Dr. Chris Featherstone says Vince McMahon clashed with former WWE Champion; Could Triple H have made a difference? (Exclusive)
WWE has been thriving under Triple H's creative leadership but the vibe within the company seemed entirely different during Vince McMahon's era. Dr. Chris Featherstone and Vince Russo recently discussed Bray Wyatt's time in WWE and whether he suffered from working under Mr. McMahon.
Bray Wyatt passed away in August 2023 and left behind a wholly unique legacy as being one of the most unique superstars to have appeared on WWE TV.
Despite his return in 2022, Bray Wyatt's second stint in the promotion was riddled with various issues and one of them stemmed from Vince McMahon's questionable booking.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Sportskeeda Dr. Chris Featherstone admitted to being a massive admirer of Bray Wyatt and how he faced problems with Vince McMahon after his comeback.
Featherstone brought up multiple angles that Bray was involved in and stated that there were many missed chances to make the former WWE Champion seem like a bigger deal.
The wrestling journalist wondered whether Bray Wyatt's career would have panned out differently had he been under Triple H's guidance:
"We just both wildly put Bray over, I mean, just one of the best creative minds ever was affiliated with WWE. The guy was an absolute genius. I'm wondering because I know that there was a clash between him and Vince. There would be no Wyatt Sicks if Bray was still alive, so when Bray was still alive, Vince had him in some angles (Howdy, Lashley). So there were so many missed opportunities when it came to Bray. If Triple H was at the helm and doing all the creative without Vince, do you think anything would have changed?" [32:55 onwards]
Vince Russo chimed in and declared that even if Triple H had been steering the ship during Bray Wyatt's most recent run, nothing would have changed because WWE doesn't "understand TV."
Vince Russo argued that WWE's officials only know about wrestling and often ignore what it actually takes to create a TV show with compelling characters.
Russo shaped the gimmicks of many legends during the Attitude Era and recalled getting inspired by other television shows, which pushed him to improve the quality of the pro wrestling product.
In 2024, however, Russo doesn't see the same approach from the Stamford-based company even though it's under new management.
He explained:
"Chris, they don't understand TV. They know wrestling. That's what they know, like I told you, Chris, I was an avid television viewer. I was inspired to make our shows as good as some of the other shows I was watching. My god, if I was still writing there and I was watching The Penguin, I would be inspired to come up with a character this great. They don't know television, bro, they know wrestling, and everything turns into a bad wrestling angle, including Kofi's mother, every single thing is a bad wrestling angle." [34:20 onwards]
Bray is no longer with us, but his presence can still be felt through The Wyatt Sicks, a tribute act to the late great WWE superstar.
Please credit Legion of RAW and give a H/T to Sortskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.