10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown In The UK (May 9)
7. Family Matters?
Barely a week of SmackDown Live! goes by without making time to reflect on the damage Bray Wyatt has done to various performers, despite being drafted off the blue brand during the 'Superstar Shake-up'.
The two biggest victims of the Wyatt Family's critical sinkhole are unquestionably Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.
Directionless fools with the inexorable stench of their past lives still hanging in the air, the two able giants look trapped in their gimmicks, and heatless singles matches don't appear to be the antidote to the malaise.
At one point, WWE appeared half-heartedly interested in repurposing Luke Harper, with separation from Bray giving him the best chance to build on his impressive in-ring form and moderately adjusted look. Rowan, on the surface at least, offers much much less. Despite scoring the victory with a sloppy spinning powerslam, the last member of the Family seems ill-equipped to serve as a dangerous heel on the show.
It's tough to analyse how the two can break away from the personas without a wholesale abandonment, but if the deathly quiet London audience during their match can be considered a barometer, that genuinely may be the most effective repackaging plan.