WWE is running out of time to save Bray Wyatt's character. It shouldn't have gotten to this point in the first place.
It's been nearly two full years since Wyatt introduced his alter ego, "The Fiend". He didn't need long to get over with the fans, but WWE has found several inexplicable ways to waste his popularity and momentum.
Wyatt has been kept off of television for the better part of the last six months now. If WWE is committed to retaining — and pushing — his Fiend gimmick, there's only one solution that's guaranteed to work: Have him feud with current WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley.
But first, it's important to look back on the many failures of WWE's bookings for Wyatt since the start of 2020.
Losing The Universal Championship To Goldberg
Wyatt held the title for just under four months prior to his Universal Championship match with Goldberg at Super ShowDown on Feb. 27, 2020.
Even though Goldberg usually squashes his opponents, it was actually somewhat difficult to envision WWE booking him to beat Wyatt. The latter was flourishing as the champion and top heel on SmackDown, and it was widely assumed that he would face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36.
But in a surprise, Goldberg quickly defeated Wyatt to become the new champion. The result was one of the most criticized in recent WWE memory, as the company once again prioritized a short-term and part-timer champion over a major full-time star.
The plan was for Goldberg to defend the title against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. The latter, who has battled leukemia twice, removed himself from the match for health and safety reasons amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Braun Strowman replaced Reigns in the match, and he defeated Goldberg for his first Universal title.
Feuds With Braun Strowman & Randy Orton
WWE began to push Wyatt after WrestleMania 36, as he entered a feud with the new Universal Champion.
But the program with Strowman simply hampered by poor booking. It was obviously difficult to perform without live crowds, but there wasn't really an established heel in this feud. And with all due respect to Strowman, it was pretty obvious that Wyatt would come out of that program with the Universal title at some point.
Their matches at Money in the Bank and The Horror Show at Extreme Rules left a lot to be desired. Wyatt would finally win the title off of Strowman at SummerSlam, only to lose it to Reigns (in a triple threat match) one week later at Payback.
Wyatt was then moved over to the Raw brand, where he began a lengthy and rather strange feud with Randy Orton. Wyatt was kept off of television for three months following his loss to Orton at TLC. He finally returned at Fastlane and helped Alexa Bliss defeat the Viper. However, Bliss betrayed him at WrestleMania 37, and it led to Orton once again defeating Wyatt.
Wyatt appeared briefly on the Apr. 12 episode of Raw, where he expressed the need for a fresh start. He hasn't been on WWE programming since.
A Program With Lashley Could Save Wyatt
Lashley's feud with Drew McIntyre appears to be over now. The former will next defend the WWE Championship against Kofi Kingston at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 18. This is where WWE has an opportunity to save Wyatt's Fiend character.
You could have interfere in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match in some capacity. Or you could have him get involved in the Kingston-Lashley match and thus set up a feud with the WWE Champion.
If Lashley were to retain the title against Kingston, and if WWE decides against pushing their program into SummerSlam, who's left for Lashley on Raw? This is where Wyatt comes into the picture.
Having spent so much time away from television, Wyatt won't need much time to make his character interesting again. And of course, starting July 16, WWE will be back to performing in live crowds. That should only help him regain popularity and strong fan reactions.
WWE could make Wyatt the babyface in this feud, or they could turn Lashley into a babyface. They can't lose in either scenario.
There Aren't Many Other Options
When you look at the current state of the Raw roster, there aren't a lot of options with Wyatt. The tag team division is crowded now, and that includes the newly-formed Orton/Riddle duo.
There's no sense in using Wyatt as a mid-card talent right now. Remember the feud with Orton? That didn't exactly go so well, and Wyatt is deserving of another main event program.
Add it all up, and it's clear that WWE only has one path to go down if they want to save Bray Wyatt's character: Bring him back on television very soon (we have waited long enough) and have Wyatt enter a feud with the WWE Champion.
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