I knew it was going to be Bray Wyatt.
You knew it was going to be Bray Wyatt.
We all knew it was going to be Bray Wyatt.
Finally, after what seemed like two million teases and hints, Bray Wyatt made his highly-anticipated return to WWE, showing up on the scene after the main event of Extreme Rules. There were rumors that he could’ve jumped ship to AEW, and obviously, there were plenty of people out there who would’ve loved to see that. To me, it just seemed like this WWE return was written in the stars, so to speak.
The whole “White Rabbit” thing was well done, in my opinion. It was something that you just didn’t see in WWE, at least to that scale, and that helped it go viral really quickly. You’d see hints and clues when you watched WWE shows on television, but you’d get different hints and clues on WWE’s social media, and you’d get different hints and clues if you attended WWE shows in person. Everyone was included, and the excitement grew and grew.
Okay, so… he’s back. What happens now? Where do we go from here?
Right off the jump, I am very happy that he seems to have gone back to more of the original Bray Wyatt character. Sure, The Fiend was cool in vignettes and appearances, but WWE wrote themselves into a corner when it came to how The Fiend performed in the ring. The red lighting made his matches borderline unwatchable, and if the lighting didn’t do it, the comically over-the-top presentation of him being almost indestructible would. In the almost two years that we saw The Fiend on WWE programming, he was involved in some REALLY bad matches. Hell In A Cell 2019 against Seth Rollins? One of the worst WWE pay-per-view main events in multiple decades. TLC 2019 against The Miz? I dare you to remember a single thing about that match, either positively or negatively. I had to re-watch it to remind myself. Super Showdown 2020 against Goldberg? Dropping the Universal Title to an undeserving Goldberg was the clear beginning of the end for The Fiend, and for Bray Wyatt, in general. Money In The Bank 2020 against Braun Strowman, and then the rematch at SummerSlam 2020? A boring match in the Firefly Funhouse character, and then, a match that took us to deeper depths of boredom while he was The Fiend. WrestleMania 37 against Randy Orton? An awful execution of supernatural bullshit, poor acting, and disinterested performers.
It would behoove everyone involved if we never saw The Fiend again. Not in a match, a backstage segment, a promo, a video package, a .gif on Twitter, or in a video game.
Simply going back to the original version of the Bray Wyatt character isn’t enough, though. Not even close.
I’ve been very upfront in the past about giving up all hope when it came to how Bray Wyatt was booked through the years. You know the routine…
– Randomly attack Wrestler A to start a feud
– Cut cryptic promos against Wrestler A that don’t really make a whole lot of sense to most people
– Lose to Wrestler A
– Lose to Wrestler A in a rematch
– Randomly attack Wrestler B to start a feud
Lather, rinse, repeat. It didn’t matter who he was feuding with, nor did it matter how much help he had. He was going to lose all of his big matches, and after a while, that’s the kind of thing that makes wrestling fans not care so much. How am I supposed to take you seriously in a feud when you’ve lost the last 48 feuds you’ve been in, most of which you didn’t have a single victory in? Look, I get that pro wrestling, at its very heart and soul, is like almost every other story of this nature… the good guys are going to come out on top after some road blocks and question marks along the way. That’s fine, but heels win, and win big, all the time in this sport we love so much. Roman Reigns has been a heel for every single one of the 773 days (as of the day this column gets posted) he has held the Universal Title. Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Kenny Omega, CM Punk, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan… the list goes on and on when it comes to heels that won and won and won and won some more, and that’s just talking about the top of the card. The list is even longer when you talk about midcard wrestlers, tag teams, and so on. It’s perfectly okay for heels to win matches more often than not.
Will things be different for Bray Wyatt this time around?
To answer that question, you have to start at the top in WWE and look at what has changed since the last time we saw Bray Wyatt. Bray was released from his WWE contract on July 31st, 2021. On that particular day, Vince McMahon was still firmly in charge of WWE. Of everything under the WWE umbrella. All these months later, Vince McMahon is gone, and WWE (read: Triple H) has seemed to go completely above and beyond when it comes to erasing the last few years of Vince’s tenure with the company. That means people are left to draw their own conclusions here. Did Bray Wyatt return to WWE because…
A) He needed the money and either WWE was offering him more than AEW was, or AEW didn’t make an offer at all?
Or…
B) He knew Vince was gone and someone (read: Triple H) made him promises, either of more creative control or of titles won and main events participated in?
Or…
C) He’s a glutton for punishment and is simply setting himself up for more of the same that he dealt with in the past?
