Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt Feud Must Lead to the Deadman Passing the Torch

Bray Wyatt has to snatch the crown from the head of The Undertaker to become WWE's next king of darkness. 

Their feud is the perfect chance for Undertaker to make Wyatt his heir, one sinister, supernatural force giving way to another. WWE missed out on that opportunity at WrestleMania, but after Hell in a Cell, their narrative has started again. And the tale must be about transference, taking over, a passing of the torch.

At Hell in a Cell, once the cage lifted and the triumphant Brock Lesnar had left with blood stuck to his gloves, Undertaker struggled to stand. The beating he took that night made him strain to get to the ropes and wince as he pulled himself up.

The Beast Incarnate had not ripped the fight from him. The Deadman would still rise. But he had not fought his last battle of the evening.

The Wyatt Family encircled him and bashed him into the mat before carrying him off like some statue stolen from the enemy.

It's clear that WWE has Survivor Series in mind. Not only does the size of the Wyatt clan beg for the group to be featured in a traditional elimination match, but WWE is presenting the pay-per-view as a celebration of The Phenom.

WWE has to think beyond that. It has to be thinking of how Undertaker's exit plan can catapult The Man of 1,000 Truths.

Wyatt is one of the most promising wrestlers on the roster but is too often a monster who fails to devour his prey. He spends months talking about the horror he's going to inflict on a man who ultimately just beats him.

John Cena, Daniel Bryan and, after Hell in a Cell, Roman Reigns all trounced The Eater of Worlds. Wyatt also fell to the Undertaker, their brief feud leading up to WrestleMania coming to an end with the monster looking no stronger.

Keep failing like this, and his threats will eventually become meaningless.

While Reigns charges forward with victory after victory, Wyatt is still in search of a springboard. Undertaker is the ideal fit for that role. The parallels between the two characters create a poetic battle of similar entities.

Credit: WWE.com

Undertaker, a lightning-summoning, casket-dwelling warrior, facing a man like Wyatt feels like a father battling his own son. Wyatt should be the next Undertaker, the character who delves into the supernatural, who is portrayed as an immortal battling flesh-and-blood men.

Now after injuring Randy Orton, Wyatt should take down his predecessor. 

It makes sense that only a devil-like being like Wyatt would be the one to finally keep The Deadman on his back. After all, Wyatt's nickname The New Face of Fear is a direct reference to Undertaker. Let him earn that title by doing what he couldn't at WrestleMania: end the Undertaker.

When Undertaker finally limps off into the sunset, WWE has to have him elevate someone as he exits. Putting over Lesnar as the alpha male of the squared circle's jungle doesn't count. Who knows how long he will be around.

Wyatt, on the other hand, is a potential building block for the next era.

His mic skills have drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Jake Roberts. His in-ring performances have been flush with full-throttle violence. Hulk Hogan said of Wyatt in an interview with Chad Dukes (h/t FanSided), "This guy's gonna be red hot."

To commit to him is wise. And nothing says commitment like offering him the role of the man who put down Undertaker.

As for how to build this new chapter, pro wrestling writer Kevin Berge offered a way to connect the first feud with this one: 

There's a chance here to have Wyatt's quest for revenge be his crowning achievement. Feed him The Deadman to make him stronger. Let him brag about stealing the Undertaker's soul.

WWE's writing team has a wealth of options in front of it with this tale, offering up the ability to go stranger, darker and more mystical than the typical wrestling feud.

Two generations of mysterious gunslingers are counting out their paces again. This can be a career-defining showdown for Wyatt. And in the end, the smartest route is to have him shoot the black-clad hero in the back and cackle over his fallen body.