Daily DDT Mailbag #3: WWE’s booking of Bray Wyatt, & writing advice

The third and latest edition of the Daily DDT Mailbag sees the team’s editors address WWE’s booking for Bray Wyatt and give writing advice.

Third time must be the charm as we are back for another edition of the Daily DDT Mailbag where the team’s editors – Joe Anthony Myrick, Brett Grega and Patches Chance – answer questions from you, the fans. Whether they’re about WWE, other promotions, life advice, or just a goofy question that deserves a goofy answer, we’ve got you covered.

The past couple weeks of Mailbag have done exceptionally well in terms of allowing us to engage with our audience and better understand what kind of content you want to see from us. We’ve been happy to talk with all of you and hope to continue this trend going forward every single week.

Now, enough wasting time. Time to answer some questions!

JAM: Definitely. Now, as far as if he’ll ever win the title, we’ll just have to wait and see, but I’d be surprised if he never gets a title shot or isn’t one of the guys floating around the title picture post-All Out when tv tapings start. Especially if Jericho wins the title in Chicago, since him and Mox have enough history to justify a title feud.

BG: That largely depends on what NJPW and AEW’s relationship ends up looking like, if there is an official one at all, if you ask me. I think if Moxley is allowed to be a champion in both promotions, then there’s no way he won’t jump into the AEW title picture at some point. He’s going to be a major star wherever he goes, and I think both promotions clearly realize that.

PC: Absolutely. It’s a matter of when, not if. I think a non-title rivalry with Kenny Omega is the perfect way to start things in AEW for both of them, but eventually Moxley will be in that scene.

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JAM: Dare me to do what? I’m game for Truth or Dare.

BG: How dare I? No, how dare you?

PC: Say ‘what’ again. Say ‘what’ again, I dare you, I double dare you [CENSORED BY RIGHT TO CENSOR], say what one more [CENSORED BY RIGHT TO CENSOR] time!

JAM: Tough to answer, especially considering the whole reason Bray got over so huge this year was because of the Firefly Fun House segments, not because of anything he did in the ring. Can Bray and WWE find a way to make him compelling in the ring without having to go back to that well? Can that transition be made? I don’t know.

What I do know is that to keep him hot and his momentum going post-SummerSlam, no matter who he faces after Finn, he has to keep racking up wins. Wins, wins, wins. That’s how you build a credible wrestler. Personally, whether I put him in a title feud or not, I wouldn’t book him to lose a match until at least WrestleMania, if he can stay hot and fresh until that point at least.

As for who he faces after Finn, I’d go with Big E or Sami Zayn. Just because those guys got “mysteriously attacked” some months back and WWE never followed up on who attacked them. I always had a sneaking suspicion Bray Wyatt’s Fiend was the culprit, so I’d just like that loose end tied.

BG: I think this is one of the biggest problems WWE is going to have to tackle in general over the next few months. I feel like one of the problems that has plagued Bray Wyatt over the years is WWE’s inability to find a way to keep him feeling fresh without starting to change his gimmick or overall trajectory.

With that being said, I think it’s too early to tell where WWE should go with Wyatt after his rivalry with Finn Balor. If we’re assuming Wyatt wins, considering this is his grand re-debut after weeks of extremely popular vignettes, then I don’t think anything should necessarily be off the table rivalry-wise.

No matter what the rivalry is though, WWE needs to continue the Firefly Fun House segments. Those are what are going to keep Wyatt’s act fresh and coherent by introducing new characters that direct the overall creepy vibe of the segments towards his new rivals.

PC: The most important thing about keeping Bray Wyatt strong moving forward is that he be booked to win consistently. That’s what cost his original character so much credibility. That said, he needs a feud with someone that can push him to be interesting with the character, but someone who can ultimately lose the feud without being damaged.

Some key options for this on WWE Raw are The Miz, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, and Ricochet. There are also options on SmackDown Live, including a revisit (hopefully a very different one) of his rivalry with Randy Orton, but where Wyatt ultimately stands tall. Again, consistent victories need to be used to re-establish his credibility as a true threat.

JAM: Does a bear sh*t in the woods off the coast of Lake Minnetonka? I don’t know, I’ve never been, but the answer is probably yes.