We still don’t know what’s going to happen with Wyatt on-screen. He didn’t make an appearance on Raw (at least not one that was live in front of fans), but after Raw went off the air, WWE’s Twitter account broke the news that Bray would be making his return to Smackdown this Friday night. Naturally, that has already led to people predicting that he’s going to make it known that he’s coming after Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. At face value, that certainly makes sense. Bray’s return is being presented as a huge deal, so having him come back and his first feud be against, say, Happy Corbin sure does seem like a waste, doesn’t it?
Even someone like Bray Wyatt is going to have a difficult time overcoming the numbers advantage that Roman Reigns has with The Bloodline at his side. Well… that brings me to the next thing that you have to discuss about Bray’s return to the company.
Wyatt 6.
For a while now, that has been Bray’s name on Twitter. He returned with five “characters” at Extreme Rules… Huskus The Pig, The Rambling Rabbit, Mercy The Buzzard, The Fiend, and Sister Abigail. Before Extreme Rules even went off the air, speculation and fantasy booking went NUTS on social media that Bray is returning to be the lead of a group that may or may not be called the “Wyatt 6” and will include those aforementioned five characters to back him up. Joe Gacy, Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan, Bo Dallas, Braun Strowman, Dexter Lumis, Grayson Waller, Jagger Reid, Rip Fowler, Erick Rowan/Redbeard… these are just some of the names that people on social media have attached to the characters.
On one hand, there’s a lot of potential in giving those names an opportunity to do something on a major stage. However, on the other hand… The Bloodline… including record-setting champions and world class performers… taking on Joe Gacy… Bo Dallas… Dexter Lumis… come on, folks. If Bray is going to surround himself with talent, and if he’s going to be at the top of the card, he needs bigger and better “soldiers” than that.
Look, I love to fantasy book things just as much as, if not more than, the next guy. However, I would rather see Bray Wyatt do his own thing for once. No Wyatt Family, Firefly Funhouse, etc. He’s a big, badass dude that can cut some of the more captivating promos in all of wrestling. Help is not something he’s in dire need of. Also, just because he’s appearing on Smackdown, that doesn’t automatically mean he’s going to be feuding with Roman Reigns from day one. He can still go after random people like he used to. His latest message is “revel in what you are,” according to the vignette that aired on Raw. In the wonderful world of professional wrestling, that could be something simple like, for example, going after Gunther and the Intercontinental Title. You know the deal… Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci should revel in what they really are, and that’s Walter, Marcel Barthel, and Fabian Aichner. That’s just something random off the top of my head. Putting any extra thought into it wouldn’t exactly take a lot.
Right now, I think there has been entirely too much time and effort put into Roman Reigns having an epic title reign that has now gone on for longer than two years. Like it or not, he’s more “important” than Bray Wyatt right now. That means if you place Roman in a feud with Wyatt right away, it’s probably going to be another loss for Bray, which goes right back to the same old shit we talked about earlier. Keeping Roman and Bray away from each other for several months could be difficult, but using the old “free agent” chestnut means that you could have Wyatt appear on Smackdown and Raw, and the fact that Roman himself isn’t on television every week makes it somewhat easier. Early reports say that Bray will end up on Smackdown, but that isn’t a hurdle that can’t be… hurdled.
It might not end up mattering all that much. We already know that Roman is facing Logan Paul at Crown Jewel, which is WWE’s next main roster pay-per-view event. After that, we have Survivor Series, which has the War Games stipulation attached to it this year. If Roman defeats Logan Paul, as I think everyone suspects he will, he’ll probably be involved in the men’s War Games match. That would take us right to 2023, with Day 1 (which may or may not be taking place on the first day of the year, depending on which rumor you read). I suppose that means you could have Wyatt and The Bloodline mingle with each other a bit, without having to worry about a Wyatt title match loss for at least a couple months. Having Wyatt lose to Reigns at Day 1 or at the Royal Rumble isn’t anywhere near as bad as it would be to have Wyatt lose to him as soon as he returns. Of course, having him lose even further down the road, or not having him lose to Reigns at all, would be better.
All in all, I’m excited about Bray’s return, perhaps against my better judgment. I’ve been excited about Bray Wyatt and his future before, only to have that excitement snuffed out, pissed on, tossed in a dumpster, which was then set on fire. He has such a tremendous mind for the business and character work, and he deserves a true chance to put his everything into this run. I can only hope that WWE (read: Triple H) gives him that chance this time around.
Just… no more Fiend, okay, WWE (read: Triple H)? Please?
Now it’s your turn, ReaderLand. Are you excited about the return of Bray Wyatt, or are you tired of the entire aura that surrounds him at this point? Do you want to see him involved in a feud with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline? As always, hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Weekly Power Rankings
Bray Wyatt: Once again, he is the talk of the pro wrestling world. Now, we sit back and see where the hype takes him.
