7 best potential AEW feuds for Bray Wyatt

Allegedly AEW-bound Bray Wyatt comes from a family of pro wrestling royalty. With the legendary WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan being his grandfather, combined with having Barry and Kendall Wingham as uncles and of course being the offspring of Mike Rotunda, it was only fitting that Wyatt was destined to follow in the enormous footsteps of the iconic Windham/Rotunda family.

Fast forward a few decades and we now see the impressive trail that was blazed by The Eater of Worlds. Once he was repackaged into Bray Wyatt's character, it was full-steam ahead. Having enjoyed massive success as the leader of The Wyatt Family, on top of a stellar singles run, Bray Wyatt has cemented himself as one of the best of today's wrestling generation.

But if Wyatt is so great, then why is he now a free agent? That's a billion-dollar question that no one can give an honest answer to. Have no fear, my fellow fireflies, I have no doubt whatsoever that we will soon see our fearless leader on television somewhere and most of us believe that AEW will be the destination this time.

The only real question is, who would be the best opponent for Windham Rotunda? Today we answer that question as we look at the top 7 best AEW feuds for Bray.

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#7. AEW star Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt are two former WWE superstars that are essentially cut from the same cloth, so to speak. There is memorable history between these two.

Very few wrestlers today can compete with Bray's verbal judo. Matt Hardy is one of the select few who can almost keep up with Wyatt, from a psychological stance. During their feud in WWE, which ultimately led to the unlikely pairing of these two masterful storytellers, fans were able to witness some of the most creative performances in recent history. Now with Matt at AEW, the final ingredient is the introduction of Windham Rotunda to the All Elite family.

If fans thought the saga between Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt was entertaining before, just imagine what things would be like under the AEW umbrella where these two creative masterminds would likely have all the freedom they want.

#6. AEW star Lance Archer

Our next potential AEW opponent for Wyatt is The Murderhawk himself, Lance Archer. Lance is someone who is highly regarded in the wrestling community as one of the most underrated wrestlers on the AEW roster. With over 20 years of professional wrestling experience under his belt, Archer has been a wrestling globetrotter, winning championships all over the world.

Before signing with AEW, Lance was probably best known for his incredible tag team run with Davey Boy Smith Jr. when they were known as The Killer Elite Squad (KES). While the duo were together, they dominated the global tag division, which culminated with winning the IWGP Tag Team Championships. Archer and Smith Jr. would go on to win the IWGP Tag Titles 3 times.

Since making his debut with AEW, Lance has morphed into a persona even more vicious and relentless than he has ever been before. It's also worth mentioning that Archer has also had the luxury of working one-on-one with WWE Hall of Fame legend Jake The Snake Roberts. Considering Jake has always had high praise for the work done by Wyatt, this entire package would likely be extremely intriguing, if Bray and Lance were given the opportunity to tell a story to the wrestling world.

#5. Former WWE foe and current AEW EVP Cody Rhodes

Since the birth of AEW, Cody Rhodes has morphed into a much better wrestler than he has ever been. His in-ring presence has never been better and his technical skill-set has improved drastically as well.

But the one aspect of his performance that has improved the most is his in-ring psychology. Cody, in my opinion, has gotten so much better as a storyteller. This would make things that much more exciting if The American Nightmare were to face off with Bray Wyatt soon.

This is certainly one of those situations where they need to "strike while the irons are hot," because it appears that Cody is gradually shifting his career more and more to the full-time executive role and spending less time dedicated to in-ring storytelling.

There is nothing wrong with that, as I see Cody as a tremendous asset to the AEW corporate brand. After all, he is the son of The American Dream, and Dusty himself had a lot of success behind the scenes as well. With that said, I believe fans will enjoy a program featuring Windham Rotunda against Cody Rhodes. Will we see that go down in an AEW ring...I sure hope so.

#4. Former WWE rival and current AEW star Jon Moxley

My very best memories of Bray Wyatt in the WWE will always be the incredible feud between The Wyatt Family and The Shield. For this reason, 2014 will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the best years for professional wrestling in recent memory.

