Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Not Getting Weird Enough with Bray Wyatt, Goldust

1. Further into the Bizarre

Nothing involving Bray Wyatt and Goldust should be banal.

Wyatt is a soapbox preacher with a god complex, a monster born in the backwoods. Goldust is a gold-painted megalomaniac obsessed with the movie business. They are WWE Raw's two strangest characters.

Yet their current stories are both not nearly indicative enough of that. 

Wyatt's feud with Seth Rollins has been tepid, far too reliant on esoteric rhetoric with little to back it up. Goldust's rivalry with R-Truth has been creative in showcasing The Bizarre One's love of film but hasn't realized the potential of that narrative.

To make both tales more interesting and get more out of both stars, things have to get much odder. Raw's writers need to enter their office in a sleep-deprived state after watching hours of David Lynch movies and staring at Francis Bacon paintings.

We haven't seen any of Wyatt's supernatural side during his meetings with Rollins thus far.

The two rivals have traded speeches. Wyatt took a hike through the desert. And that's it.

All the lightning, teleportation, Wyatt Family compound clashes and eerie mind games from past feuds are nowhere to be found. It's no wonder Wyatt and Rollins' feud feels so flat ahead of their matchup at Sunday's Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view.

As Scott Carlson of WhatCulture wrote of Rollins vs. Wyatt: "Looking at the lineup for Sunday’s PPV, nearly every other matchup has more of a compelling backstory to it."

That's nuts considering everything Wyatt's character offers WWE Creative to play with. The Eater of Worlds has a mysterious figure from his past in the form of Sister Abigail. He has seen his cult disintegrate in the past few months. He has been a ghost and a necromancer.

Credit: WWE.com

None of that is making its way into the story with Rollins.

Raw has to embrace what SmackDown did with Wyatt. As much as the House of Horrors match against Randy Orton was panned by many critics, that rivalry was never this underwhelming. It took chances; it toyed with convention.

WWE should be doing just that with Wyatt and Goldust.

Goldust's reveal of his "masterpiece," The Shattered Truth, on Monday's Raw was more safe than stunning. The film showed him beating on R-Truth and posing for the camera.

This could have been far more interesting, ventured further outside the box.

The feud hasn't gained the kind of traction it could have. It hasn't created newsworthy moments. It hasn't fully embraced how eccentric Goldust is.

The state of the story led PWTorch columnist Greg Parks to wonder whether WWE Creative has run out of gas:

Meanwhile, on SmackDown, Breezango has been the highlight of the show with its Fashion Files segments. Tyler Breeze has taken to cross-dressing for the sake of disguise. He and Fandango have paid tribute to film noir and Miami Vice. They have made the blue brand their sandbox, and it's been a blast to watch.

Wyatt and Goldust's stories could use that same all-in, off-the-wall approach. Their characters beg for experimentation and idiosyncrasies. 

2. The Bulgarian Brute in Search of Victory

Shortly after Rusev returned to SmackDown on Tuesday, a bout with a familiar foe was on the docket. The former United States champion will face John Cena in a Flag match at Battleground on July 23.

That's not exactly the safest way to start claiming victories again.

The Bulgarian Brute, because of injury and being pushed down the card before that, has not celebrated many wins of late. He hasn't won a televised match since February, and his last pay-per-view win came a year ago at the 2016 edition of Battleground against Zack Ryder, per CageMatch.net.

And his record against Cena suggests Rusev isn't going to start catching fire.

After beating Cena at Fastlane 2015, he lost three consecutive bouts to the powerhouse. A fourth would be no surprise.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: 1st Ambulance Match

The battle Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman will have at Great Balls of Fire will continue a tradition that Mike Awesome introduced to the wrestling world.

The former ECW champ introduced himself to the WCW landscape in 2000 by taking on the company's biggest names in a series of Ambulance matches. The first of those came in May of that year against Sting, on WCW Thunder of all places:

That inaugural ambulance-centered contest only barely lasted three minutes. It was just a taste of what that concept could be. Strowman vs. Reigns will have no issue outshining it.

4. Live Wire on the Way from New Zealand

The upcoming WWE women's tournament is set to showcase a kick artiste in Dakota Kai (formerly Evie). As announced on WWE.com, Kai will join the growing Mae Young Classic field.

The Auckland, New Zealand, native will soon show a wider group of fans what crowds in her home country, Japan and Shimmer Women Athletes events have already experienced.