Edge vs Finn Balor: The match was somewhat slow (but not in a bad way) to start, but once the pace was picked up, things got really good. Lots of drama with the way the match ended, and what took place immediately after the match was over. It makes The Judgment Day look a lot stronger, and it gives them a ton of heel heat, but where does Edge go now? He’s obviously coming back for revenge, but the numbers are still really stacked against him.
Gunther vs Sheamus: Another great match between these two, but this time, it was marred a bit by the weird finish. In all the years you’ve watched the WWE product, how many times have you seen them do the “two taps isn’t a submission, but three taps is” routine? I get that it IS a rule, but if it’s a rule you’ve never enforced after decades, it makes everyone look dumb when you finally do enforce it out of nowhere. I’ve already seen random people speculating that Gunther screwed up and accidentally tapped, and this was just WWE’s way of covering it up to keep their story going. I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s unfortunate that the major talking point coming out of the match was a “botched” finish, and not the match itself.
The Brawling Brutes vs Imperium: You expected it to be wild, and that’s exactly what it was. Lots of fun, and a natural way to keep the feud between the groups going. The WWE Universe is going to lose their shit if/when Sheamus dethrones Gunther to become the new Intercontinental Champion.
Bryan Danielson & Daniel Garcia vs Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara: There are a lot of people upset that this match even took place after reports that Sammy was involved in ANOTHER backstage altercation, this time with Andrade El Idolo. Unless Sammy was absolutely, positively 100% innocent here, I do agree that the match either should’ve been scrapped, or at least altered a bit. Not only was Sammy involved in the main event of Dynamite after being in a backstage fight, but he scored the pin for his team. Jericho could’ve gotten the pin, or if you’re really going to change it, Sammy could’ve gotten pinned himself. I don’t know. Whatever. The match was good, at least.
“Hangman” Adam Page vs Rush: Every time I see Rush wrestle, it looks like the scars and bacne on his back are getting closer and closer to becoming sentient and helping him win matches. With that said, the man continues to deliver in the ring.
Bianca Belair vs Bayley: A good ladder match that was able to find the right balance of using the hardware a lot, but not having any overly crazy and dangerous spots that can hurt the quality of these matches from time-to-time. I’m really surprised that Bayley didn’t win the title here, especially with the numbers advantage that Damage CTRL had, but perhaps Bayley’s day is still to come.
Nathan Frazer vs Axiom: The final match in their Best-Of-Three series of NXT saw an added layer of intrigue to it when it was announced that the winner would be the final entrant in the North American Title Ladder Match at Halloween Havoc. As good as Axiom is, I think it was pretty clear that this series was always going to be a showcase for Nathan Frazer. There was such a good mix of high flying and European-style mat wrestling here. It’s unlike a lot of what we ever get to see under the WWE umbrella in North America, so it really stands out when it does happen.
Brock Lesnar: When Brock is around, you always see a lot of talk online where people are questioning his presence, wondering why he keeps being brought back, and so on. Take one look at the crowd reactions he gets, especially when his appearance is a surprise, and you’ll get all the answers to any questions you might have. Live crowds lose their minds when they hear Brock’s music and see him walking out. It doesn’t matter if he’s a face or a heel, and it doesn’t matter who he’s there to squabble with. This time, he’s back for another match with Bobby Lashley, and I am ALL for that.
Ilja Dragunov vs Grayson Waller: When the Thunderdome “era” came to an end and WWE started performing in front of live crowds again, I really hoped we wouldn’t have to deal with any more “cinematic” and “supernatural” nonsense. Well, with Bray Wyatt back and with Halloween coming up, it looks like we’re in store for more of it. We saw it here with Waller being spooked by the “Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal” wheel moving on its own and having its own creepy lighting. Yes, it’s to further Waller’s current feud with Apollo Crews, but we don’t need any of that. My only hope that once Halloween Havoc is over, and perhaps the episode of NXT after Halloween Havoc, that we can just focus on how talented people like Waller and Crews are in the ring without all the extra stuff.
Wheeler Yuta vs MJF: A good match with an interesting wrinkle at the end with MJF teasing a handshake. It seems like the 50th time we’ve seen some sort of possible face turn for MJF. None of them have led to anything, but it sure seems like AEW is testing the waters for a possible turn in the future. As good as MJF is as a heel, AEW crowds are dying to cheer for him. If we ever do see him turn face, that’s going to be a major, major moment, both for MJF and for AEW as a whole.
Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta vs Rush & Private Party: Sometimes, I forget Private Party even exists. It’s the unfortunate part of AEW having such a stacked roster. You’re going to see some talented performers go unseen on television for lengthy stretches of time. It was good to see them back in the mix here, even though they had approximately zero chance of being on the winning side of this match.
