Can Bray Wyatt still be "big"?
 

I thought he was headed straight for the top but two consecutive Mania losses leave little to be desired. However he had some key coups in recent months including wins over Ryback and Reigns, reformation of the Wyatt family and eliminating Daniel Bryan from the Royal Rumble.


I saw him as being propelled to the top as the number one heel with perhaps a handful of wins against the "top" stars, maybe a MITB win or RR win and a belt by now. But it seems to have stuttered.

So what do you think is the way forward for Wyatt and do you see him as the top star in WWE either by the end of 2015 or in 2016?

No, this character is not destined to be "big" in the present wrestling climate.

Maybe if they didn't get rid of Roman and Harper so quickly. He could be over again with Harper being back. Tag team champions to start?

FOLLOW THE BUZZARDS!

He can still be huge. It just won't happen in the current climate. Until Vince dies or hands over his control over creative, I don't think he, or anyone else for that matter, stands much of a chance.

Yeah. I'm not saying it won't happen but Vince is only turning 70 next month. I'd be very surprised given his health and kevel of fitness if he passed anytime in the next 10-15 years, maybe 20.

Wyatt is one of those strange cases where they feel he doesn't need the/a belt. He'd almost look a little odd with a championship belt, IMO. They also seem to think he can talk his way out of any loss he suffers; cut a promo, get some heat back, move on.

They can push him strong by having him beat Ambrose, Reigns, Orton, etc but he will hit a ceiling where they can't get passed the hurdle of "Bray doesn't need a belt", so why go to the trouble?

Wrestlers can be re-packaged and pushed at anytime in their careers, but I think in order for a wrestler to be a REALLY huge deal, they need to make a very significant stride within their first 2-3 years.....otherwise, you risk 'over-saturation'. That's not to say that a wrestler still can't become huge, but the chances of him being a REALLY big fucking deal diminishes greatly.


If you look at guys like Austin, Rock, and Cena, these guys started to become massive superstars around their 2nd/3rd year in the company.


Bray debuted on RAW on July 8th, 2012.


My opinion is this:


IF the WWE can push Bray in a very significant way this year, he still has hope of becoming something huge. Will he be the next Austin/Rock/Cena? No. Can he reach the level of a Triple H/Undertaker? I believe so.


However - If the WWE doesn't do anything significant with Wyatt this year (i.e. consistently going over big names in the WWE such as Reigns, Orton, and John Cena), then I think Wyatt will be the next Sheamus, Alberto Del Rios, Big Show, etc. (i.e. an upper mid card wrestler that gets a few main-event level pushes every now and then, but ultimately ends up getting lost in the mix).

He needs 3 big feuds where he comes out strong, probably 8 months of solid rehab.

Agreed. I'm even thinking that after Wyatt goes over Reigns (again), Wyatt interferes in the Taker/Lesnar match and goes after Taker. Wyatt gets into a feud with Taker and ultimately retires Undertaker.


In an Iconic moment, the Wyatt family 'bury' both Undertaker and Kane as both Taker and Kane are bloodied, beaten, and reaching out to hold each other's hand in a moment of brotherhood (while being buried).


Both men's careers end at this point.

That would be awesome. Not to mention that it would do what WWE should be/have been doing all along... effectively and correctly using past stars to build and elevate equivalent new stars when it's time for the old stars to move on.

The thought of only seeing both Taker and Kane's hands reach out for each other and embrace just before being buried is as awesome a visual as I can think of. Great way to send them on their way.

<font color=goldenrod>Wyatt somehow retiring the Undertaker for good at Survivor Series (which is 25 years to the exact day of Taker's debut) would be absolutely perfect.

There's zero chance Taker is retiring before WM in his home state, but still a nice thought.</font>

How about Bray burying Taker and then a Hall of Fame induction/last match at WrestleMania 32 against Bray in Texas?

I think Bray Wyatt still has potential. The man is amazing on the mic, and a good worker, even if he's not exactly Austin or Angle in the ring. I think he's floundering because of the "Everyone is a star" mentality that Vince and Kevin Dunn have, and he's been used to make others look good, as sort of a gatekeeper. That being said, in a crazy Mankind sort of way, he doesn't need to win to still enact his master plans. And I still think he has huge potential as a babyface fighting against the system.

WWE rarely books guys to be mega stars, especially heels.

Bray is a good example of a guy who had momentum, seemed to be gaining a following, and then they crippled him with 'win one lose two' type programs. Its actually the exact same thing they are doing with Owens right now. Both guys will be fine though, because they are both talented.

I think the reasoning is two fold. First, they like to make guys pay dues. I think they always point to what happened with HHH in 96 where they cut him off at the knees for a good year to punish/test him. So if that can happen to HHH, and he can succeed, then everyone should have to do it.

The other problem is you can only push so many guys to the moon at once. Daniel Bryan got the mega push between going into Mania 30, then it was Lesnar and Reigns leading to 31, and now its Rollins. Everyone else has to kinda fall into place until its their time to be handed the ball.

I also think Vince wants a roster full of "stars" that he can interject into promotional appearances and each get a turn main eventing, instead of one or two guys who "transcend" the WWE, so to speak.

I mean, R-Truth just wrestled for the King of the Ring crown again...because. He'll then disappear for a few months and do enhancement, but then come out around WrestleMania time because they want him on television to promote the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal or something. And it'll be treated like he never went away.

Have you guys noticed the lack of cheers or boos during his entrance. It's actually pretty calm.

Its also just harder to book.

Like for example when they had Rusev doing the undefeated gimmick, he was limited in who he could program with. Because you didnt want him to beat the very top faces.

Its easier to be able to have everyone go 50-50. And then it forces the talent to get over in ways other than the "I just win all the time" manner

That's because morons are trying to work their phones...

I guess you have a point, but I don't think the word "easier" springs to mind for me. "Lazier" definitely. I think it'd be fairly "easy" to book a guy strong. They just want everyone to be strong but don't know how to properly get people to invest in each personality. They just take the collective level of investment and share it out between the guys.

<font color=goldenrod>I dunno. If they're going to go all-out with promoting WM32 as Taker's final match I think I'd rather just let him wrestle Cena or Sting or somebody.

Feels like it'd be tough to be invested in another Wyatt/Taker showdown from a storyline standpoint if it's already known Taker won't be wrestling again anyway.</font>

Yeah, I get ya.