Will The Wyatt Family Ever Expand????

[ShatteredDreamsProduction]

After the original build up to the Wyatt's, and the fact that everyone described Bray as a cult leader, I always thought that the WWE may have missed a step in not expanding Wyatt's following within the WWE.

For instance, when he talked about sister Abigail. There could have been a diva brought in as a valet for them.

Especially against Cena in the build up to 'Mania, they could have had more and more people turning against Cena, joining the Wyatt's, attacking him on Brays behalf, turning their back on him, saying Bray is right and that they have seen the light.

When they debuted on RAW. I expected them by now to have at least a 6 man group, with lackeys doing the dirty work for Bray, seeing the light and finding their true calling doing Brays bidding.

Another instance for him to get new people into the cult would be when Harper and Rowan were banned from ringside, using his cunning to find a loophole in the system so the odds were still in his favour.

I find myself disappointed at the non expansion of the Wyatt's and how it's still just a 3 man group, a very good one none the less.

So, a few questions to ponder over
1 - have wwe missed something in not expanding
2 - who should / could still join the Wyatt Family.
3 - Can Bray truly succeed without the family?

 

[Slash-LN]

I'm happy with them only having the three in the group.
Once you get too many people in a stable it becomes a total clusterfuck. See the NWO. They eventually got overrun with lesser talent and it just didn't have the same feel anymore.

I do get where you're coming from though. Just doesn't seem like something they need to do.

 

[Nate DaMac]

They need to expand on Bray's character a little more before they add more people to the group. What would be the incentive to join? He doesn't get anything done like he says he will and... well what exactly is his goal? It's been a year now and while he's certainly made a name for himself, he hasn't really been given a chance to grow.

Before you stretch the group too thin, you need the leader to grow.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

First point I'd like to make is that the term "stable" is thrown around a little too casually. The Wyatt Family is not a stable. It's a family. Adding any more members above the 3 existing members of the family comes off as disingenuous and blatantly fake. "Hey, look at me, I'm Bray Wyatt. I've been feuding with John Cena and Chris Jericho, yet I still felt is prudent to hide these other family members."

Another reason expansion isn't needed is because all three guys have solid careers ahead of them, and feeling compelled to add bodies will detract from the attention these 3 have earned. Bray may go through his career as one of those rare guys who is better off without a championship belt, but I see no reason to expect Harper and Rowan won't hold the tag belts some day. If you're adding one or two more guys to the Wyatt's, it dilutes the accomplishment.

Any time someone suggests that a group expand its numbers, I always point to the cautionary tale of the nWo, and the law of diminishing returns. As the numbers of the nWo went up, the interest went down. They were at their best when they were the Outsiders and Hogan. The max a faction should have is 4-5, and only 5 if the fifth is a manager (i.e. JJ Dillon in the Horsemen or Paul Heyman in the Dangerous Alliance.)

 

[TheICChampion]

Well, regardless of whether or not they NEED another member, I feel they really missed the boat on bringing Paige in as Sister Abigail. With the fact that WWE wants to portray Paige as the "Anti-Diva" it just seems like she and the Wyatts would have gone well together.

 

[kadroan]

I don't think so. As we saw with Bryan in the group, a new member could easily overshadow the crowd.

I don't think anybody else should join. Kane would have been a good addition last year but that time has passed.

Bray could. I can see the crowd being behind him.

 

[Tomahawk]

It wouldn't make sense to bring in a diva as Sister Abigail because, if I remember one of Bray's earliest promos correctly, she is dead.

I didn't like it when Bryan joined the family (not a Bryan fan anyway). I like just the 3 people. There really isn't anyone on the main roster or NXT that I think would be a good fit for the family.

If they were to add to the family, I would love to see Drew McIntyre come back to fill that role.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

No. They tried it with Daniel Bryan and it didn't work. They teased it with Kane and it never happened. The dynamic with Wyatt, Harper and Rowan works well. Introducing someone else to that dynamic throws it off.

