10 Biggest Mistakes Of WWE's New Era Thus Far
3. Splitting The Wyatt Family
Being drafted to SmackDown gives Bray Wyatt a great opportunity to seize the main event opportunities that he deserves. Often undermined by poor booking and unproductive feuds, Wyatt’s star has diminished considerably since his debut, but he remains an immensely charismatic performer. SmackDown is really lacking in high-level heels, and with only AJ Styles as competition, there’s a strong chance we’ll see Bray elevated in the near future.
That being said, splitting him and Erick Rowan from Braun Strowman was a poor decision. Strowman looked clumsy and awkward even in his two-minute squash on Raw: he clearly isn’t ready for a singles run yet, and would’ve been better served playing a diminished role as the family’s chief enforcer. Rowan, meanwhile, struggled immensely in his previous singles run, and it’s unclear whether or not he’s even still aligned with Bray at this point.
Bray Wyatt’s greatest strength is his cult of personality, and his act is at its best when he’s using his powers of manipulation to influence the Family into doing his bidding. The “cult leader” act loses everything when there’s no cult to lead, and in splitting the Wyatts, WWE are cutting Bray off at the knees.
There’s every chance Luke Harper will return and the Family will be restored, but for now, their future is unclear.