WWE has a challenge in telling Bray Wyatt’s storyline

Bray Wyatt is a character that has the attention of a lot of fans, but the question is whether WWE can effectively tell his story. 

Bray Wyatt is back in the fold of the WWE Universe. His return in 2022 was one of the biggest moments for the company that year. At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Wyatt took part in his first match, defeating LA Knight in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match. Reaction among fans varies, but it’s clear that WWE has a challenge booking Wyatt and fitting this story into the other aspects of its sports entertainment content.

Wyatt is telling a story about personal anguish and struggle that involves multiple aspects of his psyche. That’s always been the thing with Wyatt, as his stories involve more than just the physical violence and athletic abilities that take part in the ring every week.

Picking apart the clues about his “lore” and analyzing every aspect of his promos, clothing, lighting, etc. is a part of the game that his fans enjoy – and certainly draws eyeballs to the product. But once the bell rings, there’s a disconnect between the wrestling in the ring and the presentation of the story that led to the match. It will be interesting to see how WWE under the creative leadership will tackle this problem.

The WWE failed Bray Wyatt multiple times in the past

This isn’t the first time WWE had to answer this question. Remember when The Fiend and Seth Rollins battled for the WWE Universal Championship in 2019? That debacle of a match did damage to both Rollins and The Fiend in the eyes of many fans. In fact, every instance of Wyatt in the title picture during his run as that character led to unsatisfactory outcomes.

There has to be a question about how Wyatt’s presentation translates into the wrestling action that occurs bell to bell. It’s hard to see a situation where Wyatt would be in a storyline against the likes of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, GUNTHER, Roman Reigns, or any of the other big names on the WWE roster. WWE runs into the problem of stifling any development with them by forcing their interactions with a character that supposedly plays impactful mind games.

The situation was similar with Alexa Bliss versus Bianca Belair in which Bliss, who is also wrapped up in the Bray Wyatt lore, took on the dominant champion that is Belair. The situation ended up with Belair taking a nearly one-sided victory, and Bliss further playing into her developing character. But does taking such a one-sided loss to the champion help or hurt her stock? Only time will tell.

Is Bray Wyatt a star among his peers? The numbers and fan engagement say that he is. But the WWE has a real challenge with telling his developing story in a way that is “believable” within the product presented on television each week.