WWE Survivor Series 2013: Wyatt Family Shows Great Promise in Loss

The Wyatt Family didn't need a win at WWE Survivor Series 2013 to show fans that their future is one swamped with greatness.

Against two of the company's best, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper looked like they belonged. Those brutes served notice that WWE's future is not solely going to be made up of speedy athletes like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan; monsters will have their place as well.

Roman Reigns' spear buffet will get plenty of the headlines, as will the Randy Orton and John Cena showdown that closed the show. Harper and Rowan, though, deserve some accolades and attention, too.

Their in-ring pay-per-view debut began with Rowan stalking Bryan. Bryan skirted around the ring, Rowan's shadow enveloping him. Bryan tried to kick the big man down—and later on, so did Punk—but the bearded brutes wrestled back the advantage.

Harper had Punk in the corner, chopping away at his chest as if he was trying to wedge his hand in between Punk's ribs.

There was a compelling viciousness throughout the battle. Harper and Rowan were disturbingly destructive and difficult to look away from whether they were hitting uppercuts that produced a whiplash effect or looking as if they were trying to disassemble their opponents.

There was no convoluted booking, no big surprises and use of weaponry. This was simply a hard-hitting throwback tag team match.

It almost felt like it was 1988 again, with Terry Gordy teaming with Stan Hansen to wreck havoc in Japan.

Hall of Famer Jim Ross appreciated the match's simplicity and praised it as a whole.

Harper and Rowan didn't go the way of Fandango debuting against Chris Jericho or The Shield beginning with an undefeated streak, but a loss against two top stars can build momentum if those who are defeated are made to look like terrors along the way.

The Wyatt Family never felt like the underdogs despite their much shorter resumes. They felt more like intimidating obstacles that Punk and Bryan were lucky to overcome.

Punk spent much of the night on the defensive, his chest and back as red as boiled crawfish. Bryan took some heavy blows as well, including Harper transforming an attempted hurricanrana into a powerbomb that shook the ring.

Jake Roberts remarked on how well The Wyatt Family looked against two former WWE champs.

After as intensely as Harper and Rowan fought, as dominant as they were for most of the action, it's much easier to imagine Harper taking on Cena, Sheamus or Orton at some point. In the nearer future, based on the excitement those powerful men brought to the ring, it makes the inevitable The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family battle even more enticing.

Harper and Rowan both took big strides in their WWE careers.

They proved they were more than worthy of being in a prominent spot at a major pay-per-view and worthy of going up against elite talent. As Steve Austin proved after WrestleMania 13, a loss can catapult a Superstar forward.

The Wyatt Family is set to repeat that pattern, gaining ground without victory, impressing in defeat.