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AEW feels like the hottest it has ever been, coming off the heels of the legendary debut of CM Punk and the ratings from his first two shows with the promotion. With Daniel Bryan rumored to be signing with All Elite Wrestling soon and other free agents like Adam Cole and Buddy Murphy potentially heading there, it seems like talent is seeing what the company is doing and liking what they see.
Another high profile free agent available is Bray Wyatt. The former Universal Champion was released by WWE on July 31st and will not be available to sign elsewhere until after his 90-day non compete clause is up on October 29th. AEW and IMPACT Wrestling have expressed interest, according to sources within the promotions.
With the potential arrival of Bray Wyatt in All Elite Wrestling, it opens the door for old rivals and new competitors to test themselves against the former Wyatt Family leader. In this article, let's take a look at five dream matches for Bray Wyatt in AEW.
#5 Penta El Zero Miedo - AEW
One of the top tag teams in all of AEW is the Lucha Brothers. Two thirds of the Death Triangle have been part of the best tag team matches in company history. However, they are also two spectacular singles competitors. Rey Fenix is the best high flyer in the business today, while Penta El Zero Miedo has been a top singles competitor in other companies and former IMPACT World Champion.
Penta hasn't been given the free range to really spread his wings in the singles competition, but he will surely be among the top stars in AEW if and when he does. One half of Lucha Bros. is an exceptional in-ring performer and has charisma in spades. This is what will make for an intriguing matchup with Bray Wyatt if he arrives at All Elite Wrestling.
They are both bigger competitors who are agile and more athletic than they both seem. Although Penta is skilled in the lucha libre style, he can also be very hard hitting and match some of the heavyweights. Bray Wyatt had one of his best encounters as "The Fiend" with Kevin Owens. Owens is a superstar who is quite similar to Penta El Zero Miedo.
Above all else, the two men possess so much charisma and character that they always will generate strong reactions from the ground. With Wyatt as the heel and Penta as the face, it will be a top notch affair that could either steal the show or headline any AEW event.
#4. Cody Rhodes - AEW
Bray Wyatt's arrival at AEW could set up confrontations with faces from his past. Before he became the charismatic lead man in the Wyatt Family, Bray was known as Husky Harris. During the second season of NXT, Husky was mentored by none other than Cody Rhodes. The two men developed a friendship based on this and their families' long histories in the business.
Being from two of the most famous wrestling families in the Rhodes and Rotunda clans, Bray and Cody have a great deal to draw from in a potential feud with one another. Bray Wyatt will surely be targeting some of the biggest stars in AEW when he arrives, so Cody Rhodes would definitely fit the bill.
Cody Rhodes has done an amazing job at putting over new stars for All Elite Wrestling since its inception. From MJF to Darby Allin, he has set the company up for the future. Rhodes has also done a lot for newly arrived competitors from WWE like Brodie Lee and Malakai Black. He has probably been the most giving top star in AEW despite comparisons to Triple H and Jeff Jarrett.
Perhaps even more than potential encounters with one another, the promos between Bray Wyatt and Cody Rhodes will be deeply captivating and generate interest in this rivalry. They have years and years of history with each other to talk about and create a magical feud between the two men in AEW. This may hold the biggest long-term impact of any feud for Wyatt in the promotion.
#3. Darby Allin - AEW
As previously mentioned, CM Punk's debut has given plenty of momentum behind AEW as a promotion. The buzz has been plentiful and allowed even more speculation on who will be next to arrive at the company. With Punk's arrival, he challenged one of the young stars who has stood out the most in their first two years, Darby Allin. They will meet in a high-profile showdown at All Out 2021.
Darby Allin has already met with some of the biggest stars in AEW, from Chris Jericho to Jon Moxley. He defeated Cody Rhodes to win the TNT Championship at Full Gear 2020. From there, Darby went on a fantastic run with the title and proved himself to be a ratings draw with many headline bouts on AEW Dynamite.
Darby's persona is unique with his identifiable face paint, skateboarding antics and never-say-die attitude. Those attributes feed into a perfect rivalry with Bray Wyatt in AEW. Allin's past has dictated the man he has become, which the same can be said about Wyatt. The promos that Bray could cut on Darby would try to play similar mind games to what Allin could do with his memorable vignettes.