But, if they would bring someone else into the family, it would have to be a newcomer (NXT talent). Bringing in an established name would, as a previous poster said, overshadow the family's current dynamic. Wyatt's the leader, Rowan and Harper are the disciples. Leave it be.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

Why have an extra member(s) when you aren't doing anything individually with the ones you have? I say keep them as they are unless they find an unused talent that is entertaining, yet going nowhere in the business, fits the bill easily (tall, bearded, and imposing), and has nothing else to do. Seeing as how that person doesn't exist, I'd recommend leaving it at the three.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

1 - have wwe missed something in not expanding?

There's usually the potential for some degree of opportunity in most angles. This one is no different and I think something could be done with an expansion. Of course, I think success could boil down to who joins the Family, their potential backstory and what Vince ultimately would want to happen.

2 - who should / could still join the Wyatt Family?

There's some potential opportunities here to introduce new wrestlers from the NXT roster as part of something that's relevant. For instance, I might be interested in seeing Randy Orton repackaged as a member of the Family. It seems like such a departure for Orton, but that'd be part of the intrigue for me because, let's face it, Orton is arguably the stalest act in WWE right now. Not all of it's his fault as the guy can only do what he's told by management, such as someone that's been pushed so consistently for so many years at the top of the card. The Legend Killer worked for a while, The Viper has worked for a while, but it's definitely gotten stale. I'm not saying it'd work and I might be in the minority, but it'd at least get my attention. I'd also like to see the Family add a female to its ranks

3 - Can Bray truly succeed without the family?

I don't see why not. Bray Wyatt's an intriguing character, he's delivered some strong matches and he's one of the best on the mic in the business right now. The biggest flaw with Bray Wyatt has been Vince essentially bigfooting creative control a few times in order to keep Cena looking close to untouchable. I have a lot more faith in the consistency of Triple H's booking than Vince's these days. You can see more consistency in NXT, where Trips retains control, than on Raw or SD!. Not saying that NXT is always great or that WWE would be great each & every week with Trips in charge, can't knock it out of the park each & every time, but Trips' booking of Wyatt without Vince's fingerprints everywhere is much more solid.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

In terms of adding members, WWE has been quite smart... they realise that the members are the fans... the ones who light up the arena or sing the song... THOSE are the "cult members" that Bray is converting, he doesn't really need to be converting the whole roster if he has the fans...

BUT

There is still Kane... I still believe at some point he will "turn" on The Authority and be the Wyatt "Bringing the machine down from the inside".

and IF AJ manages to keep her job now that Punk is apparently suing for royalties, then she is the perfect Sister Abigail...

Not really sure if WWE will expand the Wyatt's now as it truly seems like the inevitable split/face turn for Bray is their only option. It's a pity cos they have burned 2 years of potential stories by feeding him to Cena... but it happens.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Since the start of The Wyatt Family, I've always wanted to see two more members added eventually. My only request was that it was new talent, rather than old talent.

1. A female talent (I agree with the guy on the first page, that Paige would have been the perfect fit "anti-diva". But too late for that) I don't know enough about the Divas in NXT to suggest someone else. I bet Sara Del Rey could murder that character tho! But that wont happen...and the role should probably go to someone that'll be around longer.

2. A "runt" of the group. Seeing as all 3 guys in the Wyatts are massive already, that shouldn't be too difficult. I still feel Kevin Steen would fit perfectly into the Wyatts. Not the best physique. But very physical.

 

[Dagger Dias]

WWE did not miss out on anything by not expanding the membership numbers of The Wyatt Family. One leader with a tag team of underlings works for this group. Usually I do prefer groups of 4 with some type of enforcer, legend, or diva also being in the group.... but things have worked well so far for The Wyatts. If a fourth member was going to be in the group then all four should have debuted together. Bo could possibly join and it has been suggested before in other threads, he and Bray are brothers in real life. The group has been together long enough now that a new member wouldn't make much sense. I don't see the point in adding adding another wrestler to be an enforcer for the group or in adding a diva to portray "Sister Abigail". I'm against expanding the group at this point. I like the current format. As for if Bray could have succeeded without the family? Who knows. He sucked as Husky Harris and having his underlings has certainly helped make the Bray Wyatt character more interesting. He has the skills to do alright had he been by himself, but he would have been significantly less interesting without the family. Things worked out for the best the way they actually played out.

