Bray Wyatt's Rumored Future Feud with Dolph Ziggler Would Be the Right Move

Bray Wyatt is a huntsman with nowhere to send his arrows, and Dolph Ziggler's armor would be an intriguing, creative target.

His battles with Chris Jericho now over with, Wyatt needs a new foe. WWE's rumored plans to pit him against The Showoff would result in compelling matches. It would also set up his potential path to the world title and is one of the company's best options for him.

According to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestling Inc), Ziggler and Wyatt are rumored to be in a feud together. The report also notes that while Wyatt is not scheduled for a match at Night of Champions, he could join the fun to do some angle to build to his new rivalry.

That's unexpected news.

It was hard to predict where Wyatt would go after defeating Jericho in a Steel Cage match on Monday's Raw. The stipulation and his post-bout beatdown seemed to point to the story reaching its climax.

Jericho got a spot on the Night of Champions card, battling Randy Orton. Wyatt was left out.

Who is left for him to torment?

Ziggler wouldn't have crossed many minds as a possibility. He already has a dance partner. He will be busy at the upcoming pay-per-view defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against The Miz.

A Ziggler-Wyatt feud just a few months ago wouldn't have been nearly as beneficial for the monster. Wyatt needs a higher-ranked opponent in order to move up. He's already done his demolishing of WWE's role players.

The Showoff recently occupied a low spot on the ladder, but an IC title run has shifted things for the better. With the addition of gold around his waist and a recent surge, Ziggler can now serve as formidable opposition.

Should Ziggler make it through Night of Champions with the belt, he'll be in need of a new challenger, just as Wyatt is in want of a new foil. It suddenly makes sense to pit them against each other.

WWE can be assured that the in-ring action between them will be fun to watch.

The Showman and the Destroyer

On Sept. 9, 2013, Wyatt was in the midst of tearing through WWE's lower tier. He met up with Ziggler on Raw, adding the former world champ to his list of victims.

If WWE goes through with this Wyatt-against-Ziggler plan, it can look back at that match and be confident in these men clashing again.

One thing on display that night was how fantastic a seller Ziggler is. He made everything Wyatt threw at him, from headbutts to clotheslines, look devastating. That will elevate any potential future matches they have.

What better way to highlight a man who tortures his opponents than by having him face one who makes each of his enemy's moves look like torture?

Credit: WWE.com

A longer, more hyped bout has great promise. One of Wyatt's best singles matches to date featured a faster, more athletic opponent in Daniel Bryan. The contrast in brutality and grace, power and agility that was such a big part of that Royal Rumble match would be at work again against Ziggler.

Maybe Ziggler survives their first match, escaping with a count-out loss or because Wyatt gets too violent and the referee disqualifies him. They could meet as part of opposing teams at Survivor Series before Wyatt finally crushes him at TLC.

A Ladder match for the IC belt where Wyatt is allowed to do the kind of damage he did against Cena at Payback and Ziggler thrills the way he did with ladders involved at TLC 2012 has show-stealer written all over it.

The drama, bent ladders and flesh-reddening blows that would come from that make it mighty appetizing.

Moving the Monster Up

The quality of Rusev's foes has increased with each step. He went from taking on Xavier Woods and R-Truth at Extreme Rules to meeting a former world champ in Mark Henry at Night of Champions. 

For Wyatt to achieve the same upward movement that Rusev is experiencing, he needs a worthy rival. Ziggler may come as a surprise as an option to play that part, but at second glance, he's one of the few viable choices at the moment.

Comb through the WWE roster for available babyfaces for Wyatt to face.

He's already feuded with Daniel Bryan, Jericho and Cena this year. Dean Ambrose will surely be seeking to put his hands around Seth Rollins' throat when he returns. Guys like Kofi Kingston, Adam Rose and Sin Cara are too far down the card to do Wyatt much good.

That essentially leaves Sheamus and Ziggler.

With either a collision with The Celtic Warrior or Ziggler, Wyatt would have the opportunity to claim a midcard championship. The former option promises more intense, physical battles, and the latter would lean more on a faster pace and emotional pull.

Both directions are smart. 

WWE may be thinking of having Cesaro knock off Sheamus, though. In that case, Wyatt can find higher rungs via the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Credit: WWE.com

The company has seemingly forgotten how successful the traditional route of winning a midcard title and then pursuing a world championship can be. Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio both won a world title early in their careers—one would argue too early.

Roman Reigns could be headed for that path as well.

Let Wyatt first win Ziggler's belt. Let his reign be a test run to see if he can be a main event talent. 

That method worked for men like Bret Hart, The Rock and The Ultimate Warrior. It's worth going back to. The world title picture can't fit every emerging star.

Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Cena, Orton and Reigns are all hovering around the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Rather than wait until there's a clear path on that scene for Wyatt to land, let him do his damage with a secondary title.

Ziggler will help assure the ride to his coronation will be mesmerizing. Wyatt's haunting mic work and merciless wrestling style will allow him to make his time on the throne worth remembering.