New Day vs. Wyatt Family: Full Predictions for WWE's Latest Feud

For WWE, pitting The New Day against The Wyatt Family will be like pouring gunpowder on an open flame. There will be an explosion, and it will be stunning.

A compelling juxtaposition of characters, timing and smart booking will make this clash between the tag team champions and WWE's resident monsters one of the biggest hits of the year.

Bray Wyatt finally returned from injury on Monday's Raw, bringing his army of bruisers with him. The Eater of Worlds had been out of action since hurting his calf in April. With him gone, WWE decided to take Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman off TV as well.

Within moments of Wyatt's arrival, fans knew just what WWE had planned for him and his "family." The New Day sauntered out onto the entrance ramp and bickered with the heels.  

In that short segment, the company did well to spark the audience's interest in what's ahead for both teams. 

The New Day has struggled to find proper foils during its lengthy title reign. Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E have been plenty entertaining on their own, but WWE hasn't matched them up with foes who bring out their best nearly often enough.

That changed on Monday night.

Fitting Rivals

The New Day has gained a vocal following by way of gyrations and goofiness, by embracing the silly side of wrestling. The trio wears colors one expects to see in a bowl of candy. The babyfaces have worn unicorn horns on their heads and have sung to cereal.

The Wyatt Family couldn't be more different than the champs.

Wyatt, Rowan and Strowman (and the injured Luke Harper) are scraggly, brooding predators. They come off as part cult, part swamp militia.

That stark difference will be key to this feud's success. It's an odd, intriguing pairing.

Former WWE Creative member Alex Greenfield wrote of it:

Count on it being brilliant. The entertainment value of seeing such disparate entities together is powerful enough. But this is also an ideal feud for the champions.

The New Day will be forced to be more serious and more intense than usual. That will up the stakes of the group's battles. It will provide a good balance of humor and animosity, wisecracks and fang-bearing.

The End of a Reign

The WWE announcers continue to bring up just how long The New Day has held on to the tag team titles. That will only increase as the trio closes in on history.

As of now, The New Day has worn those prized belts for over 300 days, per WWE.com. The group is now less than a month away from surpassing Brian Kendrick and Paul London's record of 334 days.

Given how popular the group has been and how powerful a narrative tool breaking records is, it's looking more and more like a safe bet that The New Day will set a new mark for longest reign.

Justin LaBar, host of Chair Shot Reality, is among those who believe The New Day is a good fit for that feat: 

Look for The Wyatt Family to pounce just as The New Day crosses that finish line. Wyatt and his followers will provide the champs with a major test just before the 334-day threshold has been crossed. 

Then it will be time to position a new team on the throne. The Wyatt Family will fell The New Day, taking its spot atop the division. There needs to be a fresh champion at this point.

Having The New Day go back to chase mode will invigorate it, giving the team a fresh energy.

Catapulting Wyatt's Crew

The Wyatt Family has long been one of the most underused and neglected acts. A stable capable of being engrossing maulers has too often been asked to stumble.

Facing The New Day is a shot at gaining much-needed momentum.

The A.V. Club's Kyle Fowle wrote of the feud, "It could be just what The Wyatt Family needs. If they can knock off New Day and assert their dominance, it will not only establish them as real threats, but it will give New Day even more babyface fire."

Fowle was spot-on here.

At this point, The New Day feels unbeatable. The champs have fended off everyone from The Club to The Usos. They have battled in Fatal 4-Way bouts and ladder matches. They are closing in on a full year as titleholders.

Should The Wyatt Family be the ones to finally to pry the gold from The New Day's grip, that victory will be mighty significant.

Credit: WWE.com

Plus, fans will be hooked en route to that result. The promos between these two squads promise to be superb. The matches have the potential to follow suit.

This rivalry is The Wyatt Family's ticket to making its mark on WWE, and tossing these antithetical gladiators into the same arena will prove to be one of the company's smartest moves of 2016.