The new "Ask the Specialists" Roundtable is the latest spin-off from the "Ask the Torch" feature. CSI led to CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, which is where you'll find the Specialists tackling a daily topic submitted by PWTorch readers to askpwtorch@gmail.com.

Ask the Specialists Roundtable #20

- Question from PWTorch reader Michael: When you've got characters in a trio like The Shield, each member seems to stand out as an individual whilst still being a trio. However, in the Wyatt Family, other than Bray, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper don't seem to have that much character depth (although they have been booked to be strong). What do you see as an upside/future for Rowan and Harper?

- "Falls Count Anywhere" Tony Donofrio (@TonyDonofrio) responds: This is a good question. However, any time a group or faction is put together the hope is that one guy will eventually emerge as a superstar. Sometimes, it's the guy that booking/creative expected (like what is seemingly happening with Bray Wyatt) and sometimes it doesn't (Edge wasn't expected to be the breakout star of The Brood, Gangrel was).

With that said, there's still A LOT that hasn't been explained about the Wyatts that could be help develop Rowan and Harper down the line. Where did any of these guys come from? Why are they part of the family? Are they "blood" relatives or just brainwashed, so to speak? There doesn't seem to be a definitive shelf life on the group yet, either. So, the slower burn on this, the better at this point.

- "Common Fan" Jimmy Eaton (@TheCommonFan) responds: I think Harper has a much larger upside than Rowan from the work I'm seen from him in DGUSA. That said, I get your point and I'm not too sure of what the end game is for the two of them. I would rather them be booked as a solid tag team at this point, but I imagine we'll get more of an idea of that as this year progresses.

- "Hits & Misses" Jon Mezzera responds: I have said in my Hits & Misses that long term I can actually see Luke Harper as the top star coming out of the Wyatt Family. He has the size that Vince McMahon likes, he has a unique look, he has charisma, he has shown good skill in the ring, and WWE clearly is more behind him than Erick Rowan in the way that Harper at least gets to talk now and again (and gets the majority of the singles matches). Bray Wyatt has so much going for him, but I am still not that impressed with him in the ring. He is kind of boring in the ring, despite the distinct style that he has and some of those unique things that he does in a match.

I think that Harper down the line when the group eventually breaks up, has a good chance of being a bigger star. Whereas I haven't been that impressed with Rowan in the ring. He just seems like a generic, though decent big guy. So, I see much more of an upside and a future for Harper over Rowan. Like you said, they haven't been given much character depth, but that's because they are cult followers, not cult leaders. They shouldn't have much depth at this point. Once WWE wants to break up the group, they can start to give them more character development so that you could see perhaps one of them not being happy in the group any more. But, that shouldn't happen for a long time.

- "Mr. PPV" Nathan Kyght responds: I think the booking of the Wyatts is done more to spotlight Bray as the "cult leader," as his "followers" are given a much lesser role. The Shield though, are more of a uniting of three stars. For now it's definitely working. As for what the future holds, I haven't really seen enough of what Erick Rowan can do yet to have much of a say one way or another (save him getting a generic big guy gimmick). Luke Harper, though, has a great look and is very good in the ring. He was awesome on the indie scene as Brodie Lee and I think that he will have a spot that is more clearly defined eventually.

- "Mr. TV" Justin James (@Justin_M_James) responds: This is by design. Harper and Rowan are mental slaves to Wyatt, so it makes sense that they do not have much individual personality, other than Rowan wearing the sheep mask and Harper groaning “yeah yeah yeah” during his matches (which seems to have tapered off since they left NXT).

On NXT, they did some really outstanding work with this as an idea. Harper played more of the “calmer older brother” leading the less-patient Rowan and keeping him in-line. In terms of upside a future? Harper has put together a very solid body of in-ring work, and his command of his character is outstanding, showing idol worship of Wyatt and insanity through facial expressions alone. Rowan is decent as well, but he hasn’t blown anyone’s doors off, and that’s just fine. He can last a long time in the Mike Knox or Luke Gallows slot if WWE will let him.

- "Instant Reaction" Ben Tucker (@BTuckerTorch) responds: This is a great question, and one I've been thinking about a lot lately. Honestly, I don't see where Harper and Rowan can go after leaving Bray, especially in the case of Rowan, due to his lack of in-ring finesse that Harper has shown lately. Part of the problem is that their characters are designed to be nothing more than followers that don't think on their own. Both would need a huge character repackaging, and I'm not sure how either would fare in such a situation.

- "Showstopper" Shawn Valentino responds: Thank you for your question, Michael. You make an excellent point that WWE has not done well developing the characters of Rowan and Harper. I understand that they want Bray to be a strong character and showcase that he is a cult leader with weak-minded followers, but I would like all three to be fleshed out more. What is the Wyatt family's message, and what is their purpose to be in a wrestling company?

From what it seems, both Rowan and Harper are solid in the ring, and they definitely fit the creepy backwoods look perfectly, but I would like to understand their motivations without losing the sense of mystery. Lack of character depth has been WWE's weakness throughout the years. I see the core trio sticking together for the foreseeable future because they are one of the most popular acts on the show and are extremely marketable. Hopefully in the next six months or so we will know more about the sheep that follow the master.

- "Mr. Europe" Brian Leahy (@CobyHectic) responds: Put simply, the Wyatts are a vessel to showcase the character of Bray Wyatt while The Shield exists (or at least originally existed) to get Roman Reigns over by putting him with two wrestlers who are stronger in the aspects in which he lacks. Everybody in The Shield has something to offer: Ambrose - the mouthpiece, Rollins - the wrestler, and Reigns - the beast. Rowan and Harper are decent wrestlers, but with all due respect, are just supporting pawns in Bray's story. Realistically, they could be any two guys in ripped jeans and boiler suits, but Rowan and Harper fill that role better than most wrestlers at six-feet-and-a-half tall.

Harper and Rowan could have a future outside of that role, particularly Harper who has worked extensively under the Chikara, ROH, and Dragon Gate banners as Brodie Lee, but will need to step out of Bray Wyatt's large shadow in order to get that chance.

***

[ FYI: The specialists consist of a mix of current PWTorch contributors providing their opinion on today's wrestling scene and modern wrestling history questions, including Shawn Valentino, Michael Moore, Ben Tucker, Jon Mezzera, Justin James, Brian Leahy, Jimmy Eaton, Nathan Kyght, Tony Donofrio, and Mike Roe. ]

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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