Ask PWTorch ASK THE SPECIALISTS ROUNDTABLE: Is this idea a way to liven up Jericho vs. Wyatt coming out of Summerslam?
Aug 15, 2014 - 1:42:54 PM
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The "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 #53
- Question from PWTorch reader Chris Moore: I know WWE has no interest in internal consistency, but wouldn't a perfect bow/back-story on Bray Wyatt's feud with Chris Jericho to tie in the creepy Jericho videos from his previous comeback? There really never was a pay-off to that. Maybe the creepy girl in the video could be Sister Abigail?
- "Mr. TV" Justin James (@Justin_M_James) responds: Chris, I think that’s a really cool idea, but WWE has consistently shown little interest in these things. They have an almost David Lynch-like ability to throw stuff out with no explanation. Remember Nexus’s “higher power”? Or, when they do bother to wrap up a dangling storyline from a few years ago, they bungle it (Hornswoggle as the anonymous Raw GM for example).
- "Hits & Misses" Jon Mezzera responds: Sorry, but I'm just not feeling this one. While you are right that there never was a pay-off to those creepy Chris Jericho videos, they aired something like a year-and-a-half ago. I'm all for more storyline consistency, but trying to tie up a loose end that is that old doesn't make much sense to me. And, wasn't Sister Abigail supposed to be quite a bit older than Bray Wyatt? She was his mentor and teacher. She wouldn't have been a girl in Jericho's video. That wouldn't make sense to me.
- "Mr. PPV" Nathan Kyght responds: I'm always a fan of tying in backstories - as of right now it seems that Bray Wyatt's only issue with Y2J is that in one of his comebacks he said he was going to 'save' us, and didn't (whatever that means). In terms of using the little girl as being Sister Abigail and being that specific? Well, that depends on the longevity of the feud and whether or not Jericho plans on sticking around past the summer. It would be a pretty major character arc. If nothing else I'd like them to flesh out the feud a little more. As of right now Wyatt's motivation seems vague, and I think that WWE needs to give us more of a reason that the two are feuding.
- "Falls Count Anywhere" Tony Donofrio (@TonyDonofrio) responds: Chris Jericho has come out in interviews since then and stated that there was no real significance to the girl in his videos during his previous comeback. I do like where your head is, Chris, but we simply can’t give WWE Creative that much credit to ever try to create a storyline where they’d link those videos to Sister Abigail.
- "Common Fan" Jimmy Eaton (@TheCommonFan) responds: Good question. Chris. Short answer, though - It would be cool, but it won't happen. Unfortunately, the little things that we see WWE tends to not put much thought into. I doubt it even crossed anyone's mind and even Jericho himself I believe said it was done just to be creepy with no reason for it, so it'd have to be a new story. Still, a cool idea, as most of the current feuds are lacking a bit in terms of deeper storytelling.
- "Instant Reaction" Ben Tucker (@BTuckerTorch) responds: Perhaps, though I don't quite see how the pieces would fit together. Jericho is positioning himself as the antithesis to Wyatt, and addressing the reasoning behind his cryptic return from 2012 would probably muddy the waters of their feud more than anything. The only thing the rivalry needs at this point is a memorable match.
- "Showstopper" Shawn Valentino responds: Thanks for your question, Chris. You are correct that WWE has no interest in internal consistency, but Chris Jericho's comeback videos were one of those occasions where I am glad there was no pay-off. The whole brilliance of that hype as well as his silent return was that it was a parody of wrestling returns. I loved how he made a mockery of returning Superstars by subtly manipulating the fans with his sarcastic reactions. Unfortunately, WWE did not know what to do with it. They do not need to tie Bray Wyatt's character to those videos because the whole point of it was to mock over-hyped comebacks.
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[ 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. ]
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