Best Booking Options for Bray Wyatt on Road to WWE Battleground 2015

At WWE Battleground, "The Reaper of Souls" will return to the squared circle when Bray Wyatt meets Roman Reigns in one of the night's higher-profile bouts.

For the third-generation star, 2015 has hardly been the year he expected. A strong showing in the Royal Rumble match gave way to inconsistent booking and lackluster rivalries with Undertaker and Ryback. He has lost more than he has won and his once-unique and intriguing character is in danger of becoming a caricature.

WWE Creative has let him down tremendously over the last six or seven months, leading to Wyatt's status as one of the most disappointing stars of the past half-year.

That can all change with some improved booking ahead of his match with Reigns on July 19 in St. Louis.

But what are the best options available to WWE Creative?

An Element of Danger

In nearly every rivalry he has been a part of, Wyatt has promised a wave of new evil or fear that will sweep over WWE. And in every instance, he has failed.

Worse yet, he never delivers on half of the threats he makes. Instead, he comes across as someone who talks a good game but fails to back it up.

With the match against Reigns figuring to be one of the highest-profile bouts on the Battleground card, that must change. No one can take Wyatt seriously if he never backs up any of his threats. There is never a sense of danger or any realism to anything he says because nothing ever happens.

Part of the reason Undertaker succeeded to the degree that he did was because he played mind games with opponents, promising harsh or severe consequences and then actually delivering them.

To this point, Wyatt has not, and it has hurt him severely.

The threats directed at Reigns' daughter should pay off in some form or fashion, either with a live appearance by the child in which she is tormented by Wyatt or a pre-taped segment from Reigns' Florida home.

Expand the program past the current boundaries of Creative, and you will have a story that will not only help restore credibility in the Wyatt character but also add some sizzle to the rivalry with Reigns, thus making their upcoming match more meaningful.

More Ring Time

The lack of television time Wyatt has had when it comes to his in-ring performance in 2015 has been staggering. Sure, he works weekend house shows, but he has not appeared in nearly as many Raw and SmackDown matches as his peers.

Does that help preserve some of the aura around him, helping to make his pay-per-view matches somewhat more important? Maybe.

But it also prevents him from rebuilding after a loss. Instead of picking up wins and building momentum, he is relegated to cutting pre-taped promos, rambling on about society and becoming more and more like a caricature of himself in the process.

The heart of the wrestling industry is the actual wrestling itself. Put Wyatt in the ring and let him pick up quality, clean wins over stars like Dolph Ziggler, Neville and Cesaro—guys who will not be harmed by a loss.

He would regain some of the confidence of the fans, all the while working with some of the most talented wrestlers in the world. By the time the match with Reigns rolls around, he would have momentum on his side from an in-ring perspective and likely produce a better match.

Bring Up the Losses

One of the biggest weaknesses of the Wyatt character is how he has lost matches and entire rivalries, but it never seems to affect him. He moves right on to the next guy, spouting the same nonsense he has become synonymous with as if nothing ever happened.

It does not matter how evil or deranged a villain is, cracks in their demeanor begin to show at some point when things do not go according to their diabolical plan. See: Bane late in The Dark Knight Rises.

The point is, Wyatt has seen every attempt to unleash evil thwarted at one time or another to the point where it should be affecting him in some way.

He did allude to the fact that Reigns was inches away from seizing a reward he felt was his. Why not play on that? Why not mention that the losses are piling up, that Wyatt's chances to bring dark days to WWE are fading and he holds a privileged guy like Reigns responsible for it?

Add layers to the character by bringing it more into focus.

The Wyatt character has been wildly erratic to this point. Tighten it up, refocus it and both the performer as well as his current program will benefit exponentially.