RAW Is in an Awkward Position...

 A Good Monday to You, Enthusiasts.

 

So, the big news is Bray Wyatt getting released. And I find myself not so much in “I told you so…” mode as, “That’s too bad…” mode but, I’m not that surprised. Given how things have been going, we all know that WWE has been trying to trim the proverbial fat and with Alexa Bliss not exactly selling the occult shtick, looks like WWE decided to cut their losses. They’ll stick to stuff they know how to sell for now and perhaps revisit the more outlandish angles later. It’s a bit of a shame because to be honest, they should have seen this coming.

 

I’ve been professing all the things wrong with The Fiend gimmick since it dropped. It’s really hard to sell that sort of angle in real time and if they were going to go for it, they needed to get invested in getting it off the ground, which they were not. This needed more than a ghoulish mask. The premise had to be believable, how people got sucked in had to be compelling and the repercussions of defying him had to be clear and understandable. Not much of that happened. I found myself rolling my eyes at every turn. I could not buy it. It was ridiculous from the beginning and so no one should be all that surprised that we ended up here.

 

What sucks is that it looks like WWE gave Wyatt a shot. From what I understood, he had the creative go ahead and it’s clear he was not thinking of it from a sellable standpoint. I fear it all made sense in his head and we just generally couldn’t relate. I know that a lot of fans loved it but there were just as many in my camp going WTF? It’s a shame but let’s look at the bright side.

 

His release is the perfect set-up for his return. A lot of people are clamoring for him to go to AEW but I don’t know if he really fits there. He’s kind of a WWE product. I don’t see him assimilating into AEW with ease and he’s not exactly their type of wrestler either. So, I’m thinking he’ll be back.

There’s talk that his mental health hasn’t been right since Brodie Lee passed and I can see this time away as the perfect space for Wyatt to refocus and accept the obvious progression of his character. He fell off the deep end and reveled in his darker inclinations which means that when he returns, he must be redeemed. Bray Wyatt must be “saved”! The beauty of that is that he can be just as crazy as he wants to be and the space for reinvention never ends. He could return to “save us all” all we have to do is trust in the Spirit and trust in him.

 

If he does end up at AEW, Miro/Rusev is his go-to. Since he’s the resident “redeemer” at the moment, the transformation could easily start there. I never said I didn’t like Bray Wyatt but the Fiend had no business being out there. That’s all their faults. They needed to be honest from the get go.

 

Wyatt returns to being cult leader of sorts but this time around it’s more realized. He believes he’s really doing good in his deranged and demented way. And when he’s a Face, he will be…mostly but when he’s Heel, he will be very backward which should be very fun. I don’t think this is the end of Bray Wyatt. Not at all. But some time may need to be taken so that he can embrace the reboot. I think he thought he was onto something with The Fiend and he very well could be, in terms of a horror franchise not a wrestling gimmick. 

Case and point will always be the WrestleMania 36 segment with John Cena. That’s the best it ever worked and that’s because it was cinematic. This gimmick was a pandemic gimmick and now that it’s coming to a close, so is it. It’s too bad that Wyatt had to go with it but I think that’s more to do with his personal issues. He needs to get himself together and come back ready to spread his own brand of madness to the end of his days. I’ll look forward to it.

Also on the release front, Ric Flair apparently requested his and was obliged. I suppose he's taking control of the situation and opting to leave on his terms. This could also be an honorable move to allow others the chance to stay on the roster while he considers full retirement. I'm sure they can bring him back on a case-by-case basis. 

Okay, in other news, I wanted to take a moment and commend Cody Rhodes. He’s been cracking me up with his feud with Malakai Black over at AEW. By the looks of things, Rhodes is running away with it which is kinda fine by me. I know the crowd is digging Black but it’s Rhodes who is selling the beef so far. Don’t know what it means but I love what it could imply. You all know that I’d gladly have Aleister Black return. Now, the only issue is timing. With WWE in this strange sort of fire sale mode, fans may take it as some lame attempt to keep their interest. I would think SummerSlam, Survivor Series or that new PPV on Jan. 1^st would be good times to drop reacquisitions. Give it enough time so people don’t assume anything. That’s my hope.

 

Well, that’s all I got on my mind. Turning to RAW, we have to watch live again and given everything, it should be an interesting show. Goldberg is supposed to show up to challenge Bobby Lashley’s dismissal. There’s also word Randy Orton may make an appearance. I would think that’s more certain now than ever. Gotta do something to redirect our attention. Not sure what’s going to happen to Alexa Bliss either. This leaves her in quite the awkward position. Who thinks she’ll be off TV for a few months just to return like nothing happened? She’s just back to normal like she was caught up in some phase. Wouldn’t put it past them.  Anyway, Funny tweets and Likes get retweeted. Let’s see how this goes. Talking shit almost feels inappropriate. I feel like we would be walking on eggshells. Let’s see if they get a good show out of it.

  

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)