 

[Reflection]

1 - have wwe missed something in not expanding?
Yes, I feel Bray Wyatt should have recruited at least one more member to his family last year, when he was seen as more of a 'cult leader' figure than today. As of now, his status of successful recruits (since his debut on RAW) stands at 0-2. In addition to that, if they had one more member, the Wyatts would seem even more like a 'family'- a leader and three followers. Having said that, it is quite possible that the writers could not find anyone fit to play that role, in which case I'm less troubled than I would've been had they added some random midcard wrestler for the mere purpose of adding another member.

2 - who should / could still join the Wyatt Family?
I don't think any new member should be added to the family at this point. Bray Wyatt has become a singles wrestler now, and Rowan & Harper have joined the queue for the Tag Team titles. If a new member is introduced now, his role will largely be limited to causing interference during the matches the other three members of the family are featured in. Also, Wyatt, Harper, and Rowan have an excellent chemistry together. The new member might not mix up too well, and that would just dilute down their status.

3 - Can Bray truly succeed without the family?
His current character is that of a cult leader who instigates, manipulates, and creates circumstances that compel people into joining him (including the audience that flash their mobile screen) in what seems to be his mission to expose the darker side of this world and bring acceptance into the people about it along with realisation... So unless he moves on to another objective, which I doubt he will, he must have at least a couple of permanent followers beside him whom he can display as 'already-converted'. Thus, my answer would be no, the family must exist for Bray Wyatt to reach greater heights.

 

[Radical]

1 - have wwe missed something in not expanding?

No. Not at this point at least. They DID already expand with Bryan, and that worked fine for that period of time and any longer it would have probably been worse.

So no more expanding for the foreseeable future is needed. They need to focus on being more cohesive as a Family. More accomplished in their goals. More CLEAR on their goals, really.

It's a perfect size right now, really. If Harper & Rowan can win the Tag Team titles some time in the next year and Wyatt can win a Title like, say, the IC Championship at the same time as Harper & Rowan it would make for a good mid-card storyline with "The Family" in control. I know it is highly unlikely anyone gets the WWE title until WM 31 so Wyatt in a strong role in the mid-card for a couple months at least, like I said, any time between now and year from now would be interesting.


2 - who should / could still join the Wyatt Family?

No one should join at this point.

Those who could are only if the storyline really make sense. Like people have said, Paige could join as an "Anti-Diva" while being Divas Champ and Wyatts could have 4 titles between them. But again, only if the storyline works.

No male Superstars should join because I suspect The Ascension of NXT are going to debut between now and WM 31 and they could be the ones to win the Tag Titles from the Usos, even if they aren't The Ascension vs Wyatts (Harper & Rowan) would be great TV since the Wyatts basically play tweener rolls right now because the crowd can get on their side.


3 - Can Bray truly succeed without the family?

He can, but his character's goals would have to be slightly adjusted. Because right now he's like a cult leader but if he doesn't have at least a couple other guys clearly following him then his credibility is lost.

I will say this, I don't think (and I don't HOPE), that the Wyatt Family will break up anytime soon. Why couldn't they stay together for a couple years at least? Dudley Boyz with Bubba, D-Von and Spike said together for a good while, and/or at least reformed if they ever grew apart. So, I would hope Wyatt Family stay together for a while. A stable 3-person group is a good asset in Pro Wrestling for booking matches and storylines so they shouldn't throw it away as soon as they did with The Shield. Plus, The Shield break might have been a bit early but they are more clearly each meant to be single Superstars.

But yes, Wyatt could succeed as a singles wrestler with a bit of a character tweak. Maybe better, ironically, as a face using the WWE fans as his followers.

 

[Bring_Back_Evolution]

I really wanted them to continue using Eli Cottonwood!

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I doubt we are going to see any additional members of the Wyatt Family, which I think is a shame. People need to remember that this isn't a real "family" where there would be "long lost brothers" or anything like that, but a CULT...where anyone can be brainwashed or starts to follow Bray's message at any time.

