What do you do with...

[HarmonicGenerator]

A thread for the wrestlers on the roster who have been injured or inactive for a while.

They're coming back to TV. What do you do with:

 - Bray Wyatt

 - Kevin Owens

 - Sami Zayn

 - Harper and Rowan

 - Fandango

- Tye Dillinger?

 

I'd be tempted to drop Bray onto NXT for a bit. It might feel like a demotion but it would give him a chance to either work on changing up his character or rediscovering what made it work in the first place.

For Owens, something needs to be made of all the ridiculous bumps he's taken over the past year. The guy got thrown off the top of Hell In A Cell through an announce table this summer. Mick Foley's dined off that for 20 years, it's been six months and most of us have already forgotten Kev did that. Foley-ise him, is what I'm saying. Minus all the concussions.

They'll never be able to fully separate Harper and Rowan, but I've just listened to Harper's E&C interview and I'm more convinced than ever he should get a singles run. They can still be a team if they have to be, but Harper can break out on his own at the same time, maybe? Stick him against babyface Rusev for a couple of months. Try him with Nakamura. Make him a heavy for New Daniel Bryan. Lovely.

[BomberPat]

4 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

 - Bray Wyatt

I'd go one of two ways with this. The first is lead on from what's going on with him on Twitter lately - "Bray Wyatt is Tweeting something vaguely interesting stuff, and all the neckbeards are going to read 20 twenty years worth of backstory and mythos into it, and it'll amount to nothing on TV" is hardly a new phenomenon, but let's do something with it this time.

His recent Tweets are showing him as remorseful for having claimed to be a God, that he was sick, and that he's saying goodbye. To those who believe the Bray Wyatt gimmick is that he's literally possessed by a demon, this is him dispelling it and securing his own identity. But I always thought the character was far more interesting, and far scarier, if he was just a backwoods lunatic who thought he was possessed, or thought he had some special purpose. 

So I'd have him return repentant. Change up his look, tidy up his appearance a bit, trim the beard, tie up his hair, dress a little smarter. Turn him into a hybrid of mid-90s Jake Roberts and Waylon Mercy; soft-spoken, polite, forgiving, prone to dropping Biblical quotations. His promos will be shorter, and he won't raise his voice. But every now and then, the "old" Bray Wyatt rears his head, and he snaps, turning violent, and beating himself up for it. I have an image in my head of him pulling himself up into his "crab walk" pose, but straining against it, almost crying at not wanting to be that person again.

Eventually, even the "normal" Bray would become increasingly tormented and haunted, just slightly unhinged, like Kevin Sullivan doing his "I haven't slept in 8 days...is it cold in here?" schtick and facing the wrong camera, wandering off set and so on, before he became the Taskmaster in WCW. 

The alternative is something I've said for a long time - remember that Bray is a heel, and heels should be dishonest charlatans. Expose him. Do the "Raven is secretly a spoiled rich kid" angle from WCW with a babyface going to Bray's childhood home, exposing that he's a suburban rich kid who invented his whole backstory. Have IRS cameo as his tax collector dad. And if you want to turn back the clock and undo this angle later down the line, just Armin Tanzarian it and bring in the "real Sister Abigail" or somesuch nonsense.

 

Quote

Harper and Rowan

I think you have to separate these two - though the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick, and how many iterations of these two teaming together we've seen, makes that difficult. Luke Harper is just too good to be stuck in a forgettable tag team, and deserves the big solo run he never got after that great match with Randy Orton way back when. He should be a hybrid of Diesel and Bruiser Brody. Hell, involve him in either of the Bray Wyatt angles I just mentioned. 

Erick Rowan, draft him to RAW. That way you keep him removed from Harper, you don't need to have the two break up and feud and, later down the line, by the time the War Raiders get called up, they're not hampered by comparisons to the Bludgeon Brothers.

I liked Erick's "surprisingly cultured" gimmick he did when he first left the Wyatt Family, and the "I hate bullies" aspect of it should have gone somewhere. Have him stand up to a heel who's kicking around a smaller opponent - let's say the AOP get a match against a couple of local jobbers, and start victimising one of them, and he steps in and protects them. If not the AOP, maybe Lars Sullivan.

