Booking Bray Wyatt's WWE Return Run, Latest AEW Backstage Turmoil, More Quick Takes

Yet another exciting and newsworthy week in wrestling was capped off by the highly-anticipated return of Bray Wyatt, who closed out WWE Extreme Rules with one of the coolest comebacks in recent history.

With Triple H now running things creatively in the company, Wyatt will indeed have the whole world in his hands going forward. How WWE decides to follow up on his monumental moment and maintain his momentum is crucial, however.

Despite producing an entertaining anniversary edition of Dynamite, AEW didn't have nearly as positive of a week due to the legitimate backstage brawl between Sammy Guevara and Andrade El Idolo dominating the headlines and hurting the promotion's public perception even more.

The powers that be at AEW will surely have their work cut out for them going forward in an effort to move past this latest PR disaster, and putting on the best product possible will be one way of accomplishing that.

This installment of Quick Takes will discuss AEW desperately needing to put its house in order, why Seth Rollins should be the next United States champion, Damage CTRL's next steps, and more.

How to Ensure Babyface Bray Has a Successful Run

At long last, Bray Wyatt is back where he belongs in WWE and feels like a massive star right out of the gate.

Wyatt's merchandise numbers were consistently high throughout his original run with the company and he was almost always positioned toward the top of the card. However, it was nearly impossible to care about his character by the end after the many times WWE had dropped the ball with him.

He was somehow able to withstand all of that bad booking and return to a thunderous reaction at Extreme Rules. No indication was given as far as what's next for him, but that's where WWE must tread carefully to avoid running into the same pitfalls that previously did him in.

First and foremost, Bray Wyatt's gimmick isn't one that needs a world title attached to it. He should also be a babyface for the foreseeable future since fans will want to cheer him, so finding the right rival for him will be crucial.

Another stable, playing off all the talk of his Twitter username "Windham 6", is a possibility provided each of the members make sense. Either way, he'll finally have a chance to utilize his complete creativity as opposed to having it stifled by someone who doesn't share the same vision.

The White Rabbit viral campaign was such a success that the bar will be set high in his first few months back. Now it's Triple H's turn to make him the special attraction (a la The Undertaker) he should have been years ago.

AEW's Battle of the Belts Specials Have Never Meant Less

AEW's announcement last year that there would be quarterly Saturday night specials on TNT throughout 2022 was met with optimism from fans.

The first Battle of the Belts in January was fairly tame and featured no championships changing hands. Although Sammy Guevara beat Scorpio Sky to win the AEW TNT Championship on the second special, that also wasn't very eventful otherwise.

The third installment was a bit better and saw Claudio Castagnoli and Konosuke Takeshita tear it up for the ROH World Championship, but the most recent fourth Battle of the Belts on Saturday night was a waste of time all things considered.

Unless more effort it put into making Battle of the Belts more of a must-see event with marquee matches, then they're better off scrapped from the calendar all together.

Most matchups that have happened at the event this year haven't been much different than what can be seen on an ordinary average episode of Rampage. The in-ring action has always delivered, but the lack of title changes sends the message that the hour is inconsequential and viewers aren't missing anything of note if they don't tune in.

Even with all of the content AEW currently boasts in a given year, there are still countless competitors who have fallen under the radar and aren't showcased as much as they should be. Ideally, Battle of the Belts should alleviate that issue, but it's had the opposite effect up to this point and has added nothing of value whatsoever.

Seth Rollins Is the Right Person to Dethrone Bobby Lashley as United States Champion

It was telling that WWE announced Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins for the United States Championship one week out for the "season premiere" of Raw despite Rollins already having a Fight Pit match scheduled for Extreme Rules over the weekend.

Lashley beat Rollins last month with help from Matt Riddle to retain the title. It wouldn't be logical to hold a rematch only for Rollins to lose clean again, which is why all signs point to him walking out of Monday's Raw the new champ.

The All Mighty has taken on all comers since beating Austin Theory for the title at Money in the Bank. He's been a recurring highlight on Raw alongside Rollins all year, and if Rollins can't capture or contend for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship any time soon, the star-spangled belt is a perfectly fine consolation prize.

They've had a handful of matches in the past but never a full-fledged feud, so their upcoming clash could be what kicks that off. A title change would also add to the excitement Monday's Raw is bound to bring.

Raw has an incredibly deep roster Rollins can eventually defend against with Johnny Gargano being chief among them.

Can Damage CTRL Be Redeemed Following Bayley's Loss to Bianca Belair?

Heading into Extreme Rules, the odds certainly seemed to favor Bayley in her Ladder match with Bianca Belair for the Raw Women's Championship. Along with Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky, she has been running rampant over Raw's women's division since SummerSlam and Saturday was her chance to make Damage CTRL entirely golden.

Belair emerging victorious was surprising albeit not necessarily the wrong call. She has been an excellent champion since WrestleMania 38 and can continue to hold the title until her reign grows stale.

Bayley's loss does beg the question of what's next for her along with the rest of Damage CTLR. They haven't been booked the best so far and this setback doesn't do them many favors.

Bayley doesn't need Raw Women's champion for Damage CTRL to be a successful act. They already have the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, and Bayley can continue to chase the Raw Women's Championship for a little while longer.

Ultimately, all roads should lead to Damage CTRL winning WarGames at Survivor Series to ensure they don't lose all of their current credibility.

AEW Continues to Take One Step Forward, Two Steps Back with Backstage Turmoil

AEW had its anniversary edition of Dynamite last Wednesday, and on paper, it was shaping up to be a solid show set to be headlined by Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara.

Unfortunately, the show immediately became an afterthought once TMZ broke the news that Guevara and Andrade El Idolo were involved in a backstage altercation earlier that evening following their embarrassing exchange on Twitter that Tuesday.

All of this transpired just over a month after AEW's All Out media scrum debacle involving CM Punk and The Elite, which caused all parties involved to be suspended indefinitely. The buzz surrounding the promotion was already negative and this latest PR nightmare has made matters infinitely worse.

To the company's credit, they've moved forward to the best of their ability on television by putting forth an enjoyably product. That's why it's such a shame the continued backstage turmoil has overshadowed all of it.

This has been said ad nauseum over the last month, but AEW won't be able to get anything going again until it can put its house in order. This is in addition to all the talk pertaining to certain talents wanting out and Tony Khan reportedly not granting any contractual releases.

AEW's roster is too talented to be tainted by simple slip-ups and silly situations that can easily be avoided if appropriate action is taken.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.