Regardless of Gimmick, Bray Wyatt Will Never Shake Damaged Goods Status in WWE

Bray Wyatt's weekly Firefly Fun House segments on Raw have had fans buzzing on social media, and understandably so. It's easily the most interesting Wyatt's character has been for some time, and there's no telling where it will lead.

Unfortunately, this cool gimmick came a few years too late. WWE had its chance to make him a threat when he arrived on the scene in 2013, but after having him endure so many losses to all of the top stars, he quickly became just another guy on the roster.

A character overhaul was long overdue for Wyatt, but it's unlikely he will ever be able to shake his status as damaged goods in WWE.

Credit: WWE.com

The company first went wrong with Wyatt by booking him to lose to John Cena at WrestleMania XXX. From there, it was unfortunately all downhill for him, as WWE never quite figured out how to properly utilize The New Face of Fear again.

From a failed feud with The Undertaker to a forgettable reign as WWE champion, Wyatt has been one of the most egregious examples of how badly WWE can drop the ball with certain characters. Although he proved he could talk the talk, he could never back up his promos whenever it mattered most rendering them pointless.

It's possible WWE has finally turned a new leaf with Wyatt and is determined to make this latest gimmick of his work, but none of the momentum he has built up with Firefly Fun House will mean anything if he can't deliver in the ring.

WWE undoubtedly deserves part of the blame for Wyatt's fall from grace over the past five years, but it should be noted that Wyatt has never been able to hold up his end of the bargain inside the squared circle, either.

As a result of WWE's heavy reliance on smoke and mirrors in Wyatt's matches, only a few of them have been particularly memorable for the right reasons. He had his best match on the main roster with Daniel Bryan at the 2014 Royal Rumble, and no bout he's been a part of since then has topped it.

Whether it was Cena, Undertaker, Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor or Randy Orton, Wyatt looked poor in defeat against all of them. Granted, his character could have limited what he could do between the ropes, and he's much better than we've been led to believe, but his track record in big-time matchups is far from stellar.

Once Firefly Fun House runs its course and Wyatt resurfaces on Raw, he will be back in the same spot he was in before: midcard purgatory. As intriguing as these vignettes have been, this gimmick doesn't appear to be main event material.

Wyatt could wind up surprising everyone by coming back as a totally different competitor. He could immediately set his sights on the Universal Championship, score victories over AJ Styles and Seth Rollins, and become the breakout star he should have been years ago.

Unfortunately, history has shown us that WWE doesn't see him as a top talent. Even if they did, his subpar work in the ring would prevent him from reaching that next level.

It's unknown what exactly this gimmick will entail when it arrives on Raw, but Monday nights could use a credible heel. Whether Wyatt can effectively fill that void remains to be seen, but if the Firefly Fun House is nothing more than a front for the return of Wyatt's old Eater of Worlds persona, he will have zero chance of finding success.

During Wyatt's absence from Raw, WWE called up a slew of Superstars from NXT, including Aleister Black, Ricochet and Lars Sullivan. All of them have higher ceilings than Wyatt, so unless this new gimmick of his can drag Raw out of the doldrums, he is bound to get lost in the shuffle before long.

To the company's credit, it has pulled off the near-impossible task of making Wyatt relevant again through these creepy vignettes, but it's merely a matter of time before this shtick loses its luster in the same way every other Wyatt push has. He may be doomed to be damaged goods for the rest of his WWE days.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.