Have him become the protector to one of the Cruiserweights, and form a "big guy with his little buddy" tag team.

[BrodyGraham]

3 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

 

I liked Erick's "surprisingly cultured" gimmick he did when he first left the Wyatt Family, and the "I hate bullies" aspect of it should have gone somewhere. Have him stand up to a heel who's kicking around a smaller opponent - let's say the AOP get a match against a couple of local jobbers, and start victimising one of them, and he steps in and protects them. If not the AOP, maybe Lars Sullivan.

Have him become the protector to one of the Cruiserweights, and form a "big guy with his little buddy" tag team.

I now want nothing more than repentant lug Erik Rowan in an odd couple tag team with weasley little Jack Gallagher, bonding over a mutual appreciation of Sartre.

[mim731]

36 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

 - Bray Wyatt

Shave his head and his beard off, bring him in as a televangelist, you can grab elements of Brother Love, Reverend D-Von, even Famous B from Lucha Underground (thinking the ads they did for his managerial services), have him start a crusade to rid WWE of sin, while "taking collections, wink wink". There's loads of room for this sort of gimmick, and you avoid it being a joke by having him be disingenuously nice outside the ring, and super vicious inside it. There's some great vignettes you could do, and Bray would absolutely excel in that role I suspect. 

[Kaz Hayashi]

OK, bit of EWR’ing here, pure fantasy but there we go.

Bray Wyatt

Not against your idea of popping him in NXT actually HG. I appreciate he has a particular look and stands out with his dreads etc, but I’m wondering if now is the time to lop it all off? He was off TV for a while so maybe they’ve missed their chance. But I liked the idea of him coming back looking respectable, talking to people about how he’s seen the light thanks to the fine people at the facility. For it to slowly transpire that he was sectioned and he’s more deceptive & sinister than ever, but people don’t click on straight away, it plays out for a while and people are left guessing. You could have someone else like a ‘Therapist’ occasionally seen with him, advising him etc. Maybe that therapist has alterior motives. Maybe somewhat Jackyl-esque.

 - Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

I’m a bit gutted that these 2 split to be honest. I really can’t see them ever doing much with Sami unfortunately. But thoroughly enjoyed them as a twaty chicken shit tag team. I’m all for that.

Failing that, again HG, I’ve got nothing against your idea for Kev actually. I think the concept of painting him out to be someone who is a bit of a nutter when it comes to bumps & the toll it has taken (Foley style). You remember the first really good interview Foley did in relation to turning heel, in which he harped on about putting his body through hell for the people, and for what? THAT’S the kind of thing I see Kev doing well. But rather than him becoming a natural hardcore death match go-getter, he maybe does things really reluctantly, like climbing to the top of a 20 foot ladder, shouting ‘oh god’ with each rung, always looking like he’s going to chicken out, wrapping himself in barbed wire and shouting “Aaahhh” in pain as he does it, asking the people and Vince if this is what they want, always seeking approval and attention. So like a reluctant Foley.

 - Harper and Rowan

Agree with you on Harper. Never been that arsed about Rowan, maybe send him to NXT as they’re missing a big lad now. Let him figure himself out. I’m bored of them being a team though. Harper has the potential but needs a refresh button pressing, we’ve said this for a while. He could pull off a bit of a loose cannon role, a bit of crack pot, looks like he’s just had a line before he comes out. Somewhere between Pillman, Austin before he left ECW and Piper. A big lanky lunatic, a bit hyperactive, a bit on the edge, wants to be your mate, don’t trust him for a second. Hard as nails. A proper version of what Dean Ambrose will never achieve. 

- Fandango

Tag him with Breeze, all day, just make them over the top sexy models. A proper medley of their theme tunes would be class actually. They could probably do something fun as the Miz side kicks too. He sees their potential and wants to be their Hollywood modelling agent or something.