They both possess interesting ways to tell their pre-match stories and build anticipation for a clash. The way Darby Allin bumps lends nicely to what should be a tremendous battle with Bray Wyatt in AEW. It has all the makings to be a pay-per-view quality showdown that would be heavily hyped.
On top of all the elements that the individuals have, Sting also comes along in this scenario. A potential feud with a legend like Sting would be a dream come true for Bray Wyatt. Whether that be inside the squared circle or taken to the cinematic format, Wyatt will be in for a long-form storyline that could extend months with both Darby Allin and Sting in AEW.
#2. Malakai Black - AEW
Malakai Black's first two months in AEW have to be considered a success. His shocking debut on the Road Rager episode of AEW Dynamite was terrific and had the wrestling world buzzing. His main event clash with Cody Rhodes on the AEW Homecoming special was a dominating destruction of the AEW EVP and made Black look like a bigger star than he ever was in WWE as Aleister Black.
Although AEW comes along with a stigma of signing a lot of former WWE superstars and trying to avoid matchups between two talents from another company, this is one that has to be done immediately. Bray Wyatt and Malakai Black are two characters who have drawn comparisons since their time at Vince McMahon's promotion.
Bray Wyatt has evolved his character over time from cult leader to funhouse host to demonic clown during his WWE career. Malakai Black himself tried to evolve his character with not as much success. He draws on dark elements similar to Wyatt and was always seen as an ideal rival for Bray. This is why AEW has to capitalize on the potential the two men have with one another.
The only question would be of who plays which roles. Malakai Black has played a heel in AEW so far, but he has generated positive reactions from the crowds. Bray Wyatt spent a large part of his career as a heel, but he was wildly popular as The Fiend. These two stars would work wonderfully with each other character wise and could deliver an entertaining contest.
#1. Hangman Page - AEW
Immediately following Bray Wyatt's WWE release, many fans pointed to AEW as his likely destination after his non-compete clause was up. With speculation of his arrival in All Elite Wrestling, this caused talk of what role he could play in the current landscape of AEW.
Bray Wyatt has teased the creation of a Kult of Windham wherever he heads to next. The Wyatt Family is among the greatest cult gimmicks in wrestling history. A group consisting of Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper immediately stood out for their haunting promos and portrayals of backwoods and bearded beasts who could maul a person at a moment's notice.
There is already a resident cult that has gained popularity despite their much maligned beginnings. The Dark Order debuted for AEW at Double Or Nothing 2019 to "Who Are You?" chants. Evil Uno and Stu Grayson were surrounded by masked minions that just didn't look intimidating at all.
After their awful attack on the Young Bucks and SCU on the December 18th, 2019 episode of Dynamite, the group was considered dead in the water. However, the arrival of Brodie Lee in AEW as the leader of the Dark Order a few months later led to a turnaround for the faction.
Brodie's TNT Championship win over Cody Rhodes gave the Dark Order more notriety than they ever had before then. For that one night, they looked like the most dominant stable in AEW and rode that momentum from there on out. The group continued to become more popular through their antics on Being The Elite and started to become one of the most over acts in the promotion.
Brodie Lee's friendship with Bray Wyatt is no secret and the two men owe a lot of their success in WWE to one another. Following Lee's untimely passing, Bray was among the first superstars to send his condolences to his family and show love to his fallen brother. Bray's potential arrival in AEW has led to many fans wanting to see Wyatt take Brodie's place and become the new leader of the Dark Order.
Hangman Page and the Dark Order have created a deep bond with one another since Brodie Lee's passing. Their wholesome relationship has drawn love and support from the AEW fanbase. Page is seen as the group's de facto leader and would create quite a compelling story with Bray Wyatt.
A fight for the love of the Dark Order would be a new story to explore in AEW. The group that has recruited losers to be fought over by two top stars would further elevate the faction. Hangman Page is one of, if not the most popular stars in All Elite Wrestling, so Bray Wyatt has the perfect opponent to be the dastardly, charismatic heel that he is outstanding at being.
Bray Wyatt has a surplus of excellent competitors to feud with and match up with in All Elite Wrestling. From their established talent to future stars, there is no wrong direction that he could go with the company. With his history with Brodie Lee and cults as well as the need for a top babyface star as an opponent, Hangman Page may be the biggest dream match for Bray Wyatt in AEW.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
