the trigger with him. It seems like every time Wyatt comes close to getting over or breaking through the glass ceiling, he gets taken out at the legs. Whether it’s WWE’s booking decisions or unlucky circumstances.
Let’s look at the feud with John Cena. Now, I’m not one to sit here and crap all over Cena and say that he buries talent left and right and takes joy in doing so. But I will say that the beginning of Wyatt’s downfall might have something to do with his feud with the “face that runs the place.” The time for Wyatt to win was at WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans. Sure, you might be saying that, “babyfaces go over at ‘Mania! That’s how it’s always been.” And I would counter saying, “yes, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Wyatt should’ve been an exception.”
I think Wyatt’s clean lose to Cena at WrestleMania really hurt him. WrestleMania 30 was a time for fans to really see Wyatt in a different way. Bray was gaining momentum and fans started to really buy the idea of him being able to head-to-head with John Cena. But, after 10+ years of Cena beating guys at WrestleMania (I know I’m embellishing), once he did the same thing to Wyatt, he was added to the list that have feuded with Cena and have come out of it worse than when they went into it. Not to mention the cherry on top being when Cena defeated Wyatt in their last match in that series in a last man standing match. That didn’t help either.
But I’m not here to just blame John Cena or that feud. I’m saying that was the beginning of Wyatt losing almost every feud he was in afterwards and even when he did feud with someone and could out of it victorious, it didn’t matter to the fans because they already viewed Wyatt in a certain light.
In the end, this feud with John Cena kicked off a long line of feuds where WWE didn’t feel right about letting Wyatt shine and win. Wyatt lost and lost and lost, over and over again. I call that the “Dolph Ziggler effect.” That’s when you lose so much, that even though you’re a good wrestler or the fans like you, no one cares about you or your character anymore because they feel like they know the outcome before it happens.
That’s where Bray Wyatt was and is currently. And as much as WWE or people in bed with them want to deny it, wins and losses matter. Once the fans view you as a loser, you’re a loser. That’s it. It’s over… unless you do a complete 180 before it’s too late. Do I think it’s too late for Wyatt? Absolutely not. I think he can still be salvaged. But they have to do it NOW and… they have to turn him babyface.
For the better half of a year, I’ve preached that Bray Wyatt and his character is such a total and complete babyface, especially in today’s age of professional wrestling. From his microphone skills, to his entrance, to his wardrobe, the guy is a total fan favorite.
And the funny thing about this is that we know a babyface Bray Wyatt works. Before the brand split, there was a Monday Night Raw, where Bray Wyatt teamed up with Roman Reigns to go up against Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio in the main event. Wyatt, who was sort of feuding with the League of Nations, was a babyface for the first time ever and it worked.
Fans were invested in Bray and really wanted to root for him and WWE told them it was okay to do so. Wyatt and Reigns worked well together and the finish to the match was something I really enjoyed.
But then… phase two of why I think Wyatt has lost his direction: INJURIES.
The guy just can’t catch a break. Every time lately, it seems like Wyatt is about to break through, boom, there’s an injury. Whether it’s him or his opponent, it almost always happens. After this match above, Wyatt was hurt and taken out of action for an extended amount of time. When he returned, he came back as a heel and I for one was puzzled at that decision. When he was getting ready to go up against the Undertaker in his self admitted dream match, in warm ups he rolled his ankle and wasn’t at 100% for the match later that night.
And it’s become an issue for Wyatt, because I fear that the company might start to see him as injury prone and lump him into the same category with guys like Dolph Ziggler or Daniel Bryan, where WWE doesn’t want to push them because they might get hurt. It’s pretty well known that once you prove your injury prone, Vince McMahon and the company want nothing to do with you in the main event scene if you’re not already established there.
Now, on the surface, it may seem like Wyatt can’t really do anything about that. But he has. When coming back from his latest injury, he dropped a good amount of weight and is in much better shape. Hopefully, Wyatt’s new body works out better for him than his old one and keeps him in the ring.
To wrap this whole thing up, it’s simple: if Wyatt can stay healthy and WWE can creatively do what’s best for him, he’ll be a future Hall of Famer. In this feud with Orton, he needs a win. He must beat Orton at the end of this whole thing and then propelled into the title picture, before it’s too late.
Thanks for reading, everyone.
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