Bray Wyatt made his WWE debut in 2012 and has performed different gimmicks in the Stamford-based promotion. From being the leader of The Wyatt Family to becoming The Fiend, Bray has played a variety of characters on television, and they’ve been immensely loved by fans.
Despite all the work behind his character developments and gimmicks, Wyatt has still not been able to become the face of the Triple-H-led promotion at any point in his career. This has always been a cause of arguments between his fans and critics, as they have different claims on the question of whether Bray Wyatt is a success in WWE or not.
The Eater of the Worlds has been the best gimmick-based personality in recent years, and it converted into great storylines during his initial years in the promotion. However, with the passage of time his progress just stopped, thanks to the booking decisions.
The extent of the booking disasters of his character can be estimated from the fact that his The Fiend persona was recognized as the Worst Gimmick of 2020 by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. After a departure from WWE in July 2021, Bray returned at Extreme Rules 2022 and was expected to make it big through this run, but it hasn’t really happened.
After a stint of poor bookings, the superstar got injured and hasn’t been seen on TV since February 2023. It has been reported that he is now fit for in-ring action, but when he will return to action is still unknown. It remains to be seen if he can taste some success in the promotion after his highly anticipated return.
3 gimmicks that completely failed in the Modern Era
Bray Wyatt’s recent WWE character may not have been able to taste the success that everyone expected it to have, but it is not the only gimmick to fail in recent years. So, let’s take a look at three gimmicks that completely failed in the Modern Era.
Lacey Evans
WWE star Lacey Evans has been a part of different gimmicks throughout his time at the Stamford-based promotion; however, nothing has really worked for the tough US Marines veteran. Lacey looks like the perfect performer to make it big in the female division of Triple H’s company, but she hasn’t been able to connect with the fans, even after so many character changes.
Her gimmick as The Sassy Southern Belle is arguably her best work in the promotion, and after that character, her career graph has only gone downward. She was missing from WWE TV for a long time before she returned with a new gimmick that portrayed her as a hero with a dose of nationalism. However, this wasn’t able to run for too long, as she was again turned into a heel by the Stamford-based promotion.
Even after the heel turn, she had another change in her gimmick, as she was re-packaged to return with a new look in January 2023. This look saw her wearing wrestling gear inspired by the military, but just like her previous characters, this also didn’t connect with the WWE universe. Hence, we can surely say that Lacey has been a part of some of the completely failed gimmicks of the modern era.
Eva Marie
Eva Marie, whose real name is Natalie Eva Marie Nelson, was a well-known figure on WWE TV throughout her career. Her sizzling on-screen personality used to immediately seek everyone’s attention, and it gave her massive popularity. She had two different stints with the Triple-H-led promotion, but her 2020–2021 run is considered to be her worst stint.
When Eva returned to the company in June 2021, but before her eventual return, a lot of hype was created by airing vignettes. They were under the character of a ‘celebrity who wants to help other people’, as she promoted ‘the Eva-Lution’. But when she finally appeared on WWE TV, Eva sent an unnamed protégé to fight on her behalf. Hence, this was probably one of the worst gimmicks in the Modern Era, and due to this, she left the company in 2021.
Heel Dean Ambrose
Similar to his teammates from The Shield, Dean Ambrose also enjoyed immense popularity and success at the Stamford-based promotion. He had some great rivalries and matches throughout his WWE career, as he remained a babyface for most of his time in the Triple-H-led promotion.
Despite his success as a crowd favorite, Dean turned heel after he and Seth Rollins won the Raw Tag Team Titles on October 22, 2018. While his heel turn was a phenomenal moment that was long overdue, the promotion wasn’t able to handle it properly, and his run after that turn became a forgettable one.
WWE ruined his heel turn by making him a germaphobe who used to cut promos in gas masks. This kind of booking was way too weird for a superstar of Dean’s level, and that’s why his heel gimmick was something that failed completely. Due to continuous booking failures, The Lunatic Fringe left the company in 2019. Following his WWE exit, Ambrose joined AEW and has since been performing there under the ring name Jon Moxley.