I don't see how the "act" can truly be labeled as a failure quite yet. It's the evolution-no pun intended- of that act that truly is what determines its success or failure.
I'm not going to buy into the argument that "In another era"... It doesn't matter what Wyatt would have done in another era, it's essential what he does in this one. While he may not have a shelf-life along the lines of Kane or Undertaker(time will tell), that doesn't mean he can't carve out a nice career for himself with this gimmick. He already got a match with John Cena at Wrestlemania, and it sure wasn't because of his wrestling ability. Put him back in a pair of trunks and he's in a tag team where he says nothing and kicks ass. That's it.
We've seen the evolution of Bray Wyatt's character, and unsurprisingly, that's been during his feud with John Cena. He's gone from being cryptic to specific. He's called Cena a liar who's sustained his popularity only through spouting off promises he fails to live up to. Instead of the "The Devil made me do it" lines he aimed at Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, he's been much more specific in his verbal barrages of Cena. He's targeted "Hustle Loyalty and Respect", and that if he pushes Cena too far, he can bring out the character in him that no one else ever has. Motives weren't made as clear during the past Wyatt family feuds, save for the Shield. Despite the cryptic nature of Bray's promos, he's been entirely specific when it comes to Cena. That shows the growth-and dare I say it- the
evolution of the character even more.
Something else I like about the Wyatt character is that he seems to exist in a universe separated from the rest of the heels and the rest of the roster. Where was he in the handicap match against the Shield on Monday? Surely, someone who's had problems with the Shield before would be out there, correct? But this isn't his problem, so regardless of what feuds may be going on around him, he's not a par of it until it bothers him. Kane, Bryan, Punk, The Shield and Cena have all been problematic for Wyatt, but being that the Shield aren't a current problem, I couldn't imagine him hanging on the ring apron, waiting for a tag. His(and the Family's) characters have evolved to a place where they don't have to do such things. HHH's bidding isn't important to them, which shows the evolution of a great character: They're able to live in worlds parallel to their own, yet manage to pass through like a ship in the night. I'll handle my business, thank you, you handle yours. I like that, personally.
It's been almost a year since the Wyatt's debuted in WWE, and they're still one of the most fascinating acts I've seen in some time. One of my favorite? No. But Luke Harper is one of the best big men in the business, and he makes the most of his limited promo time. Bray is perfect for the carnival sideshow that is the WWE. The entity of his act
is that he doesn't always make sense, but he's able to tie nicely whatever story he's telling back to the focus of the promo. Like a preacher, (or a mystery writer), he's able to take pieces that seemingly don't make sense and tie them in to a succinct point by the time he's finished.
It's what he's done thus far in targeting Cena's legacy, and I think he's been wildly successful.
Is anyone else bored with Bray Wyatt? He's done the same little routine for as long as he has been around and it has grown tiresome. His character doesn't even make any sense. "I'm a monster, you're a monster, the fans are monsters" over and over and over again.
You're not paying much attention if you believe this is all he's saying. He's said this for part of the Cena feud, but during little else. He didn't talk about bringing the "monster" out of Bryan, the Shield, or Punk during their brief feud. Some of what he's saying isn't supposed to make sense, that's what happens with someone making unsubstantiated claims. I truly don't understand the boredom, but to each their own.
What is he accomplishing? Am I really supposed to believe that someone with his beliefs would be touring the world with a professional wrestling company? And how can I as a viewer buy everything that he is selling when he is so poor with his facial expressions and body language. He comes off more like an obnoxious gym teacher than some "believer".
Either you're trolling, or you've lost touch, Georgie. So much of what has made Wyatt so successful interacting with others are his facial expressions. The maniacal grin. The fake look of disbelief. The silent laugh. He uses physical facial expressions when cutting a promo better then anyone in the WWE right now. As for why he'ld be touring with a professional wrestling company? The same reason Punk didn't quit when he formed the SES back in 2009. A heckuva lot of people tune in every week, and he travels to a different venue every week to spread his message.
Sounds like a televangelist, doesn't it?
Then there is his ring work. Where do I start? Every move it looks his opponent is doing all the heavy lifting. Sister Abigail seems like the kind of move that hurts him more than his opponent. An opponent that he wastes time kissing. And the spider thing is cute but now that we've seen it over and over again with his other three moves how about someone just kicks him in the head instead of just staring at him.
As for him in the ring, he's changed his style. It's reckless, manic, and ruthless, devoid of routine. As time goes by, I'm sure, opponents will kick Wyatt in the head when he's doing the spider walk, just as many of the top talent that feud with Cena do the same to him when he's going for the 5-knuckle shuffle. The point of his moveset -and JBL pointed this out nicely at Wrestlemania- is that he doesn't necessarily have one. It fits his character to be the things I mentioned above. Reckless, manic, ruthless, devoid of routine.
But every wrestler has to develop some kind of moveset, and with Wyatt, the Spider act is part of it. If people started swatting it away with a kick
already, it would be tough to establish as part of his repertoire, don't you think?
It is time that the guy made a change.
In what way? To what? It's easy to say, another to actually back it up. While he's not my favorite act, what he's doing is working. It's well-received. You said there are times fan don't know what to make of him, and isn't that the point? If someone is supposed to be cryptic, a part of that means he doesn't make sense. He's been that way since Day 1.
Perhaps you'ld like him to revert to his NXT Season 2 days, the
'Army Tank with the Ferrari Engine?'
They've found a great role for him. Not only is he cutting good promos and having good matches, but the Wyatt Family is as unique as they come. It's refreshing, to be honest.