Two Years In, Has Bray Wyatt Been A Success?

[Hollywood Naitch]

Yes, I'd say he has been a success but I think he should have accomplished more than he has done, and I don't think that's down to Bray...it's been the booking.

Wyatt came in with ALOT of hype. People were genuinely excited to see this new, creepy cult-like character debut and there was alot of interest in The Wyatt Family's debut. The whole character was so unique and different from anything else in WWE, and really caught the imagination of fans, me included.

However, it's like the WWE don't want to pull the trigger on Bray and keep holding him back. I know we aren't in the Attitude Era so some of the characteristics/promos have to be toned down a bit from what they could be, but there has been some bizarre booking ideas forced on Bray. Why he lost to Cena at WrestleMania is beyond me, that was a golden opportunity to make a new star. They took his 2 followers Harper and Rowan off him, which has proven to be pointless. They hadn't even held the tag titles at that point and there wa so much more that could have been done with the trio, instead of leaving Wyatt, the "Cult Leader", without any followers?! What's the point of preaching without anyone to preach to?? It just doesnt make any sense!

He seems to just float from meaningless angle to meaningless angle, with WWE not bothering to pus him properly. He's still very over, but how long will it be before fans get tired of him if he keeps losing and not following up on his promos.

I still think the gimmick has been a success. He's had alot of high profile matches, but needs to get some wins under his belt soon as he'll be seen as a "jobber to the stars" if he loses all his feuds. I'd like to see him with a new "Wyatt Family" or with Harper and Rowan back with him.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I say he's a success.....the flexibility of his character allows WWE to do so many things with him, most notably that he can win or lose his matches, it doesn't really matter. He can absorb losses and simply move on to his next 'project.'

He can carry the entire weight of an important feud by himself (against the Undertaker, who made no appearances before WM31, leaving Bray alone to build the tension toward the match, which Bray did).

He can affect the result of a match without even being a participant (knocking Roman Reigns off the ladder at MITB).

He carries an aura of danger and unpredictability to every feud. Some performers are heel, some are face, but their mission is usually easy to figure. Bray is all heel, yet his motivations are unclear and almost impossible to decipher because, as someone in this topic said, his promos are so hard to fathom.

Yes, I wouldn't mind if he did less of those monologues, yet I can see their necessity in keeping his character as inscrutable as it has been.

Whether one likes Bray Wyatt is up to the individual, but I say he's a complete success because he's exactly what WWE management wants him to be.

Incidentally, I don't think he needs titles; they would be totally extraneous to Bray's persona. He doesn't wrestle for championship belts....in fact, it's more interesting to try and figure exactly what it is he wrestles for.

 

[Navi]

Incidentally, I don't think he needs titles; they would be totally extraneous to Bray's persona. He doesn't wrestle for championship belts....in fact, it's more interesting to try and figure exactly what it is he wrestles for.

I don't think he needs titles either, but he needs something other than a great entrance and promo's. Most of his feuds and the reason's for them haven't gone his way. We can blame booking all we want, as it's pretty obvious they have no idea what to do with him. So until they do he will be wandering from meaningless feud to meaningless feud.

Isn't the whole reason for this feud with Reigns because Wyatt believes Reigns stole his spot in MITB? A match that the WWE could have easily enough put him into. He's never been interested in titles so this is another meaningless feud. They could have had R Truth come out and push Reigns off the ladder, it would have made more sense. Truth thought he was in the match at one point didn't he.

The fact that people are using their cell phones when he comes out just means it's a way for them to get involved. Like the YES chant, or chanting "What", the WWE audience likes to get into the action, and this is a way for them to do it.

Not everyone with their cell phones out is a fan of Wyatt's although the announcers would have you think that. In that case he has failed again, as fans should be booing him, he's a heel, instead it looks like they are supporting him. I'm not really a fan, but I take mine out when he comes out. It's fun and everyone else is doing it, so why not.

 

[EC MF'N W]

I have to say I had really high hopes for Bray Wyatt out of the gate. He really plays his character extremely well. He has put on some really good work in the ring as well. He has however grown a tad stale lately. Whether it be no Wyatt Family or his random exclusion from PPV's here and there something is missing. I think this Reigns feud can actually end up helping both guys. Wyatt has been fed feud after feud but not much other than Bryan and Cena had much substance to it. The creepy promo of Reigns daughter really gave his character that edge back we haven't seen since his Wrestlemania feud with Cena.

Recapping his two year career I think he made a very strong debut. He reeled the audience in with good promo after good promo. He was compelling, weird, and unpredictable. However the booking match wise was bad, partly because of an injury and partly because of no storyline. He competed in a terrible ring of fire match vs Kane, a match vs Kofi, and a 3 on 1 handicap against Bryan. Up until the Royal Rumble when he took on Daniel Bryan and put on a great match we couldn't really be sure if he was a main event player. He followed that up with a great six man tag against the Shield and then lost his series 2-1 against Cena.
He was then thrown into the Money in the Bank and was pinned by Jericho the following month. This is when people began to scratch their heads. He gained so much momentum over the past few months but to lose the series vs Cena, lose MITB, and lose to Jericho. What is he to gain from extending this Jericho feud?
He got his win back and disappeared for a couple PPV before interfering in the Hell in the Cell to spark his feud with Dean. He got two wins over Dean and they closed the show at TLC. He put on a good showing in the Royal Rumble match and then missed Fastlane until he got involved with Taker culminating with his loss at Mania. He then missed another PPV beat Ryback missed another PPV and showed up at MITB to start the Reigns feud.

How can they not find this guy material? The possibilities are endless. Back when the Authority angle was in full swing I would have loved to have seen him aligned with them, maybe not as a member but an associate of sorts. He should have had a program with Orton by now. It just makes you wonder what the deal is. Can the writing be this poor? A man who the audience believes is crazy enough to terrorize a hero for any variety of reasons and you can't start a program for him?

So has he been a success I would say no by definition. Sure his character is good but I think around the time of Wrestlemania 30 if you asked us where he would be by now some would have said a WWE Championship (atleast shot), or a top heel. Right now he is an inconsistent mid card heel with some main event crossover. The only way to save this guy from becoming stale is to give him a split with Reigns and have Orton put him over until the title picture frees up when he can come out and announce he is finally setting his sights on the "ultimate prize". At the moment Wyatt has not been a success he has been a waste of talent. Two good programs and a few great matches aren't enough after two years.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Well, he's had two featured Wrestlemania matches with John Cena and The Undertaker, and that's a good sign for Vince, Triple H, and the powers that be having a lot of faith in him, so I wouldn't slap the failure label on Bray now.

It's been said already, but there's no clear and definitive answer here. Bray is a unique and refreshing character, and with no physical appearances from The Deadman, he basically carried the Mania 31 feud on his back by himself without The Streak. That's an impressive feat, and he deserves credit for it.

A lot of people look at Bray Wyatt the wrong way. As a character, he's not concerned with winning world titles, #1 contender's matches, or taking the top spot as "The Guy." If you're not winning a good amount of matches, world titles, and if you're not consistently main eventing pay per views after a big push, you're a failure. It's a widespread and misguided thought process, because Bray Wyatt is a cryptic and crazy bastard, who wants to spread chaos and reek havoc.

With all that said, Bray's character constantly suffers from lack of direction and botched feuds. One minute he's out to brainwash the masses, and destroy everything in his path, and a few weeks later he's just floating around with meaningless material. Windham Rotunda successfully completed a true transformation after Husky Harris and a stint in Nexus as a forgettable face. That's talent , so hopefully Bray won't fade into obscurity.