Does The Wyatt family have a good chance of being long term?

[Hakushi]

I wonder if the majority thinking is right on this one. Bo Dallas joing the Wyatts. At first this idea didn't intrigue me, but I think if it's done right, it could strengthen Bray and Dallas. What if Bo came in as his "Babyface" persona. I know fans would chew him up and spit him out for that......So, in comes Wyatt. Recruits him and beats/brainwashes him into following the buzzards. You then have a diverse group of 4. All young, All talented.
Maybe it's wishful thinking, as I have always been a fan of "Strong" stables. The Shield will not last to Mania 31. It's a shame, as they are AWESOME together, but you have three strong personalities that are bound to go their own way. I would be surprised if they are not all individual champions during their runs. The Wyatts......Harper and Rowan, talented as their in ring work is, would probably end up jobbing without Bray, which is why I believe they are both unlikely to break out individually or as a team. Played out right, this could provide interesting angles and a strong lasting stable for quite some time.

 

[Headman]

Adding members to a group never really works out. It didn't work out for the Brady Bunch when they added cousin Oliver either. They should stick with the original 3 until the concept is played out then split them up. Adding new members just seems cheap.

 

[HatchetMan84]

I'm not sure what will happen to Eric or Luke, but I think Bray Wyatt is here to stay.

One thing i really hope for is that Bray keeps this gimmick. I don't see where else you'd go with him now, he is so firmly over and entrenched as this kind of quiet psychopath... Such a great gimmick because so many of his promos are just him talking calmly...he has violent outbursts but they are sort of reserved if you know what I mean. Reminds me alot of Jake Roberts.

He has a good chance to be the new "undertaker" type gimmick. Bray i think will always stand alone with the gimmick but it wouldn't surprise me to see the "family" grow sort of like the Undertaker's "ministry" did.

One question that I don't see many people asking (unless i'm not looking very well), is, is Bray Wyatt a face now? He was being cheered like crazy at wrestlemania, it's obvious the fans wanted him to win...Even on Raw the night after, with that crazy post-mania crowd, they cheered his every move and were even clapping along with his entrance music...I sure hope this guy sticks around because he is the only reason I watch right now...I love everything about him...the gimmick, the promos, all of it

 

[Headman]

One question that I don't see many people asking (unless i'm not looking very well), is, is Bray Wyatt a face now? He was being cheered like crazy at wrestlemania, it's obvious the fans wanted him to win...Even on Raw the night after, with that crazy post-mania crowd, they cheered his every move and were even clapping along with his entrance music...I sure hope this guy sticks around because he is the only reason I watch right now...I love everything about him...the gimmick, the promos, all of it

You can't go by the Mania crowds. They gave Dolph Ziggler the biggest pop of his life and gave the WWE the bone headed idea to turn him face. We all know how that worked out. If the WWE is smart they'll do something to immediately re-establish the Wyatt's as heels.

 

[Fansince1992]

I love The Wyatt Family , Bray in the middle of 2 massive sinister guys (1 wearing a mask) I just think it's going to be hard for Bray to pull it off and get himself into the Mainstream. The Shield seem more breakthrough at the moment, maybe it's the sudden Face Turn and the niggles in with The Shield that make me think this way. I don't know really.

At the moment i'm liking The Shield a little more but i hope The Wyatts can get something going. The Live band at WM was cracking.

 

[chicagokmc]

Groups bigger than 3 people don't seem to work that well in today's WWE. Bray's character is effective because he is this charismatic sociopathic leader that some people seem to want to follow, so his character always needs "a family". I just don't think it needs to grow. With a 3 man team, they can wrestle singles, tag team and 6 man keeping them by themselves as the loners they are portrayed as.

I'm just concerned that if you turn them face, you will lose so much of what makes them great. As heels they can triple team, hurt, injure and do heinous things to people and not only is that accepted when the Wyatts do it, it is sometimes cheered. Faces in the WWE don't do those things, whether or not we think they should. Faces also get subjected to the occasional serious beatdown. See what happened to the Shield a few weeks ago, that never happened to them as super heels (even bad ass Steve Austin got the occasional face beatdown). We'll see.

 

[Allstar]

I can see wwe turning Bray face in the future with or with out Harper and Rowan.
They have already got him saying the name of the city they are in followed by..."where here" which is always gonna get some cheap pop.

Out of Harper and Rowan, Harper is definitely the standout and could see him being successful on his own

 

[JWGunslinger]

They're hotter than hell right now, as a group they are undeniably a great talent and together they have staying power. Down the road at some point though you've got to imagine the inevitable break up will come, and that is going to suck because they've got such a good thing going. When that happens though I'm going to guess that Bray in here to stay.

He's already made a huge impact with his gimmick and has created a unique niche for himself in the company that reminds me of a Mankind. He's got such a great look, character and arsenal of promo gold that appears to be never ending. I believe he's all but set if he continues the way he's been going and I'm highly anticipating the day he becomes a world champion. I'll put my money down on that right here right now, Bray Wyatt with the family or without will be a major player and eventually hold the world title(whatever name it'll have by then).