Seeing Bray slowly make his way out to a dark arena, covered in fireflies, with his lantern lighting the way and his brothers in tow...that was absolutely magical. Then to see The Wyatts stand on one side of the ring, with all three members of The Shield staring them down from the other side, it was the type of storytelling that gave fans goosebumps. During the feud, it was a common occurrence to hear fans in attendance chanting those infamous words- "this is awesome!"

Now that Dean Ambrose is Jon Moxley, he appears to be having the time of his life with AEW and he is certainly performing at a whole new level. If Bray does make it to AEW, Moxley should be one of the first in line to go out and dance with The Eater of Worlds. There is already history with these two and the feud will unfold organically.

I'm sure I am not the only fan dreaming of Wyatt and Moxley meeting up one more time in AEW. There are some things that are just meant to be and this is one feud that this writer believes is certainly intended to have a sequel with a company that provides more creative freedom. Make it happen AEW. The world deserves it.

"This is awesome..."

#3. AEW Star Malakai Black

From the very first time I saw Aleister Black appear in an NXT ring, I could not wait to see him on the main roster, so the WWE Universe could witness two similar dark minds collide in what would have been something very special.

Black was already successful and well established long before signing with WWE in mid-2016. Having previously been known as Tommy End, he enjoyed successful runs in the UK, as well as the United States. Black also had a stint with Big Japan Pro Wrestling. Needless to say, when his time came to make his NXT debut, the wrestling world was already very familiar with his work.

Since arriving in AEW as Malakai Black, he seems to have invigorated his career and added a new level of mystery to his repertoire. Most of Malakai's time has been spent torturing Cody Rhodes, which has been quite entertaining.

But just how long can this story go on, and who's next for Black? If Bray Wyatt does in fact sign with AEW, that answer would be very obvious. Wyatt vs. Black would be a storyline with endless opportunities for top-tier possibilities.

#2. Current AEW Champion Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega is on top of the wrestling world. He is the AEW World Champion and he's probably in his prime as well. For over 300 days now, Omega has flaunted the world with the AEW World Championship and he has done well in representing the company as the brand's top guy.

Since winning the championship in December, no one has come close to taking the title from Kenny. Sure, he's had worthy opponents, but with The Elite always present, it will take someone special to overcome the odds to be crowned the new champion. Bray Wyatt is someone who could indeed be that special.

Time will ultimately tell whether or not Bray will sign with AEW and shake up the AEW Championship scene. But if Tony Khan and company are looking for that next injection of CM Punk-like excitement, look no further than Wyatt.

He has all of the intangibles needed to carry the company on his back if he is booked properly and given some level of creative freedom. Wyatt is someone who Kenny Omega has never seen the likes of. This could be an instant classic if we ever get to see it come to fruition.

#1. Former WWE Champion CM Punk

Let's take a brief trip back in time, back to 2011. CM Punk had just taken over The Nexus and Bray Wyatt was then known as "Husky Harris," a member of The Nexus. Punk was coming off of his tenure as the leader of The Straight Edge Society and looking for a new band of misfits to control. The "new" Nexus was also in need of a strong leader, but they got a tyrant instead.

We all remember the initiation phase that CM Punk put Husky through when he whipped and beat him profusely. At the time, Husky was way underdeveloped and no one had any idea he would one day turn into the massive superstar that he ultimately became. Needless to say, that beating segment was essentially an on-screen kill-off for the Harris persona.

Since their time together with The Nexus, both Punk and Wyatt have gone on to have an insane amount of success. Now that they are both away from the WWE, the door is open for a potential storyline where the two could create some real magic.

Obviously all of this is simply speculation, but if the stars aligned and everything worked out...this could be a blockbuster feud and something that fans would immediately get behind. Here's to the ultimate optimism and hope for this idea to manifest!

The day Husky died and Bray was born...