The 28th annual Royal Rumble is just a few short months away, and with so many injuries and uncertainties, it’s rather difficult to pick any one winner and book them on the Road to Wrestlemania. Added to the fact that we aren’t sure if the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is going to resign and thus be available following mania, the outcome of the Royal Rumble is hazy at best. Who stands the best chance of winning? Most people point the finger toward any former member of the Shield, some are hopeful that a returning Daniel Bryan will make up for LAST years Rumble… But what of Bray Wyatt? The sadistic superstar made his anticipated return at Hell in a Cell, and has entered into one of the more intriguing singles programs that either he or Dean Ambrose has been apart of. Say what you will about the hologram and the finish to Hell in a Cell, Wyatt made an impact. Which he always does. I don’t think Bray should win the Royal Rumble, but having such a strong character on hand and not using him to his full potential is.. Well, actually that’s sort of the WWE’s M.O. But in what way could the powers that be best utilize Bray?
There’ve been a lot of comparisons drawn between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt. Frankly, I think it’s a stretch, but when Bray resorts to his brand of psycological warfare, there are definite visible nuances of the Deadman in young Windham Rotunda’s repertoire. While declaring Wyatt the “new Undertaker” might be a bit premature, it doesn’t mean you can’t book him similarly to how The Undertaker was booked throughout the mid-to-late 90s. If you remember correctly, the Undertaker has only made a choice number of Rumble appearances, and was absent from the match entirely for a period in the mid 90s, making his return to the match in 2001. This sort of bated anticipation has set the Undertaker aside and even above some of his established contemporaries as an entity unto himself, thus truly becoming The Phenom of the World Wrestling uh… Entertainment.
I don’t think the WWE should put Bray Wyatt in the Royal Rumble match just yet either. Bray’s entire persona is rooted in his own absurd way of thinking, and is conveyed to the audience in a series of back talking riddles. For Wyatt to challenge for the WWE Title is out-of- character, because why would a strap of leather with a shining metal face mean anything to a man who seems to have more on his mind than championships? He’s even set a precedent if they choose to follow it, when earlier this year he didn’t enter what would have been his debut Royal Rumble. Instead he had what was probably the match of the night when he defeated Daniel Bryan. So if we aren’t going to book Bray Wyatt in the Royal Rumble match at all, then what do we do with him? If this Ambrose program goes the way that I hope it will, we could very well be seeing these two working one another until the Rumble. Which would be good, not only to set Bray apart, but to keep Dean busy and in the public eye on a night where I don’t expect him to win the Royal Rumble. After this years horrendous finish, punctuated by an overly aggressive crowd, one has to imagine that the WWE is choosing it’s steps very carefully as pertains to the January Classic. If Roman Reigns is truly the guy, and is managements hand picked Superstar of the next generation, there is no getting around his inevitable Rumble win. Just as the babyfaces Batista and Rey Mysterio were met with a shower of disdain, so too could Roman Reigns if the WWE Universe has their heart set on Ambrose.
If done well, and that means with a long term goal in mind, the Ambrose/Wyatt program could harken back to such storied rivalries as Stone Cold and The Undertaker or The Rock and Mankind. With twelve weeks between now and The Royal Rumble, there is enough time to build a meaningful angle without having so much time that it becomes diluted. A hard-hitting 20+ minute showdown stemming from months of mind games and torment could be the very thing to balance against the shows focal point–the 40-man Royal Rumble match. Especially if we’ll be getting Brock Lesnar versus John Cena–again. This sort of occasion however, often calls for a speciality match. Like the Undertaker before him, Bray and the producers at WWE need to devise some sort of Bray Wyatt match, not unlike a Buried Alive Match or a Punjabi Prison Match. Wyatt needs something that sets him apart; something that he can call upon every few years to elicit fear out of his opponent, and excitement from the audience. I personally think Wyatt is the perfect candidate to bring back a less cartoony version of Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal. And against a wildcard in himself like Dean Ambrose, how could you go wrong with any number of hardcore match options? Even if it’s just the 15 minutes they’re on Raw every week, this combination of loose cannons aimed directly at eachother will be must-see TV.
But what if Bray and Dean have their blow-off at Survivor Series and Dean gets paired back up with Seth Rollins? Even as I anticipate a later continuation of the post-Shield rivalry between former partners, the story has run it’s coarse for the moment and seems like the sort of program to relaunch on the Road to Wrestlemania. But even if Dean doesn’t go off and battle with Mr. MITB, there’s always the possibility that Bray could be involved with another storyline by the time Rumble rolls around. I think regardless of who he works, Bray Wyatt should be booked the same. He should have a separate match set aside from any championship title picture. A match that incorporates danger and excitement and unpredictability. And while I think Dean Ambrose is the perfect fit for such a situation, given the time they have to build on, there’s no telling who Bray could be up against.
We still have three months until The Royal Rumble, and as WWF commentator Vince McMahon use to say, “Anything can happen..!” If Brock Lesnar drops the title, which I don’t think he will, the field will be much more open as far as competent challengers go. Making the Royal Rumble anyone’s game. Regardless of who’s champion and who wins the rumble, I think there are bigger plans for Bray either at the event or deeper into 2015. Who’s to say what the future holds for the twisted leader of the Wyatt Family? I’m excited for the ride and I can only hope the destination is half as good. My name is Mark Haggerty. That’s my opinion, and I think it’s a good one.
