The Wyatt Family Teases Imminent Face Turn with Defiance of McMahons

For The Wyatt Family, the January 11 episode of Raw may prove pivotal to their future in World Wrestling Entertainment. It was on that night the seeds were planted for a potential babyface turn that would not only inject them with some much-needed energy, but it could reinvigorate the act after months of building toward headline matches only to lose in the end.

Their actions on that episode of Raw may have been understated, but they were based in the defiance of Vince and Stephanie McMahon and, if followed up in even the slightest, could catapult the faction to its greatest heights.

It all began early in the broadcast as Vince and Stephanie McMahon were running down the list of Superstars capable of unseating Roman Reigns in the Royal Rumble match. Suddenly, The Wyatt Family bumper cut them off and the faction appeared at ringside, refusing to allow the most powerful father-daughter duo in the industry to forget that they are in the major championship bout.

If that had been the only instance of Bray Wyatt and his faithful followers defying and disrespecting the McMahon family, it would have been an anomaly and completely forgettable. No one would have thought anything of it. 

But it was not.

Fast-forward to the show-closing segment in which Vince and Stephanie introduced 14 Superstars to combat Roman Reigns. Late in the match, 10 of those men rushed the squared circle and laid into Reigns. More interesting than the beatdown ensuing inside the ring was the fearsome foursome standing idly by at ringside, blatantly ignoring the wishes of The Authority.

There was Bray Wyatt, surrounded by Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman, standing absolutely still and watching the events unfold before them, refusing to join in at the behest of the owner of the company.

While it was subtle, not focused on by the commentary team or the cameramen, the actions of The Wyatt Family are reminiscent of a theme the faction was once built on.

"Down with the machine," Wyatt would say early in his run with the main roster. At a time when Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were rising to power, becoming the hated Authority, some assumed Wyatt's message would put him and his family on a collision course with the power couple. But it never happened. Instead, Bray and company became heels, working with every major babyface and losing the majority of those matches.

With a rash of injuries threatening the star power on the roster, it is a wise decision for WWE to revisit the themes that could lead to the faction becoming immensely popular. Fans already want to cheer the edgy characters involved in The Wyatt Family. They throw their flashlight apps on and raise their cell phones high in the air every time the foursome comes through the curtain, eager to enjoy the moment.

Having exhausted matches against every headline babyface in the company at this point, why not make the necessary change and allow the members of the group to go on a run as antiheroes, defiant in the face of authority and determined to bring about the change they prophesied three years ago?

One more piece of evidence from that broadcast suggests that may be the case sooner than later.

It was no accident that The Wyatts opposed new heel faction The Social Outcasts midway through the Raw broadcast. Rarely does the company promote a heel vs. heel match, so there was some sort of thought put into going that direction.

Sure, Ryback interfered and chased off Bray and his followers, but that was simply a misdirect, a reminder that whatever may happen with the group is not quite happening just yet. Instead, it will occur over time, a slow build to a masterful payoff if, or when, it finally does come to pass.

With nothing else to accomplish as heels, The Wyatt Family will turn babyface in the near future, if for no other reason than they kind of have to. Their defiance of the McMahon family on Monday night may help to ignite the flame that carries them into the future, the most unlikely heroes of the PG Era.

If that is the case, prepare yourself for fun television, the likes of which fans have not been exposed to in years.