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When you're a globally dominant brand like WWE, it just goes with the territory that you will face a lot of criticism. Some of the criticism is fair, and some of it is not, but to their credit, the WWE often forges its own path forward and sticks to their vision, for good or for ill.
Sometimes this can lead to frustration among the WWE Universe and critics alike. These days Roman Reigns is universally over, having made a come back after facing a recurrence of leukemia, but when he won the Royal Rumble match in 2015, everyone agreed it was too soon, and he was loudly booed out of the building. Even Reigns admits that he's never heard the crowd boo louder.
There were a lot of reasons why Roman Reigns was booed upon his victory, despite being a babyface. The truth was that fans never moved past the Shield gimmick--in part because they were never allowed to. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose evolved their characters after the Shield split, but Roman kept the ring attire, music, and through the crowd entrance.
But we would be remiss if we didn't bring up another factor. There were two Superstars on the rise that fans desperately wanted to see win the Rumble in 2015. One was Daniel Bryan, and the other was Bray Wyatt using his 'Waylon Mercy' gimmick.
Wyatt even got on the mike during his stellar Rumble performance and announced that it was his year, to the delight of the fans, in spite of him being a heel.
Things didn't come together for Bray Wyatt, but his future looks promising indeed. He's set to face Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal title at Hell in a Cell--oops, I mean The Fiend is scheduled to face Rollins. Bray Wyatt's Firefly Fun House has reignited fan interest in RAW, but is he really ready to become the top star in WWE?
Here are three reasons why he is ready, and three why he might not be.
Wyatt is ready #1: His physique has improved tremendously
In the world of pro wrestling, there are many different body types. Men like Keith Lee and Samoa Joe defy expectations and pull off insanely athletic moves in spite of looking 'fat.'
However, there's no doubt that some WWE Superstars are carrying around some extra pounds, and it affects their in-ring performance and overall look. One of the top names on that list would have been Bray Wyatt, up until he made his most recent character change.
Bray Wyatt always had an endomorphic build--in fact, he still does--but fans could see that he wasn't at his ideal weight. Now, with a more streamlined physique, he's leaner, meaner, and yet somehow looks bigger and more powerful than ever before.
To be blunt, Bray Wyatt has a champion's body now, and maybe that wasn't always the case. With his new dedication to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, Wyatt has proven he can be relied upon. At his new, smaller dimensions, he can more easily avoid injury and has vastly improved his cardiovascular conditioning. These will both be key to enjoying a long reign with the Universal Title.
Wyatt isn't ready #1: He's too popular for a heel
Okay, we can all blame the New World Order for setting the precedent that heel wrestlers can be 'cool.' It was the Monday Night Wars, after all, and anything that worked was going to get pushed to the moon.
The same story could be found on RAW, where Stone Cold Steve Austin was a tremendously over babyface, despite the cheating, drinking, cursing, and giving non-wrestlers Stone Cold Stunners left and right.
But the times have changed, and a more traditional divide between face and heel is the norm in pro wrestling--or it was, until Bray Wyatt made his return with the new Firefly Funhouse character.
At Hell in a Cell 2019, Seth Rollins is supposed to be the babyface hero, but it's expected by most people that Bray Wyatt's The Fiend character will enjoy most of the crowd support. This isn't a desirable, or maintainable, practice to continue.
Wyatt is ready #2: He has the charisma to be champion
We're going to go out on a limb and make the declaration that Bray Wyatt is the most charismatic wrestler since The Rock left for Hollywood.
The Wyatt Family gimmick was meant to be short-lived, a way to bring big behemoths Luke Harper and Erick Rowan to the main roster. Indeed, in many of the early days of the Wyatt family, Bray didn't wrestle but acted more like a manager in his rocking chair.
But the character took off, and soon fans were wildly cheering for Bray Wyatt when he entered the ring. For years WWE had been presenting the same handful of superstars in the main event scene. Wyatt represented a new face, and a new type of character.
Now that he's evolved into his current incarnation, and still getting cheers, it's obvious that gimmicks are just the icing on the charismatic cake that is Bray Wyatt.
Wyatt isn't Ready #2: Seth Rollins needs a longer run with the title
Bray Wyatt may, or may not, be ready to reign as Universal Championship. Seth Rollins, however, is definitely not ready to lose his title.
The man who would be BeastSlayer has had a tumultuous time during his time on the WWE main roster. At first, he was considered the least impressive member of the Shield. He didn't have Dean Ambrose's gift of gab, nor did he have the size and power of Roman Reigns.
When the Shield split, Rollins was chosen for a main event heel spot. He then flipped to being a face, and then a heel, and then a face again....etc.
During these many heel and face turns, he mostly remained in the mid-card, either as Intercontinental champion or tag team champion.
It took a lot of effort to get Seth Rollins over as a babyface champion. Taking the belt off of him this early won't do him any good, and The Fiend can wait for his time to come without hurting his stock with fans.
Wyatt is Ready #3: He's the most entertaining thing in WWE right now, period
One of the hardest tasks for any producer of sports entertainment content is pleasing a majority of the audience.
There's an old adage that you can't please all of the people all of the time, and that's certainly true of pro wrestling as well. But Bray Wyatt's multi layered gimmick has come closer to capturing the universal support of Hulkamania than anything else the company has tried in thirty years.
Fans young and old, dedicated and casual, all enjoy the Firefly Funhouse and the cryptic and frightening appearances of The Fiend. WWE has captured the proverbial lightning in a bottle with Bray Wyatt's new gimmick, and the time is now to elevate him to champion.
The WWE had best read the writing on the wall or risk fumbling all of the heat Wyatt has at the current time.
Wyatt is not Ready #3: The Bray Wyatt/Fiend characters are too fringe to be Universal Champion
We'll be the first ones to admit that the Firefly Funhouse is one of the most brilliant pieces of self-aware satire which has ever been produced. Not just in the world of pro wrestling and sports entertainment, but in any entertainment media.
That being said, there are certain requirements to be a world champion. A world champion must present a specific set of characteristics in order to be effective. Often, this involves someone who can emotionally resonate with the fans and get their support.
Bray Wyatt may have the support of the fans because he is so entertaining. However, his strange, unstable character is hard to resonate with or feel sympathy for. This isn't a good fit for the Universal championship, which is--whether WWE admits it or not--the most prestigious of the company's 'big belts.'
What do you think? Is Bray Wyatt ready to be Universal Champion, or not? Please comment and lets us know and as always thanks for reading!
