A while back, I saw a blurry video (probably taken with an iPhone) of an NXT or FCW match where Husky Harris had just debuted as a new masked character. I don't remember the character's announced name, but I think it was Axel something or other (it may have been "Axel Mulligan", I remember the name paid homage to someone in his family). There was even a thread here in the WZ forums about the new character, with typical discussion topics: "Is this character going to stick for Husky?" "Will this be the one that gets him over?" "Will the character end up being a rip-off of Kane/Mankind/Abyss?" etc... I remember being reminded the most of Raven by Husky's masked character, but I didn't even know why at the time. I mentioned that in the thread, and people told me that I was wrong. It wasn't that the character even spoke, it was just his mannerisms in the ring. The way he moved, and his fighting style reminded me of WCW Raven (a watered-down ECW Raven). I didn't take anything to heart, I just felt differently than the majority. It happens.
I didn't hear anything about Husky Harris again for quite a while. Eventually, I heard about a group in NXT or FCW (I don't watch either show) that was making waves called The Wyatt Family. Just about everything I heard was positive, saying these guys were going to be big stars when they finally showed up on WWE TV. I heard they were "creepy", and heard a lot of comparisons between the leader of the group and Max Cady (Robert De Niro's character from the movie "Cape Fear"). I love that movie, so I was instantly excited to see these guys debut on Raw.
It wasn't for a few weeks (maybe even months) after hearing about The Wyatts that I found out Bray Wyatt was portrayed by Windham Lawrence Rotunda/Husky Harris. I instantly thought of that video I had seen, of "Axel Mulligan" (or whatever the masked character was called). I thought that if Bray Wyatt was going to be a mixture of Max Cady & Raven it would have a lot of potential. I also had heard that Dusty Rhodes played a big role in developing the Bray Wyatt character, and it was no surprise after hearing Bray speak. I bet Dusty played a big part in coming up with the phrase "Follow the Buzzards"; that just screams Dusty Rhodes to me, and I don't even know exactly why.
After seeing Bray & The Wyatts debut on Raw, I wasn't disappointed. A creepy Jim Jones type, that has similar mannerisms to Max Cady, Raven, etc...the character works better as the leader of a stable (at least for now), and the entire gimmick is vastly different than anything we've seen in the modern WWE. Not since "The Boogeyman" have they tried a creepy villain like this (at least not one I can remember), but The Boogeyman was just too over the top to ever "make it" in the WWE. Bray Wyatt is creepier than The Boogeyman (at least IMO), for the same reason Max Cady is creepier than Freddy Krueger. A monster like Freddy or Jason (or The Boogeyman) doesn't exist in the real world, but psychopaths like Max Cady or John Doe from "Se7en" really do. That's scary, and Bray Wyatt's character is able to be creepy despite the WWE's PG rating. That can't be an easy thing to pull off, but Bray Wyatt makes it look easy (especially with his imposing henchman at his side). Their entrance is great too. The music reminds me of the theme for "True Blood", and the lantern-lit faces (and sheep mask) as they walk to the ring is fantastic. Even if you don't like their entrance/gimmick, at least you have to admit that it's completely different than anything we've seen for a long time in the WWE. Bray's rocking chair is great too, btw.
I mentioned the rumors I had heard concerning The Wyatts, but I didn't mention the most important one: HHH loves these guys, especially Bray. I don't know if that's 100% true, but having HHH in your corner is pretty huge. If that is the case, I don't see The Wyatts going anywhere for a while. They'll eventually be faces; we're already hearing cheers during their entrance package (when Bray whispers "we're here" just before he blows out the lantern). Bray is great on the mic, has great promo material to work with, and he's decent enough in the ring to put on a good match. Like any other wrestler, he'll only get better with more experience. I predict that 2014 will see The Wyatts stay together as a group, and they probably won't split up until 2015. I also think we'll see Bray & The Wyatts get some gold this year, and Bray might even get a shot or two at the WWE WHC. I don't think Bray will win "the big one" in 2014, but maybe in 2015 (barring any unforeseen future complications, of course). I think there's a lot of depth to Bray's character, and also a lot of great feuds in his future. As I've said in other threads already, I think the possibility of Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 30 is pretty good (provided that DB doesn't win The Rumble). Either way, Bryan's involvement with them is a pretty good indication of how much faith the WWE has in The Wyatts. They wouldn't put such a fan favorite with The Wyatts unless they believed it they were "ready" for such a big storyline. I can't wait to see how the Bryan/Wyatts story plays out, this story's outcome will be another measuring stick for what's to come for them.
