Can Bray Wyatt be the next Undertaker?

[phoenixphreek]

Since the Undertaker there has not really been a real gimmick wrestler that has been able to withstand the test of time and more importantly been able to stay relevant and top tier on the roster through the test of time. Do you think that Bray Wyatt can do that? Can Bray Wyatt stay with his current character/gimmick and keep it fresh and exciting for as long as the Undertaker has been able to?

 

[MMA Mark]

Definitely. He has the charisma, mic skills, acting skills, in-ring skills (still developing, but so far this year 2 PPV's = 2 MOTY candidates), lineage and the youth. If he can keep up the good work he will go down as one of the all-time greats. It's a big if though, there are a lot of variables. Look at Muhammad Hassan for example, it's a shame what happened to him.

 

[kadroan]

It's too early to tell. He has potential. It just depends on how creative books him. He's already got big wins over Kane, Kofi Kington, Daniel Bryan at PPV's. He needs this win over Cena

 

[KitsuneDreamer]

I agree with kadroan, it's too early to tell, but he does have the skill set.

As for longevity in an Undertaker like role, I would say tweak the character a little bit more dark and foreboding, give him some great feuds.

If the "Family" remains together, they need to build up Erick Rowan a lot more, they need to give him some more presence, they are doing a great job slowly building Luke Harper(tonight's match was great). Could Happen. Good Topic, never really thought of this though. Cheers.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

Never thought I'd ever say that about anyone...
But yes. His promos are already "best-of-all-time" material and he's just getting started.

 

[StingerSplash22]

What is wrong with him being the first Bray Wyatt? Why do fans hate John Cena? They hate that he is the new Hulk Hogan. Let Bray be himself and not try to replace another legend. Trust me, Bray himself is pretty damn good but Undertaker 2.0 will be hated.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Bray is the next "gimmick" guy. He's not the next Undertaker. He's the first Bray Wyatt. He's a lot closer to mankind than Taker. Taker was all body language and presence. Wyatt is body language, presence, and verbal skills. Taker really doesn't have great verbal skills.

 

[MMA Mark]

What is wrong with him being the first Bray Wyatt? Why do fans hate John Cena? They hate that he is the new Hulk Hogan. Let Bray be himself and not try to replace another legend. Trust me, Bray himself is pretty damn good but Undertaker 2.0 will be hated.

I am pretty sure it just means, can he have similar longevity and success with a supernatural-ish character. Nobody wants Bray to start copying Undertaker, besides maybe starting a Wrestlemania Streak of his own possibly.

 

[lowandmighty]

His gimmick can last but he definitely can't be the next Undertaker. The idea he could be the next Undertaker ridiculous.

Even by saying his gimmick can last, I mean it won't last just as it is now but he can evolve it over time.
He won't have Rowan and Harper with him forever, that just doesn't happen in wrestling so when he goes solo it remains to be seen whether or not he stands up on his own.

 

[StingerSplash22]

His gimmick can last but he definitely can't be the next Undertaker. The idea he could be the next Undertaker ridiculous.

Even by saying his gimmick can last, I mean it won't last just as it is now but he can evolve it over time.
He won't have Rowan and Harper with him forever, that just doesn't happen in wrestling so when he goes solo it remains to be seen whether or not he stands up on his own.

He is so far and above Rowan and Harper that it isn't even funny. They are no bigger better than Punk's backups in the Straight Edge Society. He will do fine on his own. His character is one of the most refreshing introductions WWE has had in some time. Aside from the Shield and Wyatts I don't think the WWE has done a good job of introducing new talent since Evolution.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I would love if Bray Wyatt inherited some of the Undertaker' specialty match types, such as the Buried Alive Match, the Casket Match, and the Last Ride Match.

These are specialty matches that best fit the Undertaker, and once he retires, we may not see match types like these any more. I think the gimmick matches could be taken over by Bray Wyatt, as he has the scary aura to carry off these matches, and keep them from being laid to rest forever.