Luke Harper has actually been growing on me more and more with every week. Obviously he's got a great look, huge guy with that beard, crazy hair outfit to match. At first I was a tad bit skeptical of his in ring abilities but as I said he's been impressing me as of late, I feel like there's marked improvement with every match he has to the point where I am no longer concerned about his skills as a worker. We haven't heard him talk as much as Bray but I like the way that they've slowly been giving him more time in the Family promos. It's a good slow feed into getting a bigger voice and a bigger part, I just think they're doing a phenomenal job not rushing his growth and it's defintely to his benefit. As to how he'll do in the future, at the rate of his improvement I don't want to limit him in saying he'll never be a main event player but I'm not sure yet. I do think he'll have staying power, I see him having a career similar to Mark Henry in that he'll probably be around for a long time and float around the middle of the card. He may have a world title run but it'll be somewhat short lived, but he'll be a solid man and continue to put on good matches.

Lastly Eric Rowan, the one we still seem to know the least about. Until I see more from him I won't be able to accurately say if he'll boom or bust but in terms of what he's supposed to be doing right now(being the quiet scary big man) he's on the right track. His in ring skills could use a little improvement, I get the impression that when he started he thought he could get by solely on his size and realized quickly that isn't the case. If he continues to be a silent monster for his career he'll be alright but I'd like to hear him on the mic. But for now he's got a great look with that big red beard and with his build alone a lot of potential. I'd be interested to see a tag title reign out of him and Harper at some point, I think that would be a good measuring stick for the future.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Bray is definitely here to stay.

A lot of people have touted him as the replacement to the Undertaker type supernatural character, but I think he has the potential to be even bigger. His character is more realistic, and simpler to execute. Sadistic redneck. I think also, they should go somewhere with that "Bray's Gonna Kill You" thing. Have promos where it's a little kid saying that over and over or something. Samoa Joe never really took off like he should have so hell, make Bray that sadistic, merciless, crazy ass redneck who just doesn't give a fuck.

As far as the other two. I've never heard them talk so I can't give a fair assessment of their potential but they'd better find a way to show their worth fast or they'll be gone like yesterday as soon as the Wyatt Family angle is done.

 

[akathelaw]

Bray Wyatt is getting over organically, probably more than anyone else right now and it'll be interesting to see where they take him going forward. The chants for Wyatt on Raw this past week were amazing. That crowd was tuned in for his performance, and they ate it up. Great work on Cena and Bryan making the Wyatt Family serious threats. Wyatt should compete for Intercontinental and have a run with that championship. He could go thorugh guys like Darren Young, Swagger, Ryder, Brodus Clay and really have a long, dominant reign defending the IC title on PPVs (specials?) for a while. Unless they plan on just putting him in the main event, which I could understand them doing.

 

[Reflection]

Yes they do... But for them to be relevant and successful even after many more months, the two henchmen will have to keep impressing. So far, the majority of the focus has been on Bray Wyatt, and its fair enough... But if the other two (especially Eric Rowan) cannot keep delivering, then they will automatically get reduced to the status of guys that only interfere in matches featuring their leader, and get beaten up by faces during latter's feuds with the leader. And when that happens, you know the end is near.

 

[Hem]

No, I think adding Bo Dallas is a bad idea because there is not one thing about the guy I find entertaining or above average. I think the Wyatt Family is currently perfect the way it is and not one thing should change about them. I agree that Bray Wyatt will obviously break out once the family is over but he should still keep the character. However I feel sad because I see Rowan and Harper having the same fates as guys like Snitsky and Mike Knox..

 

[MrMojoRisin]

One question that I don't see many people asking (unless i'm not looking very well), is, is Bray Wyatt a face now? He was being cheered like crazy at wrestlemania, it's obvious the fans wanted him to win...Even on Raw the night after, with that crazy post-mania crowd, they cheered his every move and were even clapping along with his entrance music...I sure hope this guy sticks around because he is the only reason I watch right now...I love everything about him...the gimmick, the promos, all of it

He's not a face, but the beauty thing about his gimmick is that he can be a heel that gets cheered, and that reaction works with his cult leader gimmick. It's as if the fans have been brainwashed and fallen under his spell just like Rowens and Harper have.

Wyatt's a great character and you can see Wyndham Rotunda's roots in it. He draws from his grandfather Blackjack... from Kevin Sullivan... from Dan Spivey's Waylon Mercy... from Jake Roberts... for the most part all guys who he had personal access to growing up to learn from. The character has legs and should be a good one for a long time.

 

[Itsstillkayfabetomedammit]

I think, with the core structure of the family and their work so far, everything is in place for a sustained imprint on the current product. However, I think there are a few things that need to fall into place for the Wyatt Family to reach the summit.