- Tye Dillinger - impact.

 

[Kaz Hayashi]

When I started typing there was no replies. Some great shouts lads.

[mim731]

The one thing I've already taken from this thread is there is bloody loads they could do with Bray Wyatt, there really is a huge amount of untapped potential with that character which is why I'll be very sad when he comes back during the Rumble doing the same old shtick.

4 minutes ago, Kaz Hayashi said:

They could probably do something fun as the Miz side kicks too. He sees their potential and wants to be their Hollywood modelling agent or something.

Good Lord I need this in my life. Miz Modelling Agency (MMA) could be absolute gold. 

[FourtyTwo]

17 minutes ago, mim731 said:

The one thing I've already taken from this thread is there is bloody loads they could do with Bray Wyatt, there really is a huge amount of untapped potential with that character which is why I'll be very sad when he comes back during the Rumble doing the same old shtick.

Good Lord I need this in my life. Miz Modelling Agency (MMA) could be absolute gold. 

Let's be honest, we all know they'll bring back Wyatt the same, and chuck Harper and Rowan back with him to reform the Wyatt family.

[Kaz Hayashi]

.

[Kaz Hayashi]

25 minutes ago, FourtyTwo said:

Let's be honest, we all know they'll bring back Wyatt the same, and chuck Harper and Rowan back with him to reform the Wyatt family.

 

[Merzbow]

Bray, Kevin and Sami should be brought back in together as the WWF - World Wrestling Fedora-tion

They spend the next six months trying to put the women's roster "back in the kitchen".

[Cod Eye]

With Bray, I'd take advantage of the soon to be released Rob Zombie film, Three From Hell, and turn him into a full on Otis Driftwood-esque, white trash, sadistic psychopath with a bit of Southern Gothic thrown in for good measure(and fucking off all the wanky magic powers etc). Bring someone in as "Sister Abigail" to do the Baby Firefly role and give them a Captain Spaulding type "Dad" to bounce off and act as a sort of buffer between the two(who have a sort of twisted sibling rivalry). Also, their vignettes should all be shot in the style of 35mm home movies, showing the shithole they live in etc. 

 

[Kaz Hayashi]

11 minutes ago, Cod Eye said:

With Bray, I'd take advantage of the soon to be released Rob Zombie film, Three From Hell, and turn him into a full on Otis Driftwood-esque, white trash, sadistic psychopath with a bit of Southern Gothic thrown in for good measure(and fucking off all the wanky magic powers etc). Bring someone in as "Sister Abigail" to do the Baby Firefly role and give them a Captain Spaulding type "Dad" to bounce off and act as a sort of buffer between the two(who have a sort of twisted sibling rivalry). Also, their vignettes should all be shot in the style of 35mm home movies, showing the shithole they live in etc. 

 

Nikki Cross would fucking nail that part. In an ideal world bring Spivey in to play the dad. 

[Fatty Facesitter]

Babyface Owens would be an absolutely perfect babyface foil to go up against the McMahons. He's already had a massive rivalry with Shane and headbutted his old man previously, but if you Foley-ise him as others have suggested and also let him tear them to pieces on the mic with a sarcastic/give-no-fucks approach, you've definitely got a huge run for him lined up there. 

[Loki]

What's worked about the Bray Wyatt character over the years?

- having followers
- southern gothic flavour
- being a heel
- funky hat and floral print shirt

What hasn't worked

- magic powers
- dreadlocks and leather
- being on his own and losing all the time
- being a face

 

The more they tried to turn him into the Undertaker, the worse his career has gone.   I'd have a hard reset - go back to the original Max Cady routine.   The charisma and sleaze and air of a southern serial killer, with some followers to do his bidding.  And I think he'll work better from a position of strength.  Have him seize the World Title quickly, and then use his acolytes and his charisma to retain it.  He shouldn't wrestle unless he has to, and then wrestle super fucking dirty.

It was the air of intellectualism with the abyss of violence beneath, the classic sociopath, that made Max Cady and early Bray Wyatt work.  So I'd go back to that.