 

[StingerSplash22]

I would love if Bray Wyatt inherited some of the Undertaker' specialty match types, such as the Buried Alive Match, the Casket Match, and the Last Ride Match.

These are specialty matches that best fit the Undertaker, and once he retires, we may not see match types like these any more. I think the gimmick matches could be taken over by Bray Wyatt, as he has the scary aura to carry off these matches, and keep them from being laid to rest forever.

This going too far in trying to be the new Taker. The matches you are referring to can take place without being specialty matches for one particular wrestler. The buried alive concept needs to never come back though. The idea of a wrestler ever coming back from being "buried alive" is beyond ridiculous. Why not create a new gimmick match for Bray? That seems to be a better idea than taking Taker's. IDK, I just wish fans would stop comparing Bray to Taker. As somebody else mentioned, he has a lot more Mick Foley than Undertaker in his character. I am excited to see Bray evolve but I hope they don't take the lazy booking method of making him the new Foley or Taker.

 

[lowandmighty]

He is so far and above Rowan and Harper that it isn't even funny. They are no bigger better than Punk's backups in the Straight Edge Society. He will do fine on his own. His character is one of the most refreshing introductions WWE has had in some time. Aside from the Shield and Wyatts I don't think the WWE has done a good job of introducing new talent since Evolution.

What I actually meant was he will need to evolve his gimmick more once Rowan and Harper are no longer on his side because all crazed hillbilly cult leaders need someone in their cult.
Rowan and Harper are a big part of Bray Wyatt's gimmick. They debuted with him so the situation is not quite the same as the straight edge society as you compared it.
CM Punk was probably more of a flexible character too. Especially considering his success with a joke name (Chick Magnet Punk)

So the backwoods hillbilly cult leader gimmick won't fly then and he will have to change to more of a deranged reclusive serial killer who operates under a shroud of secrecy type gimmick and it remains to be seen what happens taking into account you cant predict the future no matter what anyone's current popularity is.

Thats what I meant by it remains to be seen how he stands up on his own. Which is why I originally chose the words "remains to be seen" and "on his own".

 

[WarroBODFan]

'Taker changed it up with the American Badass and Big Evil identity for a little while, switched it back to the Deadman and didn't lose anything from it. Probably gained more fans if anything.

I'm sure if and when he needs to evolve and/or switch something up, he'll be able to, and be able to keep the same Bray Wyatt mystique as well. I'm confident he'll be able to make subtle changes as and when necessary.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Like many others, I believe it's too early to tell. Undertaker's character evolved over the years. Heel, face, American badass, group, no group, manager, no manager. Bray Wyatt would have to be able to evolve his gimmick. Could he keep the same gimmick but play a face character or a tweener? Could he survive without the "family?" It's too early to tell but I think he's got the most potential of anyone in recent memory to be a similar character to The Undertaker.

 

[bioshock]

Difference with Bray and Undertaker so far. Is Bray already has a few matches down better then Undertaker had in his first 15 years nearly. Meaning it took Undertaker until WM17 to really have a great 'wreslting' match, that didn't involve HBK or Foley flying off a cage to make the match legendary.

I'm very sure Bray can keep his current gimmick going as it its going to last well into next year and beyond, past that its just a matter if the fans buy into it.

 

[haydo 434]

Bray really plays his character brilliantly, the guy is so committed to the persona that he is so damn believable (same goes for harper)
Can he be the next taker? Possibly, but I feel that he doesn't have to be simply because he has his own identity and that uniqueness is very very impressive.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I can see the Bray Wyatt gimmick being a lasting one, though I would equate him more to a guy like Mick Foley, Roddy Piper, or even Steve Austin. I can easily see him moving from outright heel to fan favorite tweener without having to shift the character around all that much.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I have absolutely no doubt that Bray Wyatt's character/gimmick can last. So far, despite the fact that his character is still relatively new, his ring work has certainly been solid and his mic work has been excellent. There is no reason to think that he cannot continue to expand upon his character and continue to enjoy success, and plenty of it. WWE seems to be pretty high on him obviously as if they weren't, we would not see him facing such a legendary opponent on the grandest stage of them all. And this is over and above significant activity with excellent opponents such and Daniel Bryan and the Shield as well. I see a bright future for Bray Wyatt and his current gimmick.

