10 Big Questions Ahead Of WWE Royal Rumble 2017

9. Is This The End Of The Wyatt Family?

Royal Rumble 2017
WWE.com

The seeds of the Wyatt Family’s demise were planted the moment Randy Orton joined their ranks, and they’re finally starting to bloom. Luke Harper was always wary of The Viper’s motives, but their SmackDown Tag Team Championship win seemed to put them on the backburner. It wasn’t to last, however: miscommunication led to the Family dropping the gold prematurely, and Orton and Harper have been at each other’s throats ever since.

The confrontations continued on this week’s SmackDown, and Bray Wyatt can’t play peacekeeper forever. Harper and Orton are set to face off and “settle their differences” on next week’s SmackDown, and while Wyatt is convinced they’ll “stand as a family united” afterwards, it looks like their doom is right around the corner.

This was almost certainly Orton’s plan all along, and the Royal Rumble would be a perfect jump-off point for their splintering. The high stakes environment gives Orton the perfect opportunity to screw Wyatt and Harper over on one of the year’s biggest shows, thus reigniting his feud with Bray, and potentially ending the Wyatt Family forever. Even if they can hold it together until then, however, there’s little chance the Family last much longer. Their fractures are too deep, and it has become a question of “when” rather than “if.”

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.