7 long-term storylines in WWE that were ruined with a bad ending
Long-term storylines in WWE are commonplace, and they happen almost every year. While many long-term storylines and partnerships are now used to culminate at WrestleMania, that hasn't always been the case.
This article looks at some of WWE's long-term storylines that were squandered because of bad endings:
#7. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt's feud post-WWE Draft 2016
With the assist from @JinderMahal, @WWEBrayWyatt nails @RandyOrton with #SisterAbigail to WIN the #HouseOfHorrors match! #WWEPayback https://t.co/55J5ULi1kp
It was 2016 and WWE was arguably having the best year of the PG era from a storyline quality standpoint. Despite the highest-attended WrestleMania in history underwhelming with a flat main event and an overall weak card, what happened post-that was incredible.
All of a sudden, the direction of storylines and the quality of matches started to improve. Admittedly, WrestleMania 32 was plagued with quite a few top stars having injuries — many of whom returned after the grandest stage of them all.
Apart from good storylines from end-to-end and great matches and pay-per-views, WWE fans rejoiced when it was announced that the brand split was being reintroduced that year.
Labeled by WWE as a "brand extension," the Draft system was reintroduced after years and the stacked talent pool meant that the company would benefit from having two separate rosters.
One of the superstars who instantly benefited from a draft to SmackDown was Bray Wyatt. While he lost to Dolph Ziggler in an attempt to secure a WWE title shot against Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) at SummerSlam, it was uphill from there.
Bray Wyatt was quietly the most pushed and protected superstar on the SmackDown brand, hardly losing at all. He experienced his first championship success in WWE during that time as well.
The tag team division just got a whole lot more interesting @RandyOrton @WWEBrayWyatt @LukeHarperWWE #WWETLC #SmackDownLIVE https://t.co/zRGI9my9Zf
It was his storyline with Randy Orton that caught the eye of fans. Looking back at it, it's a shame how things were handled because it started with such promise. Once Randy Orton turned heel and aligned himself with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper, they became the most destructive trio in WWE.
Bray Wyatt stood as the sole survivor in the RAW vs SmackDown Men's Survivor Series match — one that many consider the greatest in history. It was followed with Wyatt's victory of the SmackDown Tag Team titles at TLC 2016, followed by his first World Championship at Elimination Chamber 2017.
Soon after, Randy Orton (who won the 2017 Royal Rumble), turned face and challenged Bray Wyatt for the WWE title. It all went downhill from there. Many fans felt that Bray Wyatt should have retained the WWE title against Orton at WrestleMania, but what ensued was an underwhelming (and weird) match where The Viper triumphed.
While that was the climax of their feud, the ending was arguably worse. By this point, Wyatt was moved to RAW in the Superstar Shake-up, where he faced Randy Orton in a half-cinematic, half-in-ring match known as "The House of Horrors".
The WWE title wasn't on the line, and Wyatt won the bout thanks to interference from Jinder Mahal — the man who went on to dethrone Orton at Backlash 2017. Overall, it was a poor payoff to an otherwise intriguing story.