[WNS Column] Is This the Right Time to Break Up The Wyatt Family?

I'm a fan of all three members of The Wyatt Family. I like Bray Wyatt. I like Luke Harper. I like Erick Rowan. Just by watching their work inside the ring and watching their promo work, I honestly believe that all three of them have a true passion for what they're doing and are grateful to have their spots in WWE. However, with all due respect to Erick Rowan, I often find myself struggling to decide which one I like better between Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. While Bray Watt is unquestionably the leader of The Wyatt Family, I can't help but find myself being intrigued and sometimes even downright amazed by Luke Harper's work.

 

When The Wyatts first debuted in WWE, I honestly wasn't expecting much from Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. I figured Bray would outshine them both and Harper and Rowan would just be standing in the background. I was definitely mistaken. Both Harper and Rowan have proven themselves to be very talented at what they do, but Harper especially has been blowing many people away with his performances in the ring.

 

Harper is extremely talented for a big man. He has a very impressive arsenal of different wrestling maneuvers, although this really doesn't surprise me too much because I know that he was Brodie Lee before he came to WWE and he has competed for a lot of different wrestling promotions around the world, including Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate USA and Dragon Gate Japan, Evolve, Chikara, and others. Quite simply, Luke Harper knows how to wrestle. He doesn't just simply rely on what you might consider to be "big man" moves or the "big man style" of wrestling. Harper is willing and able to use Superkicks, Dropkicks, Michinoku Drivers, Sit-Out Powerbombs, Hurricanranas, Suicide Dives, and seemingly whatever other moves pop into his head. Harper has one of the most impressive arsenals that I personally have ever seen from a wrestler with his body type.

 

But another thing that impresses me about Harper is his ability to tell a story. He doesn't just have great moves, he has amazing facial expressions and body language. This is one of the reasons why sometimes I honestly prefer Harper over Bray Wyatt. Bray Wyatt is a brilliant character but for me personally, sometimes Bray loses me throughout the course of his matches. Bray has had some great matches, but some of his matches, in my opinion, have been... not so great.

 

I find it a bit odd that WWE has booked Bray Wyatt the way that they have. I would like to see Bray get booked to look stronger. When it comes to pay-per-views in particular, a lot of times I prefer Harper and Rowan's tag team matches over Bray Wyatt's matches. And again, I think Harper is the key to all of this. Rowan puts a lot of effort into his work but Harper is clearly the general of the team. Harper can flat out get it done in the ring.

 

I've often wondered if WWE would ever think about giving Harper singles push, and now it appears as though this is indeed going to happen. I would love to see Harper get a good push as a singles competitor, but I have to wonder if now, right now, is really the time to do it. I feel as though The Wyatt Family still has more to offer as a stable, and quite frankly, with everything that's going on in WWE right now, I don't see where Luke Harper as a singles competitor fits into it all.

 

If they're looking for a monster heel, they currently have Brock Lesnar as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, as well as "The Bulgarian Brute" Rusev, who has been tearing through everybody in his path. Not to mention the fact that they still have Bray Wyatt himself, who seems to just be floundering for reasons that I personally can't seem to pinpoint.

 

Who or what can Luke Harper get involved with at the moment? Is Luke Harper going to join The Authority? Is Luke Harper going to chase after the United States or Intercontinental Championship? Is Luke Harper going to feud against his mentor, Bray Wyatt?

 

What if WWE decides to just change his character completely? What if they do with Harper what they've done with so many other big men before him and turn him into a comedy character? Out of all the things they could do with Harper, I really hope they don't decide to turn him into a comedy character. I like Harper just the way he is: crazy and unpredictable.

 

I'm certainly not sitting in on WWE's creative meetings so I really have no idea what their plans are for Luke Harper, but the only thing I could see him doing at this point would be turning against Bray Wyatt. If they go in this direction, my assumption would be that Harper would be the heel and Bray Wyatt would turn babyface, which is something that many fans have been longing for. I think that a Bray Wyatt-Luke Harper feud, a good long feud, could be beneficial for both of their careers, not unlike the saga between Kane and The Undertaker.

 

Some have labeled Bray Wyatt as being "the next Undertaker." Perhaps Luke Harper could be Bray Wyatt's equivalent to Kane. Maybe Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper could be the second coming of the legendary Brothers of Destruction and have an epic rivalry against each other.

 

At this particular point in time, I really can't imagine what else could be done with Harper. WWE has a lot of destructive big men: Kane, Big Show, Mark Henry, Rusev, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Sheamus, etc. Where does Luke Harper fit in right now?

 

WWE has already aired a vignette seemingly revealing that Harper is set for a singles push. I sincerely hope that they have a plan in mind for him, because I personally just don't see the point in breaking up The Wyatt Family right now. I don't think they've made Bray Wyatt look strong enough yet and Harper has only been made to look like Wyatt's second-in-command. The only thing I could see them doing right now is a feud between Harper and Bray, which makes me wonder where Erick Rowan would fit into it all.

 

As I mentioned before, I believe that a nice long feud between Bray and Harper could be great for both of them if it's done properly. I would be very interested to see how Bray and Harper would go to battle against each other. I think it would make for some interesting television. But other than that, I can't imagine why WWE thinks that it's the right time to break up The Wyatts.

 

Bottom line: I am admittedly a huge fan of Luke Harper and I would love to see him get a singles push eventually, but I just don't think that now is the time to break up The Wyatt Family.

 

What do YOU think? Is now the right time to break up The Wyatt Family and give Luke Harper a singles push? Should The Wyatts stay together for a while longer? Who might have the brightest future out of the three of them?