It Was Fun While It Lasted, Fiend

A blog by A.J. Gonzalez

I knew it was going to happen. A part of me hoped that it wouldn't happen. But it happened.

WWE decided at Super Showdown on a warm Saudi Arabian night that nostalgia WCW was more over than a "character" that was getting the admiration from fans and wrestling critics. A "character" that was put over by talent as Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan for months. The company undid that in exactly three minutes of four spears and a jackhammer. A character that was crafted and pushed in promos so organically to grab the strings of wrestling fans and had their attention glued to him. A character that was deemed indestructible.....or he no-sold to build his brand. A 53 year old, part-timing Hall-of-Famer squashed that notion. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Bray Wyatt took a hiatus because his "Eater of Worlds" gimmick went stale and many wondered when he was coming back. Then in April, a segment named "Firefly Funhouse" aired on Raw and showed a healthier looking Wyatt in a Mister Rogers-type show featuring puppets that wasn't Mister Rogers-type. Time would go on with the fans and the wrestling community praising the gimmick as it progressed. Wyatt then introduced an alter ego called The Fiend, a sinister version of himself wearing a freaky Halloween mask that would make grown men piss themselves. Anticipation grew as the Fiend would continue to build himself up. He would finally be near a ring, attacking legends of WWE on Monday Night Raw. The company booked a match against him and Finn Balor at SummerSlam for his first ring action since his hiatus. The match was a squash as the Fiend dominated Balor. Now after that, you would think the WWE could give the Fiend lesser opponents to continue building on his character and many improving his wrestling. They decided to put him in a program with Seth Rollins for the Universal Title.

Many have continued to state that the Fiend's demise was at Super Showdown, but this is where it actually began. The ending of their Hell in a Cell match has been scrutinized and mocked for how stupid it was. Then at Crown Jewel, the Fiend defeated Rollins in a wild Falls Count Anywhere bout to win the Universal Title. I will say this till my last breath on this earth: BRAY WYATT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BOOKED TO WIN THE UNIVERSAL TITLE TO BEGIN WITH! But you're wondering "He won one of the companies' world titles. Why is this so bad?" His reign as Universal Champion was terrible. Sure he was booked strong, but look back at his matches with Daniel Bryan and the Miz and you come to the realization that his reign was rushed and sloppy due to the fact that Wyatt isn't a caliber-type of performer as Bryan or the Miz. His promos were still excellent, so he had that going for him. Also, it's ironic that his decline began in Saudi Arabia.....but months earlier. And his creepy custom belt was on the market for almost $3000 for any fan that wanted it. No thanks.

A win over Goldberg could have elevated the Fiend and set up an encounter with Cena at Mania for the title with Cena going over to win #17. Or a bout with Roman Reigns to maybe elevate both superstars who need it since Reigns was in that terrible feud with King Corbin. Instead, WWE went with the narrative and decided to put the belt on Goldberg. Hopefully, the now-conformed match between the Fiend and Cena at Mania can resuscitate his push.

Until then, it was fun while it lasted, Fiend.

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