Bray Wyatt's Future Remains Bright Despite Absence from Night of Champions Card

Bray Wyatt has begun to feel the wrath of the insatiable Reality Era, proving nobody is safe from the omnipresent cynics ushered in by this generation.

Wyatt’s dark promos, which typically blend thoughtful analogies with vague doublespeak, were once lauded almost universally on social media. Comparisons to Jake “the Snake” Roberts and The Undertaker were in order for the low-talking cult leader.

But lately, Twitter has grown weary of the talented heel:

"

@Wale what are your current thoughts on Bray Wyatt? I feel he's losing his shine... Since his feud with he's been pretty stale, no?

— Emmanuel (@Nolapane) September 16, 2014"

"

#RAW I'm a fan of Bray Wyatt but he is becoming stale.the lack of talent to help him shine.come on creative team get on the ball.

— fernando aponte (@FernandoAponte6) September 16, 2014"

"

Seriously so tired of @WWEBrayWyatt's act. It's stale. He is so boring. @WWE @VinceMcMahon @TripleH @StephMcMahon #RAW

— Jimmy Glenn (@JimmyGlenn711) September 16, 2014"

"

Great, but STALE. Same thing every time. RT @JaimsVanDerBeek: Bray Wyatt does a great promo. I NEVER listen to them anymore.

— The Steel Cage (@thesteelcage) September 16, 2014"

As of this writing, Wyatt is not advertised to compete at WWE Night of Champions. If this stands, it would mark the first time since Hell in a Cell in October of 2013 that Wyatt has not competed on a WWE pay-per-view.

This may seem like an alarming sign, but it’s not—Wyatt has already feuded with every top babyface in the promotion.

CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho, The Shield and John Cena have all had run-ins with Wyatt. He’s long overdue for some kind of layoff.

Had this been the territory era, Wyatt’s run with WWE would have ended in grand fashion at WrestleMania XXX before leaving to frighten children in Championship Wrestling from Florida.

Wyatt’s conspicuous absence from Night of Champions seems to justify growing sentiments for him to evolve his character. But Wyatt’s character isn’t the problem.

Wyatt is invested in his onscreen persona more than any WWE Superstar on the roster. He even views WWE’s promotional interviews with news media, typically done out-of-character, as an opportunity to showcase his performance art propaganda.

A recent stop at KATC in Lafayette, Louisiana, featured Wyatt in character as the anchors awkwardly tried and failed to conduct an interview with Windham Rotunda (Wyatt’s real name). When asked about his third-generation roots in pro wrestling, Wyatt dryly responded, “My father was the war and my mother was the society that reinforced it. Family is whoever I love, you know? Where I lay my head is home, and that's all."

They were off and running after that gem. Video of the interview went viral almost immediately, receiving coverage from several wrestling news outlets.

The stir, caused by an otherwise harmless local interview, proved that Wyatt’s character was alive and well. Wyatt is too dedicated to his craft to allow it to die.

Any potential problems with Wyatt have more to do with exposure.

The Reality Era is an enemy to overexposure and overnight success. For every fan rallying to see up-and-coming stars get “pushed,” there are thousands lining up to condemn those same stars for becoming too mainstream. It’s an unwritten rule of counterculture.

Rising star Roman Reigns has become another sacrificial lamb to social media since his ascent up the WWE roster:

"

Roman Reigns is being pushed too hard. He has gotten to the point where his character is stale, boring, same moves every freakin match.

— ChicagoPunkRampaiger (@AnDreNicolai_13) September 12, 2014"

"

And of course Roman Reigns closes off the show. Still think he'll be more stale than Cena within a year. #RAW #RAW1100

— Aaron Hovardas (@AaronHovardas) June 26, 2014"

"

Roman Reigns just gets more boring every week. He needs to start losing matches. He better lose this Sunday. #RAW

— Mark's Asian Friend (@JoeMarsden94) September 16, 2014"

Tough crowd.

Reigns will have an uphill battle with the vocal minority moving forward, but it’s best that both he and Wyatt embrace these sentiments, especially Wyatt.

The more the hardcore fans start to turn on Wyatt, the closer he is to becoming a more traditional heel who does not garner support from anyone. This is a good thing.

Wyatt is a lunatic. He talks of world domination and changing society to fit his own questionable agenda. If you find it’s becoming difficult to comprehend what he’s talking about, it’s because you’re not a lunatic. Wyatt needs to continue on the path he’s on to realize his full potential as a heel. After all, he’s just getting started.

Given the oversaturation of WWE programming in today’s climate, it’s easy to forget the Wyatt character is just entering his second year on the main roster. The idea that his character should evolve so early into his career is ludicrous. Reality Era or not, there’s plenty of time for that.

Undertaker, who seamlessly evolved several times throughout his legendary career, didn’t even change the color of his gloves until his fourth year. Too many evolutions too early would compromise Wyatt’s credibility.

The awkward energy Wyatt manufactured in the studio of KATC made the anchors visibly uncomfortable, yet it intrigued at the same time. As a performer and a character, that’s his goal. And if fans are willing to log on to Twitter to lash out at Wyatt, he is accomplishing that goal. 

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