michael dworkis is forming a new stable …
This week in WWE is brought to you by the letter S. For the word “stable.”
In case you have not paid attention, Bray Wyatt and his family members Erick Rowan and Luke Harper are coming to RAW very soon. In a very creepy video promo, we see the cult-like leader Wyatt leading his followers in a very New Orleans-out-in-the-boonies setting. He preaches like the shepherd, leading his flock of loyal followers. These NXT wrestlers are about to come steamrolling into the main roster. Even Jim Ross mentioned the stable in his latest blog post, with some very high positive words for the young trio.
“The Bray Wyatt Family vignette was spot on and after seeing them perform as much as I have in NXT I can attest that they will, without question, contribute positively to WWE once they arrive on RAW and/or Smackdown.
Wyatt has success and athleticism in his blood and has that rare, second gear that most big men do not possess. I can’t stress how important that is.
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are big, rugged dudes who, at times, remind me of a young Mick Foley or Bruiser Brody inasmuch as they are ‘brawlers’ who move well for being such big men.”
The fact that J.R. compares them to a Mick Foley or Brusier Brody speaks volumes about his faith in the young stars. I would compare Bray Wyatt (formerly known as Husky Harris), to Kevin “The Taskmaster” Sullivan from his prime days. Same style, same rugged toughness. Leading his stable as a preacher-type character, but also gets in the ring and wrestles like a World Champion. Wyatt is the son of Mike Rotunda (the once-famous I.R.S.), so the wrestling blood is there, and if you saw him on NXT, you saw the big man has some outstanding wrestling ability. A big guy who can move like a cruiserweight? Have not seen anyone comparable with those skills in years.
It appears three-man stables are the new thing. Back during the Attitude Era, four-man stables were the trend in the form of the DOA, NOD, DX, Los Borriquas, and other factions. I see good things ahead.
Not so good for Curtis Axel though. He goes from main eventing against Triple H and John Cena on RAW, to making short work of Sin Cara on SmackDown. Oh boy.
Not so good for Wade Barrett who lost on RAW and then again on Main Event.
Not so good for Daniel Bryan who is back doing the paranoid-weak-link-crazy man gimmick again. I can live with breaking up Team Hell No. The gimmick seems to have run its course, and while I would prefer the duo sticking together a bit longer, I feel the split is imminent. Kane and Bryan were a great team, both in the ring and even better in their promos. Bryan, with his grossly long beard looks like a wildman out of some unhinged wild jungle.
Speaking of beards, does EVERYONE have a beard now? Is that a thing? Is it? [Editor’s Note: Yes, yes it is.]
The Shield continues to ride high and those belts certainly deserve to be around their waists. Ambrose as U.S. Champ is brilliant, and with his skils, we can get some awesome matches. His match with Daniel Bryan was beyond incredible, even his short-lived one-on-one with Orton was good. He carried Orton obviously.
Sheamus continues his mid-card limbo by starting a feud with Damien Sandow. Guess Sheamus needs more to do since tagging with Orton will probably last as long as Miz’s recent Intercontinental Title reign.
Big E. Langston continues his feud with Alberto del Rio. Where did Jack Swagger go? Man. He was the best thing WWE had, and then with a snap of the fingers, Swagger and Colter take back-seat. Wish Swagger would have gotten one more run with the World Title before Ziggler claimed it. If Ziggler is going to be on the injury list for a prolonged period, maybe he will drop the belt to Del Rio, maybe even Langston with a swerve, and then reclaim the title once he is fully healed. I hate to see Ziggler have to drop the title so soon after winning it, but you have to understand, if Ziggler is going to have a long career, then sitting this one out will not be such a bad thing for the long run.
Kofi Kingston needs surgery. He already had a bad arm, but taking three tabled-powerbombs did not help the situation. Now he is out for a few months. Hopefully back with a new attitude. Remember when Orton was a heel and Kofi went nuts? Great series of matches.
Ryback. He keeps bringing the ambulance with him. How funny would it be if Cena or Ryback swept the best-of-three in just two matches, robbing everyone of the ambulance match? Obviously, WWE creative will let it go to the full three matches in order to make the most out of this little feud. After a Three Stages of Hell match, I do not know what they could pull for SummerSlam. Hell in the Cell? TLC Match? That is, if this feud will stretch to SummerSlam. Ryback has been built up as the big beast, and if Cena comes out of Payback with the title, Ryback will look weak. The only way to prevent Ryback from losing his luster is with a title win over Cena at Payback or SummerSlam.
I like Ryback, I really do. This heel turn has the same feel when Goldberg made his heel turn in WCW. It was forced, did not take hold, and was abandoned. With Ryback, the heel turn CAN work, but you have to make it count. He needs to beat Cena to be taken seriously. Perhaps then Ryback can break his common bond with Goldberg and actually go in a different direction.
WWE Payback is getting closer, and we only have two matches made official. Cena/Ryback and the freshly announced CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho. Does this mean Punk is still part of the Dangerous Alliance? Perhaps the newest in the fold, Curtis Axel will interject himself, costing Punk the match and bringing Punk out of the grasp of Heyman. Truthfully, I do not care if Punk will remain with Heyman or not, because Punk really is the best in the world. Putting Punk with Heyman just creates this level of incredible ingenuity and entertainment which cannot be surpassed. Punk is just that good. Heyman is just that good.
I am a Paul Heyman guy after all.
