Why a Bray Wyatt Face Turn Would Be Bad for Business

As was reported earlier today, rumors have emerged that WWE is considering a Bray Wyatt face turn. However, this would not be a good idea.

The Wyatt family, led by Bray, have been heel characters since their debut in July of last year. After his first feud with Kane, Wyatt has had steady storylines as a part of the main roster, and his team mates Eric Rowan and Luke Harper have been in feuds for the tag team titles. Overall, it has been a fairly successful first year. So why change things now?

The plan since the Wyatts debuted was to have them eventually turn face. Now that Bray has feuded with the top faces of the company in John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho, they could think that there is no one left for him to face. There is also worry about the lack top face talent at the moment, with Jericho’s departure and Roman Reigns’ unexpected hernia injury both in the past week, as well as Bryan still out of action for another few months. The general consensus backstage is that Wyatt could fill this gap.

More from WWE

However, now is not the right time to change Bray’s character so radically. His creepy, cult leader persona would not transfer well to being a good guy. Changing his gimmick would also be a bad idea at this stage because simply put, he is over with the fans. Excluding a couple of weeks of “boring” chants a few months ago, the Wyatts still receive a great reaction. The crowd sang along to “He’s Got The Whole World” during the Cena feud and they still shine lights during their entrance. It’s common for the company to turn a heel into a good guy when they consistently get such a pop, but what the fans love in Bray would not translate as well if he were supposed to be a fan favourite.

There are still faces on the roster who Bray could feud with and create a memorable storyline. At the top of this list is Dean Ambrose. The Wyatts and The Shield briefly crossed paths at the beginning of the year, but a Wyatt/Ambrose singles rivalry would include unforgettable promos. Their gimmicks are similar, but different at the same time. Clever writing from creative could create something special.

When Reigns returns from his injury, he could also have a top storyline with Wyatt. Again, they encountered each other as the leader of their respective stable when The Wyatt Family and The Shield clashed at Elimination Chamber. A storyline could be built around this history. Reigns isn’t known for his microphone skills, so having promos with someone like Bray could be beneficial for him.

Bray is now established enough on the main roster that he could have a great feud with an up-and-coming star to help put them both over. An NXT star, such as Sami Zayn, would benefit more from being written into a rivalry with a character such as Wyatt than simply squashing jobbers for his first few weeks on the main roster.

Overall, turning Bray and the Wyatt Family face is an option that could backfire on WWE. With top faces such as Cena and Ambrose still around, as well as the returns of Bryan and Reigns in the next few months, Wyatts will be forgotten about soon enough if they become the good guys. The crowd are still reacting well to the characters, and when well-liked heels turn face, fans tend to lose interest. Reigns and Cesaro are examples of this.

There is still a lot left for Bray to do as a heel. He hasn’t even gone near a champion yet. There are plenty of faces he could help get over. It would be better for his career and for the current product to continue the gimmick which the fans are still enjoying. There’s no need to fix what isn’t broken.

Home/WWE

Why A Bray Wyatt Face Turn Would Be Bad For Business

By Becca Cook | Sep 25, 2014