Kai is a quick, energetic wrestler. She has a dizzying array of kicks in her arsenal. She's fun, charismatic and can handle herself in a slugfest.

She's poised to be one of the breakout stars of the Mae Young Classic.

5. The Rainmaker at Raw

The world's best pro wrestler today was at WWE Raw, but as a guest, not a member of the roster.

New Japan Pro Wrestling headliner and IWGP world champion Kazuchika Okada visited the red brand after wrestling in California for two days. He took photos with NJPW alumnus Finn Balor:

That's plenty to get fans speculating about Okada making a move to WWE despite how much he's talked about wanting to stay in Japan. 

It's hard not to envision all the dream matches that would be possible with that switch too. Okada vs. Cena. Okada vs. Samoa Joe. Okada vs. Reigns. Damn. 

6. The Herbert Meltzer Driver

The Young Bucks honored wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer's father, Herbert, who died Sunday morning, with a touch of flight.

The Ring of Honor world tag champs hit a special version of their Meltzer Driver at the NJPW G1 Special in Long Beach, California. Matt Jackson then mouthed, "Herbert, that was for you."

The brothers didn't hit the move perfectly, but this was still a touching tribute. It's not often a Tombstone Piledriver hits you right in the heart.

7. A Psycho Killer Playlist

It looks as if it will be a long time before fans see Tommaso Ciampa clubbing someone in the ring again.

The former #DIY member's ACL injury will apparently keep him out of action until next year. Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported: "We're told the current medical estimate given to WWE is that he'll be on the sideline until March 2018."

In the meantime, check out some of his best work at WWE and elsewhere for your Psycho Killer fix:

• Tommaso Ciampa vs. Adam Cole: ROH Defy or Deny 2011
• Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dalton Castle: Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Battle of Los Angeles 2016
• Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano: Cruiserweight Classic
• #DIY vs. The Revival: NXT TakeOver: Toronto (2-out-of-3 Falls)
• #DIY vs. The Authors of Pain: NXT Takeover: Chicago (Ladder)

The timing of Ciampa's injury is unfortunate, as he and Johnny Gargano were set to have the feud of the year. While waiting for him to return, WWE would be wise to keep Ciampa fresh in fans' minds in his absence, showing clips of him kneeing folks in the jaw and letting him spew his hatred for Gargano into a microphone.

8. Bayley's Slump

A transition is underway for Bayley as she slides down the Raw food chain.

Bayley has lost every match since dropping the Raw women's title at Payback in April. Her last singles win came way back at WrestleMania 33. She is on a five-match losing streak in non-tag team competition, per CageMatch.net.

More noteworthy than that number, though, is how she's losing.

Bayley's foes are dominating her. Alexa Bliss whipped her at Payback. Bayley offered little resistance against Nia Jax in June 26's Gauntlet match. And on Monday's Raw, Jax flattened her, forcing The Huggable One to leave the ringside area, meaning Sasha Banks had to fight alone.

Credit: WWE.com

All of this better lead to a redemption story for Bayley. If WWE just doling out emphatic defeats with no clear plan, it's making a mistake.

A lengthy losing streak, during which Bayley is overrun by her competition, is the surest way to put out her fire, one that burned so brightly at NXT.

9. KO Would Kill It as a Commentator

When Kevin Owens is done wrestling, he would be an all-time great announcer if he chose to go that route.

The United States champ has the sharp tongue and quick wit to be a stellar heel commentator. He provided more evidence of that on Tuesday's SmackDown when he helped call the Battle Royal to determine who would face him at Battleground.

His disdain for his fellow announcers seeped through the screen.

He had a multitude of great lines, including his response to tag team partners Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder's faceoff. "It would be great if they collided mid-ring and they both exploded," he said. 

The apoplectic reaction he had when Rawley ousted Ryder was a work of art.

KO is funny and charismatic. He's miles more entertaining from the announce desk than John "Bradshaw" Layfield. As soon as Owens' in-ring days are over, WWE has to try to lock him into a lengthy contract at the booth.

10. Black on Mental Health

When one conjures up the image of a mental health advocate, NXT star Aleister Black doesn't likely come to mind.

He's a tattoo-covered sneering warrior, a wrestler adorned with an occult-themed gimmick. But don't let the look fool you; Black is introspective, philosophical and empathetic.

On actor Stevie Ryan's death, Black tweeted:

The Dutch bruiser used his platform to send out a message about counseling, to help diminish the stigma of seeking help. As much as social media is infuriating, it's also a place where a few words from a notable name can make a resounding positive impact.