Projecting How Bray Wyatt's Leg Injury Impacts Wyatt Family Booking

Without Bray Wyatt to lead them, expect The Wyatt Family to fade into the darkness for the time being.

The Eater of Worlds is the heart of that faction. If he's only able to provide diatribes, not destruction, WWE is sure to make the group less of a priority.

Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman will be waiting just as impatiently as Wyatt himself for his leg to heal.

Wyatt joined the long list of WWE Superstars on the mend when he suffered a calf injury during a live event in Italy last week, as WWE announced on its official website. Pro Wrestling MMA provided footage of the injury occurring:

There has been no word on how severely Wyatt is hurt, but if he misses significant time, WWE will essentially press pause with The Wyatt Family.

Yes, a hobbled Wyatt can still play the leader, still serve as the group's mouthpiece, but to what end? The New Face of Fear would be hyping a feud that would end in The Wyatt Family's two least talented members providing the in-ring action.

If Luke Harper weren't hurt, things would be different. Harper could step up as the interim leader, get the bulk of the ring time and be the centerpiece of a storyline. But the big man is poised to be gone for a long while. 

PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported in March, "Harper's knee injury is worse than originally feared and he is now expected out for five to six months."

Before Wyatt got hurt, The Wyatt Family was in the midst of a babyface turn. A burgeoning feud with The League of Nations had begun to unfold. If Wyatt's injury is as significant as it looks, count on WWE pushing that rivalry to the side.

What would be the climax without Wyatt?

Suddenly, the expected three-against-three battle is not in the cards. A bout featuring Rowan and Strowman vs. Sheamus and Rusev has minimal appeal. Strowman getting a singles opportunity against one of those heels would be even less thrilling. 

The Wyatt Family is now missing its two most talented and compelling members. That will force the group to slide downward on the card for now.

It won't help that WWE has to carve out space on the stage for the newly arrived Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, that both The Vaudevillains and Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady are still being introduced to the WWE audience. In addition, the company has repacked Epico and Primo as arrogant Puerto Rican patriots. They are bound to take up spotlight, too.

All that new blood in the tag team division spells doom for Rowan and Strowman.

Although, it doesn't have to. This situation is a chance to have Wyatt play more of a puppet-master role and to have Strowman grow as a performer. But don't count on that happening.

Justin LaBar is among those doubtful WWE will build on what The Wyatt Family had cooking. He wrote for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Unless it's via satellite from the Wyatt swamp or WWE gets creative in its use of Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan, the only two healthy Wyatt Family members, then continuing the momentum from last week isn't going to happen."

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WWE struggled to book The Wyatt Family when everyone had two working legs. Expecting the writing team to have the requisite creativity to work around this latest setback is a recipe for disappointment. 

Rather, Rowan and Strowman's immediate fate is to put in work at house shows where they can provide depth on the card.

As for on TV, everyone from The Realest Guys in the Room to the former members of the Bullet Club will be higher on the food chain. The Wyatt Family is not nearly as special without its alpha male.