1) A slow burn program with a MASSIVE pay-off :- I know, I know, modern wrestling trends change like the wind but I feel that if done currently, a major, interesting program with a top face can propel the family to untold heights. Logically, there are a few guys i'd want in a lasting program with the Wyatt family. I'd LOVE for Cena to be the guy, as he is the anti-body to what Bray has been about thus far. I am not one for rehashing the done thing, but I always imagine the last image of the Blair Witch Project when I think about Bray Wyatt's pre-debut vignettes, when the dude is standing in the corner, looking down. A rough, not very good example (ministry esque) would be:-

a) Wrestlers start mysteriously disappearing from TV. Of course, no major stars…and not too many either
b) Grainy videos from the Bayou, Bray doing his thing with the family, no footage of missing wrestlers though
c) A Major star starts asking questions
d) Program begins etc. etc. Wrestlers reappear under the spell of the Wyatt family. Blah blah blah

2) Maintaining relevance – Doing the same thing over and over again is the quickest way to become stale, especially considering a lot of what Bray is trying to do will go over the heads of the casual/pre-teen viewer. But trying to evolve too quickly and yo-yo'ing guarantees the potential of a feud is diminished.

3) Family Membership – 3 members is enough…for now. 5 is about as much as I feel there should be, lest you get an nWo situation with half the roster lost and irrelevant in the same faction. I think if they were to introduce a new member, it should be a MASSIVE thing, not something that happens over the course of 3 or 4 shows.

4) Revelations and fleshing out the backstory - Why is Bray, well Bray? Who is Sister Abigail? What is so compelling and spell binding about Bray? What is his end-game? I think back to Kane's pre-debut and the work Percy Pringle did in really letting people know WHY Kane was coming.

 

[kadroan]

I wonder if the majority thinking is right on this one. Bo Dallas joing the Wyatts. At first this idea didn't intrigue me, but I think if it's done right, it could strengthen Bray and Dallas. What if Bo came in as his "Babyface" persona. I know fans would chew him up and spit him out for that......So, in comes Wyatt. Recruits him and beats/brainwashes him into following the buzzards. You then have a diverse group of 4. All young, All talented.
Maybe it's wishful thinking, as I have always been a fan of "Strong" stables. The Shield will not last to Mania 31. It's a shame, as they are AWESOME together, but you have three strong personalities that are bound to go their own way. I would be surprised if they are not all individual champions during their runs. The Wyatts......Harper and Rowan, talented as their in ring work is, would probably end up jobbing without Bray, which is why I believe they are both unlikely to break out individually or as a team. Played out right, this could provide interesting angles and a strong lasting stable for quite some time.

It depends on what they do with him. Would he pursue a singles title like the Intercontinental Championship or would he be Bray's lackey?

As long as he's not Bray's lackey, he'll be fine in The Wyatt Family

 

[chicagokmc]

I'm not in favor of growing the Wyatt family. Three seems to be the perfect number for a group in today's WWE without making it a full blown stable. If the Wyatt family grows in size, then you might have to start asking what are they going to do with them given that so far the whole Wyatt gimmick has been focused on everything but them having belts for themselves. I think one of the reasons the last huge stable in recent time, the Nexus, failed was because there were just too many people in the group.

My biggest concern right now about Wyatt family longevity is that, as heels, they have already feuded with the 2 biggest faces in WWE right now: Daniel Bryan and John Cena. It looked like they were going in the direction of feuding with CM Punk until he left - and believe it or not that would have been worse because then they would have already feuded with the top 3 faces. Eventually the Cena feud will end and then what? Outside of the Shield, I just don't know what is left for them as heels.

 

[Str8UpSHOOT]

BRAY is awesome and is here to stay. Main eventer for years to come. I just hope he keeps evolving and adding slight tweaks to the character. That's the only way he's gonna last. Guy is great on the mic and puts on an entertaining match. I think he's got a lot of depth as a character and like I said needs to show that depth and constantly tweak it from feud to feud.
Luke Harper has a future too. Can be a great heel. Lots of potential there. I really enjoy his matches.
Rowan on the other hand is clearly the weak link. He phases out after a year or 2. If he stays with wwe, I can see him becoming another comedy act, to sell that mask. LoL

 

[OYDK]

I could see it working out if Bray wasn't so damn over right now. Currently the Wyatt Family is working but EVENTUALLY, Rowan and Harper are going to hold Wyatt back (unless they stick strictly to being his "bodyguards"). Adding Bo Dallas just adds another couple months to the Wyatts and there is really no need for him especially since everybody knows Bo Dallas and he's not the least bit intimidating. Does the Wyatt Family as a gimmick have lasting power? Yes. Will it last? I honestly don't know... I'd like to see Bray go solo sometime this year just to see what they do with him.

 

[jpooch21]

I agree with most everyone that Bray Wyatt is here to stay, but I just can't see Rowan & Harper succeeding without Bray & the Family gimmick. I do hope however that Rowan & Harper start forming a bit of their own in ring identity by starting their own tag feuds instead of staying attached to whatever feud Bray is in.