I think someone like Adam Rose would be a good candidate to join once his "Rosebud" gimmick becomes stale (which is going to happen sooner rather than later). Rose could either be introduced as a Wyatt Family member under his previous alias Leo Kruger- who definitely had the crazed persona down to a T, or even as Adam Rose. Perhaps Rose could become tired of the party lifestyle, or become haggered, "partied-out" and washed up (like a real Rockstar living that lifestyle would), and then be saved or "see the light" by Bray Wyatt.

How does that sound?

 

[DCLXVI]

I like them as a 3 person stable. As someone mentioned before, when stables just become "hey anybody can join" it becomes a clusterfuck and over run with lesser talents... They have a good dynamic now. I believe Sister Abigail should be kept as this mysterious woman who raised him, not an actual diva... for one thing Paige could not hang in Bray's world in terms of cutting twisted promos. NWO got over ran with wrestlers (Hell, Bray's dad The Taxman IRS was even in it at one point) and Raven's Flock had a lot of unneeded wrestlers. Stick with what's working, and expand the family storyline further with the wrestlers already in The Family... i.e. - why do they follow him, when did they meet, etc.

 

[vampirek]

Well, regardless of whether or not they NEED another member, I feel they really missed the boat on bringing Paige in as Sister Abigail. With the fact that WWE wants to portray Paige as the "Anti-Diva" it just seems like she and the Wyatts would have gone well together.

Wait, what? WWE have not made Paige the 'anti-diva' at all. You must be getting confused with another gimmick of hers. She now plays a twisted diva. So I have no idea why you would think that....

It would make no sense at all to bring her in as Sister Abigail, she is 22, WWE don't hide from this fact... nevermind Sister Abigail is supposedly dead. The way Bray takes about it, its certainly not a 22 year old.

The Wyatts are fine as they are. You have the leader and his two henchmen type characters, anything more and it becomes an overkill. A lot of stables have suffered from unnecessary members being added to keep it 'fresh'. Just look at the NWO for the biggest example, The Right To Censor, Nexus etc.

You look back at the best stables that do work, they have no more than four members (the original NWO, Hall, Nash and Hogan), Evolution, DX (if you discount the inactive females in the group), The Shield, The Four Horsemen, The Radicalz.

Therefore, WWE should stick with Bray being the leader and having Eric and Rowan supporting him. Adding someone else in would ruin the Wyatts.

To give an example, I saw Adam Rose be mentioned. If he was added, where would he fit in? Would it take away from Bray, as he is suppose to be the stand out. It creates too many issues for no reason.

 

[robinkom]

In terms of adding members, WWE has been quite smart... they realise that the members are the fans... the ones who light up the arena or sing the song... THOSE are the "cult members" that Bray is converting, he doesn't really need to be converting the whole roster if he has the fans...

Bingo! And that kind of reciprocation from the fans is all you need to keep those 3 guys relevant and on the peoples' minds. Also, Vince doesn't like to do big groups and I'm inclined to agree for the most part. One of his philosophies as explained by Jerry Jarrett is to "narrow focus" the spotlight on select talents. When you can focus on fewer people, you have the time and room to flesh them out more as characters. When you do that, the people have the opportunity to become invested in those characters and care about them. If the Wyatt Family had any more members, you'd have to take the focus off one of the others to establish the new people.

Large stables have their place and uses, but the angles involved need to reflect that. Like the NWO had grown so large that it had basically turned into gang warfare against the WCW guys and that worked for them. The Wyatts are like a cult and those tend to try to stay under the radar in small numbers. In the case of this cult being wrestlers playing characters on TV, you're right, the fans become the other members.

Down the road if they're still together, I could see adding a new member with the intent of establishing that wrestler for a later babyface turn. A misguided tiny guy that wants so bad to be in the Family and Bray continually sends him out against impossible odds that he obviously never beats. Then he finally lets the guy join and he remains The Family's punching bag for about 6 to 8 months, being the fall guy and getting beat up by them and their opponents. Then he finally snaps and realizes his own self-worth and turns babyface to a huge pop, attacking Bray. Something along those lines.

 

[GeminiGarlord]

I don't know, huge stables are messy and either work really well or don't work at all. Right now I'm fine with the current Wyatts, I see them expanding their ranks only if in a couple of years Bray wins the WWE championship or something.