Matt Riddle vs Sami Zayn: Two of the hottest acts in all of WWE, and then the added fun of everything going on within The Bloodline? Quality stuff here. Win or lose, everything happening with Sami, Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, and The Usos is so much fun to watch unfold.
Seth Rollins: The brand new United States Champion. It wasn’t much of a match, but defeating Bobby Lashley wasn’t supposed to be, as it was all about Brock Lesnar’s attack on Lashley. Rollins continues to be one of the biggest names in the company, so putting the title on him only adds to the prestige that WWE is trying to add to that belt.
Braun Strowman, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs Sami Zayn & The Usos: A fun, almost house show-like six-man tag. Braun continues to look like a really big deal, and live crowds are reacting to him as such. Poor Sami, allowing his mouth to write a check that his ass couldn’t cash here.
LA Knight: It has been teased for a few weeks, but we finally got the return of LA Knight. In the beginning of the Maximum Male Models storyline, I said that it could work if WWE went all out with it and the stable members fully committed to it. Unfortunately, WWE never really did anything with it, so I’m glad to see LA Knight ditch the Max Dupri thing. He should be able to add a nice boost to the Smackdown midcard scene for the time being. The show has a real need for entertaining acts that aren’t involved with The Bloodline, so he should be able to find success there right away.
Edris Enofe & Malik Blade vs The Dyad vs Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen: An interesting mix here. This might be my favorite match of Enofe, Blade, Briggs, and Jensen that I’ve seen. On the other hand, I continue to loathe everything that Joe Gacy touches. I feel so bad for James Drake and Zack Gibson having to deal with Gacy and everything NXT has written for him.
Pac: While it was a cute thing to have him wrestle in one lengthy match to close a show, and then immediately wrestle in another lengthy match to open the next show, the concept was a lot better than the execution here. For one, the Trios match to close out Rampage went on too long. Two, and perhaps most importantly, the Battle Of The Belts shows are damn near pointless. Too often, they consist of matches where you know damn well the champion isn’t going to lose. If WWE decided to do a Night Of Champions show that saw The Usos defending the Tag Team Titles against Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo, while Bianca Belair defended the Raw Women’s Title against Dana Brooke, and the show was main evented by Gunther defending the Intercontinental Title against Madcap Moss… well, you’d get the point. We know Pac has ridiculous stamina. One look at him will tell you that he’s barely human, if he’s human at all. There are better ways of showing that than what we got here.
Legado Del Fantasma: Subtracting Elektra Lopez from the group and adding Zelina Vega is an interesting move. It will help their promos, as Zelina is much more comfortable on the mic, but otherwise, that’s about it. Zelina is better in the ring than Elektra is, but WWE audiences have been conditioned to not take Zelina seriously as an in-ring competitor. She has had some ugly losses in her time on the main roster, and when she does get pushed, nobody buys it at all. I’m still very interested to see what Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro do on Friday nights, though. As I said, Smackdown really needed non-Bloodline acts that stood out, and LDF are capable of that. Wilde and Del Toro add a boost to the company’s tag team scene, and while Escobar is talented enough to be a main event player, I expect that he’ll be a solid midcard addition, at least for now.
Dominik Mysterio: He continues to get great heel heat, but I’ll say it again… I need to see some advancement with his in-ring career, too. His heel turn was well done, and that heat he’s garnering is a lot of fun, but he’s just… there. It’s just week after week of “I hate you, Dad” and “Why son, why” and “I hate you, Dad” and “I can’t hurt you” between Dom and his adopted father, Rey Mysterio. Let’s see something else already.
This Week’s Playlist: “I Got The…” by Labi Siffre… “My Song” by Labi Siffre… “Bless the Telephone” by Labi Siffre… “(Something Inside) So Strong” by Labi Siffre… “Nevermore” by Lamb Of God… “Vanishing” by Lamb Of God… “Omens” by Lamb Of God… “Gomorrah” by Lamb Of God… “Sleepwalking” by All Time Low… “This is War” by Alter Bridge… “Abandon Us” by Bury Tomorrow… “Awake” by Lost Society… “I, Dysmorphia” by Saving Vice… “Fantastic Voyage” by Coolio… “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio & LV… “Too Hot” by Coolio… “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)” by Coolio… “C U When U Get There” by Coolio & 40 Thevz… “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals… “Bound For The Floor” by Local H… “Far Behind” by Candlebox… “Loving You Is A Mountain” by Isaia Huron… “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi… “You Are The Reason” by Calum Scott… “Here” by Alessia Cara