How WWE Should Book The Return of Bray Wyatt

The impending return of Bray Wyatt in his new gimmick has been one of the most anticipated stories in all of professional wrestling. Under this new Firefly Fun House gimmick, Wyatt has seen an increased amount of popularity amongst fans on the internet. His segments have gained significant traffic on WWE’s social media accounts.

With the subtle shifts of the character to this demented and twisted Mr. Rogers, Wyatt has shown tremendous upside in the potential of the gimmick to make it big in the company. However, as with any wrestler, the success of the character is tied to how WWE books his return.

Character Breakdown

Bray Wyatt popped back on television shortly after Wrestlemania and has been a fixture of the product each week with his weird Mr. Rogers-like video packages. Each week has delved deeper into the dark psyche of the character and how Wyatt has transformed himself from the ominous cult leader to the child-friendly fun man. With his references to his previous incarnation of the Bray Wyatt character and even taking subtle jabs at wrestling topics outside of WWE, the character is aware of things outside of himself, something that helps the audience relate to the character while also being entertained.

Relating to and entertaining fans was always an issue with the old Bray Wyatt character. While he always had intrigue and potential to be a top heel, his promos felt redundant and lacked the big wins that the character desperately needed. Now, Wyatt is clearly rejuvenated and in the best shape of his life. With a little backing from Vince McMahon and the writers, he could be either a top heel or babyface for the company. With that said, here is my opinion on how WWE should book Bray Wyatt’s return.

Imminent Return

The Firefly Fun House videos have done wonders to establish the character to the audience and these should continue to air every week moving forward until Extreme Rules, which is July 14th. In that time, Wyatt should continue to act like a tortured babyface but show more and more of his darker side. Wyatt has been great at progressing his character on Twitter and should continue to have minor interactions with other performers, specifically the three former members of the Shield, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose).

As the skits progress, have Wyatt look more deeply into his past. The character has stated that he left to rehabilitate himself for his old ways, but it is obvious that there are still major cracks in his psyche. Have Wyatt progressively get more aggressive, especially when talking about his past. Have him bring up issues from his past and let it destroy him mentally when he brings it up, such as his Wrestlemania defeats to John Cena and the Undertaker, his feud with Daniel Bryan, and his Wyatt Family breaking up. When these breakdowns happen, have the feed be cut for a few seconds before returning and displaying Wyatt back in his happy-go-lucky ways again, each time to end the segment.

With each passing week, Wyatt should show more and more of his demented side, specifically with the mask that he introduced just a few weeks back. When thinking about his family breaking up, Wyatt should make reference to the Shield and how they took the spotlight from the Wyatt Family. This is just a minor seed to plant in the minds of the audience, but one that will pay off majorly later on. In the final weeks leading up to Extreme Rules, Wyatt should start embracing the dark side, claiming that he needs to destroy his past in order to really rehabilitate himself. This is when Bray is finally ready to return.

The Return

At the Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View, the main event of the night is Seth Rollins facing Baron Corbin in an Extreme Rules match. Rollins defeats Corbin, ending that feud, but his night is not over. After the match, Brock Lesnar’s music plays. Everything that Rollins fears is about to happen. He is beaten and internally, he is feeling insecure. The music is cut and the lights are cut off.

When the lights come back on, they are an ominous red color that leaves the atmosphere uneasy. Bray Wyatt is standing there with his mask on and the new outfit that he has for his character. Rollins is visibly confused and questioning why Wyatt is out there. Then it becomes clear, Wyatt used Lesnar’s music to strike fear into Rollins. Wyatt then snaps, attacking Rollins viciously, completely battering and breaking the Architect and Universal Champion. Make this beating as brutal as allowable on WWE programming. Wyatt has completely snapped and has made his presence known.

The Reason

The next night on Monday Night Raw, it is Bray Wyatt that kicks off the show. Have him come out in a sweater vest, the normal attire for Wyatt when he is in his “happy” side. Wyatt begins to explain that he is a changed man, a good man, but needs to take care of his past. Only then can he move on completely. Seth Rollins is the architect of the Shield, the one faction that stood in front of his family and took their shine away. Rollins broke up his family and went to bigger and better things. When Bray did it, he failed miserably on his own. He lost himself, and found himself depending on others again to succeed.

While he was gone, Wyatt had to sit and watch as Rollins beat Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Never getting that chance ate at Wyatt all this time. To top it off, Rollins won the Universal Championship. Wyatt is slowly becoming incensed as he speaks. His mask of happiness is cracking with every word. At one point, Bray catches himself and calms down.

The moment Wyatt goes back into his happy voice speech, Rollins’ music hits. He is wrapped up all over and limping pretty badly, clearly not ready for any physical contact. Rollins has a mic in hand and starts verbally tearing at Wyatt. He says Wyatt couldn’t live with his own failures and attacked him because he is weak and nothing more than insecure. The Shield was always better than the Wyatt Family and no matter how Wyatt wants to justify his actions in his twisted mind, he has pissed off Seth Rollins and that makes him a wanted man. Seth vows to heal up and come for Wyatt.

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Bray is standing in the ring visibly upset at Rollins for his “mean words” and his aggression. Bray vows to Rollins that he is not finished with him either and challenges him to a match when he is healthy: “if I allow you to get your health back, that is”. Wyatt then breaks out his old creepy laugh. The lights are cut and Wyatt disappears, no longer in the ring when they come back on.

Over the next couple of weeks, we see more Firefly Fun House videos, this time showing a happy Bray Wyatt celebrating his impending “cure” and stating that when he defeats Rollins, “the whole universe will be in my hands.” This shows that Wyatt has moved past wanting just the world, or world championship, Wyatt wants the Universal Championship. He wants the WWE Universe. He wants to be the main guy.

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When Rollins finally makes his return to competition, Wyatt appears again to attack him. He is in his normal attire, holding back from the vicious attack he laid on Rollins at Extreme Rules. This is to establish that the mask gives Bray the power to completely destroy his opponent. The clear contrast of the character is important in establishing Wyatt as both a ruthless heel and also a flawed babyface. This distinction will help grow his popularity with the audience and give fans something to get invested in.

The match is set. At SummerSlam, it is Bray Wyatt challenging Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship. Bray gets his opportunity to not only defeat his past and win the championship, but to prove that he is a top guy worthy of the main event spot.

SummerSlam

At SummerSlam, Wyatt comes out in the mask and is given a separate, more ominous entrance. He absolutely dominates Rollins and wins the Universal Championship. Wyatt has exercised his demons and after the match takes off the mask to reveal his happier side. The rehabilitation of Bray Wyatt is complete, or so we think.

As champion, Wyatt should not face Rollins again, instead opting for feuds against the likes of Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Braun Strowman, and Finn Balor, facing the Demon at Wrestlemania in a match where he loses the Universal Championship. With a proper build, that match should be the main event of the show. His reign should be about conquering his past. Let Finn be the one hurdle he can’t get over, establishing Balor as the top babyface in the company. This would allow Wyatt to have the character development of feeling even more broken after losing the title.

This can eventually lead to a babyface turn that really kicks off his mega run. Wyatt should be booked as a flawed character, displaying shades of both a heel and a babyface. His title run should serve to provide him with legitimacy and credibility. He has the chops to hold his own on the mic and in the ring, but without management making him look strong or telling his story in the unique way that he deserves, he will fail again.

And that is how WWE should book Bray Wyatt’s return.

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