Having said this, he absolutely cannot be the next Undertaker, no one can. There will only ever be one Undertaker and I don't think anyone can come along, in today's era, and replicate what he has done. Frankly, if Mark Calloway were debuting in 2014, even he couldn't pull off the Undertaker character today. This was a one of a kind character, lightning in a bottle so to speak, a unique character which came along on a pre-internet era where fans were less informed, less critical, less impossible to please. I simply don't see anyone coming along and pulling off a character like the Undertaker, and enjoying the masterpiece of a career that he has had. Bray Wyatt should hopefully have a long and successful career in the WWE. But he won't be another Undertaker.

 

[chicagokmc]

The problem with Wyatt's gimmick is that it would be hard for him to be over like that as a face. That's the big difference in my opinion between Wyatt and Taker. The Dead Man gimmick is so much more easily tweaked to be top face status or you could go dark with and be a top heel. Wyatt is one way only and that's heel, being cryptic and creepy don't work well when you're a face. This will lead to the biggest problem and that is running out of people to fight. It's easy to last over 20 years when you split your time between face and heel. Wyatt a heel is already feuding with the face at the top of the food chain in John Cena. Not much further you can go after that. I think he could potentially last for years but he'll be relegated to mid card and that makes him different than Taker.

 

[phoenixphreek]

I am pretty sure it just means, can he have similar longevity and success with a supernatural-ish character. Nobody wants Bray to start copying Undertaker, besides maybe starting a Wrestlemania Streak of his own possibly.

Exactly what I meant. In no way should Bray replace, copy or imitate Taker, I was just posing the question of could he make a gimmick character last like Taker has.

 

[phoenixphreek]

Having said this, he absolutely cannot be the next Undertaker, no one can. There will only ever be one Undertaker and I don't think anyone can come along, in today's era, and replicate what he has done. Frankly, if Mark Calloway were debuting in 2014, even he couldn't pull off the Undertaker character today. This was a one of a kind character, lightning in a bottle so to speak, a unique character which came along on a pre-internet era where fans were less informed, less critical, less impossible to please. I simply don't see anyone coming along and pulling off a character like the Undertaker, and enjoying the masterpiece of a career that he has had. Bray Wyatt should hopefully have a long and successful career in the WWE. But he won't be another Undertaker.

This was my exact worry. The business and the industry is hugely different now than it was then. People get bored faster, the company is transparent, etc. I'm not sure that a gimmick character can last as long in this era.

Think about when Bray gets big enough that he starts doing media. Does he stay in character for interviews? Can he improvise answers in his character? Does he break character? If he breaks character, does it lose mystique?

 

[ILoveYouSisterAbigail]

Bray reminds me of a cross between Jake Roberts (1991 heel version) Cactus Jack (1995 ECW version) Kevin Sullivan (cult leader version) and Raven

 

[whoopin' ass]

Not without a major shift in wwe programming. People like it now as it is different than what they see from others but if you take a step back and look at that character, he doesn't have the room to work and eventually that is going to kill the character. Think of it this way - he is Nolan's Joker trying to work in the 1960's Batman series - you can't really do what is necessary to get the character over. I have never been a fan of him because he is a lot of talk but no action - dumb masks don't scare me.

 

[Xemmy]

Every character should strive to be there own.

BUT if any superstar has the tools and the character to fill those big mystic wizard shoes on screen, that superstar is Bray Wyatt. His character's unique, and he's the first new guy in a long time that's been able to pull off the creepy vibe and be taken seriously. The crowd shuts up when he's on the mic. They love his entrance to death. And he's suppose to be the bad guy. That gives me a lot of high hopes for the guy. This is a bankable gimmick. And as long as injuries are kept at bay, I see Bray Wyatt becoming WWE champion. Not a matter of if, but when. The man simply has talent.

But he won't be the Undertaker. He'll be Bray Wyatt. And I expect great things from him.