After watching the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match from the Royal Rumble, I am left pondering if there is something seriously wrong with Bray Wyatt’s comprehension of what professional wrestling is.
It’s hard to believe that someone related to Blackjack Mulligan, Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda could be so far off base about the foundational nature of this business.
I was hopeful that Wyatt’s return to WWE last October would signify an end to the campy horror elements that doomed his previous run in the company. But it appears he’s learned nothing from his mistakes.
When thinking of Wyatt, I can’t help but think back to the alleged torch-passing moment he shared with Undertaker at the Raw 30th Anniversary show. I feel there can be no passing of the torch because there are no similarities between the two.
Undertaker took a gimmick that should’ve only worked for a limited time and extended its shelf life into a successful 30-year career. Despite his supernatural gimmickry, Undertaker always knew how to tell a compelling story inside the ring.
Wyatt’s gimmick is so hokey that there is no way I can possibly take anything he does seriously.
Undertaker knew how to adapt his gimmick to the times. Regardless of the changes in the industry, he remained relevant from his debut to his retirement.
Wyatt has shown an unwillingness to evolve beyond his rambling monologues and performances full of smoke and mirrors.
Undertaker went from being a very limited worker early in his career to being a guy who had memorable matches with opponents as diverse as Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Batista, Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio.
Aside from a 2014 Royal Rumble match with Bryan Danielson, I cannot recall another great singles match of Wyatt’s career. Instead, he has a proven track record of bringing down nearly everyone he works with. He killed Seth Rollins and Miz so badly as babyfaces that both were forced to turn heel. His 2020-2021 programs with Braun Strowman and Randy Orton featured some of the worst creative ever seen in WWE. His association with Alexa Bliss made her the most uninteresting she’s ever been. I’m hoping that too much damage hasn’t been done to L.A. Knight.
You know there is a problem when fellow wrestlers openly admit their difficulty in working with Wyatt. I never once heard any wrestler discuss how challenging it was to work with Undertaker.
The most troubling aspect of Wyatt is that he’s manipulated people into thinking he’s a creative genius. Labeling him as such is a disservice to the true creative minds of wrestling history like Paul Heyman, Bill Watts and Dusty Rhodes.
There is nothing creative about leaving your audience bewildered and damaging the credibility of your opponents. There is nothing creative about having one of the biggest contracts in the company while never wrestling on weekly television.
I don’t agree with many of Vince McMahon’s decisions, but hindsight has proven his decision to release Wyatt in 2021 was the right call.
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