His Name Is Bray Wyatt And He's A Hero In The Making

Like many in the pro-wrestling community the first time I ever saw Bray Wyatt was when he debuted on the main roster, Luke Harper and Erik Rowan at his side. I then watched, over the next several months, as this transfixing character grabbed hold of the hearts and minds of the audience. Everything he did intoxicated us. I particularly remember his unnerving renditions of “He’s got the whole world in his hands…” and the crowd singing it back in unison. Bray’s entrance music was distinct and eerie in a mediocre soup of rock riffs. He seemed to glide to the ring as his fireflies - wrestling fans with their cell phone flashlights turned on in the dark - guided him toward the ring. That use of technology, the natural evolution of holding a lighter up, was a literal manifestation of the metaphorical relationship between character and fan.

EDITORIALSTim KailNovember 5, 2022bray wyatt, wwe, extreme rules 2022, John cena, wrestlemania, Raw, smackdown

MICK FOLEY AND DANIEL BRYAN: THE GENERAL MANAGERS WE NEED & DESERVE

This past Monday on RAW it was officially announced that Daniel Bryan will take over as the General Manager of SmackDown Live and Mick Foley will take over as the General Manager of RAW.

In terms of capitalizing on fan-enthusiasm for the creative direction of the upcoming "brand split" (or "brand extension"), these are great choices for the GM roles. Two beloved fan-favorites in positions of fictional power will be a nice shift away from the domineering "evil boss" gimmicks that have defined the WWE's primary narratives in recent years.

Tim Kail's Raw Review

There are times when the WWE strikes that perfect balance between heavy-handed schmaltz and sincere, logical storytelling.

That elusive sweet spot may just be the purest representation of the WWE's perspective on professional wrestling; an over-the-top family saga wrapped in spandex, fireworks, and an assortment of colorful heroes & villains that occasionally results in genuine expressions of pain, joy, surprise, and psychosis.

One such moment occurred on the November 13th, 2017 episode of Monday Night Raw when Kurt Angle and his tearful "son", Jason Jordan, were interrupted by a grim & determined Triple H.

The Anatomy Of WWE Backstage Segments

I haven't watched a full episode of RAW in over three months.

I catch up by way of clips on Twitter and I skim through Hulu's already abridged version. I spend most of my time perusing the promos, the skits, and whatever vignettes there may be, cramming the broad strokes of the larger narratives so that I might be able to pass whatever WWE-quiz comes my way. Altogether, after also checking up on SmackDown, I've condensed my WWE-viewership into about thirty minutes a week (unless there's a pay-per-view and then that duration naturally increases).

The result is that I'm a much happier human being, and I'm probably a lot easier to be around. I don't obsess about booking decisions. I don't bicker with anyone online. I don't care about anyone's criticism of my criticisms. The imagined judgements of some phantom "real pro-wrestling fan" have vacated my mind, replaced with a sense of peace and the ability to interact with pro-wrestling in a healthier way on my own terms.

The Art Of The Brand Split

The WWE announced on Wednesday morning, May 25th that in addition to broadcasting SmackDown live, Tuesdays on the USA Network, that a brand split will once again take effect in its fictional universe. Raw & SmackDown will feature *insert press-release quote* "unique storylines with unique casts, writing teams etc".

There are a lot of obvious benefits to this creative direction. Not only does a switch to live presentation help revitalize the WWE's stagnant B-Show, a definitive split in an over-crowded roster means less repeat match-ups, less over-exposed, over-worked talent, and more creative focus (hopefully) committed to improving the quality of these proposed unique storylines. With each roster able to focus on one live television show a week (rather than two where wins and loses cancel each other out) there could be more room for the performers to establish their characters via backstage interviews, in-ring promos, and main event matches that represent the culmination of consistently promoted throughlines rather than last-minute, contrived hero/villain pairings.

WORK OF WRESTLING: EP 6: I WANT TO LIKE TRIPLE H

THE PODCASTTim KailFebruary 2, 2015podcast, triple h, wwe, wwe network, professional wrestling, monday night raw, raw announcement, boston, smackdown, the rock

DEAN AMBROSE & ROMAN REIGNS: THE TEAM WE NEED

Lately, SmackDown has existed as background noise in my house.

This has less to do with the quality of the show and more to do with the fact that Raw’s three-hours saturates the viewer. By the time SmackDown comes around to HuluPlus on Saturday, I’ve already seen a minimum of four hours of WWE “content” (usually more as a result of perusing the WWE Network and YouTube). There is no other television-narrative I devote that much time to. Every other show I watch is either twenty minutes a week or forty minutes a week. Like most, I occasionally binge-watch a show, but such shows are always focused on the same characters or the same, consistent narratives. The WWE has yet to catch on to the viewing patterns of today’s generation, and the fact that more and more audiences are responding to psychologically driven, serial narratives with relatable characters in interesting situations.

THE SMACKDOWN (7/4/14)

The Good WorkerJuly 5, 2014MITB, aj lee, dean ambrose, divas, eva marie, john cena merchandise, john cena tee shirts, john cena, roman reigns, seth rollins, smackdown, total divas, wwe network, wwe world heavyweight championship, wwe

The Writings