Old Take Flashback: The Fiend

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3. The Introduction of The Fiend

Will Rogers said it best: “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” Well, most of the time that’s an accurate statement but that’s not the case for Bray Wyatt. Since debuting on the main roster with the Wyatt Family back in 2014 Bray Wyatt has been buried (literally) by John Cena at Wrestlemania 30, verbally destroyed by The Rock at Wrestlemania 32, and had a completely forgettable first WWE Championship reign after capturing it at The Elimination Chamber in 2017 only to lose it to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 33. After a run with Matt Hardy as the “Deleter of Worlds” had come and gone, many questioned if the damage was already done and Bray Wyatt was just another lost talent mismanaged by WWE Creative. Did he ever show them!?

In May of 2019 we saw our first FireFly Funhouse vignette. Most people were thinking, WTF IS THIS? It was Bray in a sweater vest in a segment that gave off a Mr. Rogers Neighborhood feel to it. It was so bizarre and different you couldn’t help to not be able to keep watching. We soon learned this new character had a split personality similar to how Mick Foley had Dude Love, Cactus Jack, and Mankind back in the day. His first feud was with Finn Balor which we saw The Fiend defeat Balor at Summerslam and then boom his reign of terror began. He defeated Seth Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel on Halloween and never looked back. With the support (sort of) of his acquaintances, Rambin Rabbit, Mercy The Buzzard, Huskus The Pig, Abby the Witch, and Boss Man McMahon by his side The Fiend has run through Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Seth Rollins, and most recently John Cena at Wrestlemania 36. The Fiend Bray Wyatt looks like a mainstay in the main event for years to come and show that if you never give up (right John Cena?) and bust your ass you can get back to the top.

It wasn’t all lollipops and rainbows either. There was the terrible ending of the Hell in a Cell Match between Bray and Seth Rollins where the ref stopped the match and the TERRIBLE DECISION to have Goldberg defeat The Fiend at WWE Super ShowDown. The WWE fans and internet went insane on both instances! Regarding the Seth and Bray finish, they made a rematch(as stated above) for WWE Crown Jewel where The Fiend rightfully won the title and as for Goldberg defeating The Fiend (STILL THE DUMBEST THING THEY HAVE DONE IN THE LAST 5 YEARS) The Fiend did get to face John Cena in a FireFly Funhouse Match and Wrestlemania 36 and destroy (if that’s even the word for it) the WWE Icon. The WWE did do a good job letting these two TERRIBLE decisions not knock The Fiend off track. This leads me to the most important reason that WWE was unable to do that and the 2nd biggest reason why The Fiend is going to be a superstar going forward and that is…..

2. The Fan Support

“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt is supposed to be a scary-ass heel. While he is scary as hell, he has the full support of the WWE Universe and doesn’t get booed like a typical heel. He gets cheered and the fans cannot get enough of him! When the ref stopped the match between him and Seth Rollins and after he lost the WWE Championship to Goldberg at Super ShowDown the WWE Universe went insane. Twitter blew up as people were PISSED about both decisions! Wrestling sites, writers, and fans of all ages expressed all their disgust with these decisions!

Luckily WWE did right by Bray in both instances and after defeating John Cena at Wrestlemania this past Sunday and us seeing this past Friday on Smackdown he will begin a feud with Braun Strowman for the WWE Championship (he should have never lost in the first place). Above is a picture of me (a 29 going on 30-year-old man) in the full Fiend outfit for a Halloween party I attended last year. The Fiend is a character that has something to offer for people of all ages! From his puppets in the FireFly Funhouse to his badass title belt, to all his awesome shirts, to his creepy lantern The Fiend has something to offer everyone! The guy sells merchandise like it’s nobody’s business. I know it drives me insane because every time I see something new come out I know I will eventually buy it.

Also, Bray if you’re reading this if you would like to send me any merch you can easily find me on twitter @jdebord12 or @RSHWrestling and feel free to. Plus if you would EVER wanna call in my wrestling podcast (along with my buddy Ben Axe/Chuck Winchester) PLEASE DO IT WOULD BE A DREAM COME TRUE TO HAVE YOU ON!! Sorry about that back to business. The Fiend is truly a character that appeals to everyone and it’s not hard to see why he has the full support of the WWE Universe. Bray Wyatt has overcome years of questionable booking to become the hottest thing in wrestling today. Which leads me to the number 1 reason why The Fiend is the best thing in wrestling and is going nowhere…..

1. The Continuous Evolution of The Fiend

Let’s first talk about how impressive it is what Bray Wyatt accomplished. We all know how WWE doesn’t like to give creative freedom to most of its talent. Coming off his lackluster ending to his first run Bray didn’t just sit at home and bitch or go on social media and say OMG WWE DIDN’T GIVE ME A CHANCE (unlike Luke Harper, The Revival, and many others). Bray went deep into his brilliant creative mind and The Fiend character was all Brays creation! Designer Jason Baker who has worked for the WWE for nearly ten years said back in August “It’s all Bray’s brainchild”. From the FireFly Funhouse to the characters that live in it with Bray this was all on Bray. He went all or nothing with a character that he didn’t know if it would work. If the WWE machine would get behind it or if the WWE fans would even respond to it. But he trusted himself enough and busted his ass and has created the most unique and captivating character in professional wrestling.

The best part is THE FIEND IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO EVOLVE. We are all anticipating the return of him since Orton caught him on fire right? Exactly. Does anyone else cut a better promo? I mean seriously? The guy spouts off riddles that leaves the fans’ heads spinning. It’s always a WTF is he going to do next question with this character. Did you all see the FireFly Funhouse Match at Wrestlemania? If you didn’t I recommend that you do ASAP. It was one of the most bizarre, unique, crazy, and awesome things I think I’ve ever seen in my 24 years of watching pro wrestling. Just think of what matches in the future he could have within the ring (or The Firefly Funhouse) going forward. There is so much of the roster left that The Fiend has yet to work with. The Fiend vs Edge appealing to you? What about Jeff Hardy? The Fiend vs Alister Black anyone? Eventually you would think Finn Balor would want some revenge so how about The Demon King vs The Fiend? Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, getting revenge on Goldberg. Plus all the up and comers on NXT.

I know it’s early and Karrion Kross hasn’t even officially debuted on WWE TV yet but Killer Kross vs The Fiend would be something that the WWE Universe would surely enjoy also. With the brilliant creative mind of Bray Wyatt and the WWE Machine firmly behind him, we have only scratched the surface of what this amazing character can do. I for one am a huge fan of the guy as I consider him my favorite wrestler and performer. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds and it’s undoubtedly bright. I advise wrestling fans to jump on this bandwagon now because it’s just getting started and you will be making a mistake if you don’t LET HIM IN!!!!!!!!!!!!