BG: I wholeheartedly agree that the better question is, “who wouldn’t love that rivalry?” Those are some of the most talented and entertaining superstars on the roster going against each other. What’s not to love?

The only comment I’ll make against this idea is that Ricochet could easily be moved into a feud with Kofi Kingston potentially as quickly as after SummerSlam. Black is further off, so I think he would need time to develop more on the main roster if you would be looking forward to this feud in the immediate future.

PC: Yes. Wait, that’s not strong enough. Hell yes.

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JAM: Try new things in your writing from time to time. Try to write from new, fresh perspectives. Hell, write about new things to find a new perspective. Research stuff that you’re mildly curious about, have some fun with it, and write about your findings. Take new, different approaches. Crack a joke you normally wouldn’t crack. Find new literary devices to incorporate into your writing. Freshen things up a bit.

As far as engagement, the first step is to engage with people who might dig your writing. I’m a firm believer in the “If you build it, they will come” mantra (shoutout to Ray Liotta), but sometimes, you’ve got to find the people and tell them where to engage you. Build your social media presence.

Comment and reply on statuses/tweets/insta-posts/etc wherever you post your writing. Come off like a likable, humble dude with his head on straight. People are going to see that and think “Hey, he’s kinda cool. Lemme see if his articles are cool.” Then they’ll move that engagement to your article and do so consistently. As long as you’re consistent in engagements.

BG: I think there’s two important components you need to consider when making your writing both fun and engaging. First, you need to identify your audience. Once you know who’s reading your work, you can figure out how to reach them.

I’ll give a brief little story as an example. I used to write on a Chicago-centric website where the emphasis was most definitely not on wrestling. To boost how many people read and enjoyed my articles, I ended up tying wrestling back to Chicago sports by comparing elements of the Bears rebuild at the time to WWE, and even writing a retrospective on former Bears defensive tackle Steve “Mongo” McMichael’s WCW run. Those became two of my most successful articles on the site.

Second, I think no matter what you’re writing about, you need to keep it enjoyable for yourself. Whether that’s by making jokes or funny references in your articles, or just finding topics you have strong and passionate opinions on, you should keep it fun. It always shows when someone genuinely enjoyed writing their article, and thus people tend to gravitate towards it more.

PC: The number one thing you need to do is what you’re already doing. Keep writing. Never stop writing. When you worry that you need to change things up, keep writing. When you think you’ve hit a groove with a certain idea, keep writing.

When you feel like you’ve got “writer’s block,” tell it to “SUCK IT” and keep writing. Whatever you do, keep writing. The only way to continue to develop your voice and figure out the best way to do things for you is to keep writing. You will become a better and more entertaining writer as you write more.

To keep things fresh, challenge yourself by writing about different perspectives or even look at classic things or things you’ve talked about before from a completely different angle. As Brett said, always try to have fun with it. Sometimes you need to power something that isn’t your favorite topic, but try to find a way to enjoy it and the way you’re talking about it regardless.

As for engagement, the best thing you can do for yourself is participate in conversations on social media. Putting your content out there is the first step, but don’t just tweet your content. Don’t just share your articles. Create original posts discussing things. Make polls. Ask questions.

When people join the conversation, respond to them. The more you help keep the conversation going, the more likely it is to continue. Listen to your readers. Even those who are being critical could have a reason. Finally, with all that said, never let problematic people or problematic criticisms keep you from writing. Don’t give them that power. Keep writing.

JAM: First off, this is shameless self-promotion if I ever seen it, but I respect it. Second, I say you’re not close enough. In fact, I’m more annoyed that your face(s) aren’t closer together. Let the faces smooch already. You either go all the way or go home.

BG: I gotta say, your face gets kind of close to the camera.

PC: I think your face(s) could dare to be even closer. As a matter of fact, just swallow the camera whole. Do the report from within your own body. That’ll really make y’all stand out.

Got a question that you’re dying to ask the Daily DDT crew? Curious as to what we think of a certain Superstar? Want match recommendations? Need advice on how to ask that special someone out on a date? We’ve got you covered. All you’ve got to do is ask; either by commenting below or tweeting at us on Twitter.