Opinion

Bring The Wyatt Family Back to WWE

Published

7 years ago

November 27, 2018

Bray Wyatt returned at WWE Starrcade, leaving many wondering what you do with him. Rob Bonnette has an idea about that!

Bray Wyatt returned this past weekend at the special Starrcade show, and that got me to thinking about what exactly should happen with him going forward. When talking about Bray over the years I’ve mostly heard from others is either that he is a victim of bad booking or just not any good. My own take is that he isn’t bad in the ring, but isn’t great either and that’s what holds him back more than anything with booking.

Since he was introduced to us in 2013 he’s feuded with Kane, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, the Undertaker, Randy Orton, Finn Balor, and Matt Hardy. He’s won matches on pay per view against Kane, Bryan, Cena, Ambrose, Reigns, and Seth Rollins. He won the WWE World Championship in 2017 and defended it at WrestleMania 33. When he’s healthy he’s always on TV doing something relevant. So where does the idea come from that he’s some victim of booking? From what I’ve seen it’s largely because he loses a lot of those big matches, too, and as a consequence his promo work is somehow rendered null and void. Now for me, when it’s time to look at somebody’s place on the card and their won-loss record, the first questions I ask are: (1) who should they be ahead of? and (2) who did they lose to that they shouldn’t have? How would I answer these questions for Bray? Well let’s see…..

From my estimation his most untimely losses were to Cena at WrestleMania 30 and to Finn Balor at No Mercy 2017. There was also the bad, weird match at WrestleMania 33 with Orton. The Cena match halted what had been some real momentum for him going up the card, and wasn’t made up for by the win he would get at Extreme Rules a month later. The Balor loss was a short match (11 minutes), a month after a 10 minute loss to Balor at SummerSlam a month prior. And the Orton match was just bad all around – the match wasn’t good, got cut for time, and had the weird visual of worms and maggots being flashed onto the mat while it was going on.

None of those helped, but to me some of his wins weren’t helpful either. The win over Cena came with a weird finish that you have to see for yourself, and the win he got over Ambrose at TLC 2014 was in a match that just wasn’t much good. So while I think the losses do hurt, the wins have been overbooked with shenanigans which don’t make him look very formidable either. So I guess I’ve answered the question and we can just go home now, right? Not quite. Because there is the issue of the other take I’ve heard a lot, that he just isn’t very good. How true is that, and where does that come into play? Because if there is any merit to that then you kinda have to think that he’s already been booked above where he should have.

When it comes to wrestling ability, there’s a lot of subjectivity involved. We all have style preferences, and then there’s the matter of liking certain things more when our favorites do them than when others do. To call someone really great or really bad often includes some degree of mental gymnastics that may or may not survive any serious cross examination. In this case I think the subject is somewhere in that mushy middle.

Bray isn’t bad from a standpoint of being sloppy or anything, but I find most of his ring work to be forgettable. When you look back at his best matches, they are largely because of his opponents and not him (Cena and Reigns come to mind here, along with the other participants in some of the better multi-man matches he’s been in.) There really isn’t much that he does to remember. Go ahead and think back to what would be considered his best singles matches – did he do any of the big spots or other memorable stuff? To be honest I don’t think so. His match at Hell in a Cell 2015 was pretty great but you could have swapped him out with a number of people and gotten the same result or better. Ditto for his Last Man Standing Match with Cena at Payback 2015.

If you agree with that then I have to ask – should somebody as easily interchangeable in the ring be getting booked to come out on top of your best guys? I say no. If you’re booked to beat a main eventer then you should be able to hold down a main event match yourself, which from my estimation he isn’t equipped to do. Roman Reigns had people engaged in matches against Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley, and the Revival – you think Bray can do that?

I sure don’t, which means that in my opinion there’s a real ceiling on how high you can push him and he’s already hit it. That he and the WWE creative folks turned Husky Harris into anything meaningful is a pretty big accomplishment in itself. But now in the fifth year of his second stint on the main roster, he is what he is and that’s a guy who works 10 minute midcard singles matches and is better suited in six man tags or Fatal Four Way type of encounters. Which leads me to my conclusion about what to do with Bray Wyatt going forward. And that is:

Reform the Wyatt Family

Yeah I know we’ve seen that before. Twice before to be exact, and the last time it ended with them at odds with one another. So why do it a third time? Well, because they’re all better together than apart. Harper and Rowan are both good workers (Harper has been great in spots as a tag guy and a single), but Rowan can’t get any crowd reaction himself and Harper isn’t better at that than any number of people already on the roster. And like I said Bray as a wrestler is better in spot duty than on his own.

Harper and Rowan had their run as the Bludgeon Brothers this year but while they were good in the ring they didn’t really captivate anyone and sucked the air out of the Smackdown tag team division while they were champions and were going over more popular teams. They didn’t do anything wrong per se but it just didn’t take. As a unit they went toe to toe with the Shield in some absolutely great matches in 2014. No reason they couldn’t do more with Sanity, New Day, or the Club (Gallows & Anderson with either AJ or Finn Balor). Harper and Rowan making another tag team title run with Bray as their mouthpiece could possibly get over better than their first reign did without him.

The alternatives? Split Harper and Rowan again, which would essentially turn Rowan into a job guy on his way to getting Future Endeavored. Harper could salvage something on his own and get back to challenging for secondary titles like he was doing in late 2014/early 2015. And Bray would probably been doing what he has been for the past year, meandering around in the midcard and on ad hoc tag teams. Or you could try Harper and Rowan again as the Bludgeon Bros, but this time they’d probably be in the role of putting other guys over and not winning much. But together again there’s a chance for all three to do something more.

Bray likely won’t be World Champion again but a US or Intercontinental Title would be within reach, especially with two henchmen by his side. I agree that Bray’s spooky man promos don’t mean much if he’s not winning more but there needs to be a real reason to book him to win more before you do it. And I don’t think there’s any route to getting there that doesn’t involve putting the band back together, because quite frankly none of these three guys has what it takes to truly succeed in a big way on their own. If you don’t believe me, then go back and watch for yourself. You may not totally come around to my view but I’m willing to bet you might move in my direction just a little.

What do you think?
Let us know on social media @theCHAIRSHOTcom and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1