Does Bray Wyatt actually believe the things he's selling?

[Deleted]

I actually find it a super confusing aspect of the character.

On one hand, he did seem fully freaked out by Orton talking about exorcising Sister Abigail when if it were just an act to him he probably could've easily handwaved that, ditto for when his rocking chair got destroyed, and he seems to put 100% stock in anyone else who has anything vaguely supernatural about them. Plus the guy has demonstrated the ability to teleport, create illusions of himself, and shoot lightning so there's probably a decent basis for it.

On the other, a lot of his behavior at times comes off more like he's just super devoted to pushing the iconography he's come up with, especially the way he's essentially butchered the presentation of the lot of it for the Firefly Fun House and him pretty much making a mockery out of what happened with Sister Abigail between the painting and telling her that he'll never let her rest.

I dunno, probably chock it up to inconsistencies but I feel like there's room to interpret the character both ways despite them being entirely opposed perspectives.

[111111]

All the supernatural shit really ruined the bray wyatt character for me, the vignettes when they first brought him up to the roster were brilliant then somewhere around the fued with Kane they decided instead of hillbilly swamp man cult leader he would become a fedora tipping undertaker wannabe.

At least he’s intriguing again now though.

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2019 3:20:08 GMT -5 111111 said:

All the supernatural shit really ruined the bray wyatt character for me, the vignettes when they first brought him up to the roster were brilliant then somewhere around the fued with Kane they decided instead of hillbilly swamp man cult leader he would become a fedora tipping undertaker wannabe.

At least he’s intriguing again now though.

He was better as the Hawaiian shirt wearing cult leader. Then he started speaking in tongues and possessing kids.

This Bray Wyatt is the best he’s ever been though. I’m pumped for The Fiend.

[sportatorium]

It’s a great point and ultimately the thing that holds him back a bit. Undertaker portrayed a supernatural character by not really talking about it, and it worked for him. Bray draws a lot from Mick Foley and Florida territory Kevin Sullivan. What both of them offered is that their promos were 90% calm heel promos with 10% lifting the veil to see that they were crazy, demented evil people. Bray doesn’t get the chance to do that nuance. I hope this version of him gets to develop better than the way he got really stale the last time around.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Currently? No, he doesn't, and I think that's one of the most interesting things about it.

Semi-shoots are always iffy, but it helps a lot here, because it gives him much clearer motivation. His character appears to be a satanic cult leader trying to be a successful wrestler... who's frustrated about things blocking his wrestling career, so he's calling upon his cult-leader skills to help him. The Fiend is his frustration within the WWE, and he wants to use it and his ability to brainwash the kids watching to help him.

[Macho Pichu]

I don't expect anything that any character in WWE does to actually make sense when you think about it. It's just not they type of product that they offer. I have been entertained by every incarnation of Bray, so I'm often forgiving when something about him is too nonsensical. If WWE had consistent storytelling across the board and actually had characters remember further back than what is convenient for their current feud, this stuff would bother me more.

[BrodietheSlayer]

Nope...because the Bray Wyatt gimmick, or at least the heart of it, is way more Raven than The Undertaker. He's the charismatic cult leader that spouts a bunch of philosophical mumbo jumbo that he doesn't really believe, hoping to ensnare the weak minded to his cause.


This current incarnation is an even more insidious version of that original idea, as this time he's going quite directly for the children.

[Bang Bang Bart]

The Fiend has a lot of potential to be much more than “Bray Wyatt in a scary clown mask”, especially with how they built him up in the Fun House segments.

[Mozenrath]

The problem was never the supernatural aspects, it was that WWE couldn't stop trying to have it both ways.

If Bray has powers, cool, fine. So do Kane and Undertaker, so whoop de shit.

But then you have the commentators or opponents shit on things, or openly address them as special effects, and then it's like, what do you want our takeaway to be, WWE? You can't have both.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I think different aspects of his personality believe different things he says and don't believe others, it's why he varies so much.

But I agree that I vastly preferred him as a creepier, non-supernatural cult leader.

[Kevin Hamilton]

Jun 22, 2019 16:51:28 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

The problem was never the supernatural aspects, it was that WWE couldn't stop trying to have it both ways.

If Bray has powers, cool, fine. So do Kane and Undertaker, so whoop de shit.

But then you have the commentators or opponents shit on things, or openly address them as special effects, and then it's like, what do you want our takeaway to be, WWE? You can't have both.

Yeah that's pretty much it; if he's got spooky powers, cool this is rasslin--wacky shit abounds. If he's a charlatan, also cool. But pick a lane.