Yowie Wowie: The Character the WWE Needed

Bray Wyatt had been on on an uptick entering WrestleMania 33.  He had just won the title in a grueling Elimination Chamber match, defeating John Cena, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz and Baron Corbin which allowed Wyatt to headline Wrestlemania 33 while defending the title against "The Viper" Randy Orton.  Wyatt would then proceed to lose to the Orton by way of the trademarked RKO; however, this RKO not only marked the end of Wyatt's short and first WWE Championship reign, it also pinned the character of Bray Wyatt and upended the cult following of the Wyatt family.  Bray's character was never the same.  He entered into a forgettable feud with an out-of-shape and washed-up Matt Hardy that resulted in one tag team title reign, but the reign spoke more for the lack of talent in the WWE tag team division than it did for the careers of Hardy and Wyatt.  Eventually, the WWE universe became bored with the Ultimate Deletion gimmick, and Bray Wyatt faded to nothingness.  

There is much to be said about the character creations of Bray Wyatt, but for one, they never lack for creativity.  Wyatt took a long and much needed break from WWE which gave him and the WWE creative team to put together a complex character that will continue to redefine WWE wrestling as well as WWE character development.  Wyatt's first return was on the jumbotron when he appeared in the Firefly Funhouse.  The kid-friendly theme song along with the many characters and sound effects attempted to trick new WWE fans into believing that Wyatt had become a family-friendly Mr. Rogers, but most fans knew something more demonic and sadistic was at brew.  "The Fiend" character made his opening appearance on an episode of The Firefly Funhouse and was met with "Holy Shit" chants from the WWE universe--there is no higher praise for risky character choices than the "Holy Shit" chants--and Wyatt responded to the WWE universe by giving them more.  He proceeded to attack legends such as Jerry the King Lawler and Kane as The Fiend while subsequently feigning ignorance in the Firefly Funhouse and not taking responsibility for "His" (The Fiend's) play things.  The in ring debut for The Fiend came at Summerslam where he decimated Finn Balor while striking fear into the WWE locker room as well as awing WWE fans with his disturbing entrance which highlighted a lantern encased with a mold of Bray's head.  Seth Rollins proved to be the next victim of The Fiend.  At the Crown Jewel PPV, with the stage cloaked in an ominous red light, The Fiend defeated Rollins while sustaining a volley of moves and objects that would have permanently ended any mortal man; The Fiend is more than a man.  This truth will create and has already created obstacles for the WWE, but these obstacles can serve as ways to improve the WWE creative team, because at the moment, very few characters are at the story-telling and creative level that Wyatt is at.  Daniel Bryan became the next victim of The Fiend and lost his beard and hair in the process.  No one endures a match with The Fiend and returns the same.  Balor left WWE for a while and returned to NXT; Rollins was forced to tap into his inner-heel because of the constant barrage of boos from the WWE universe; Daniel Bryan lost virtually all of his hair and was forced to return to the all-reliable "Yes Movement."  

The Fiend serves as the first successful WWE supernatural character since The Undertaker, but unlike the Undertaker, Wyatt's split personalities allow him to contain the mantra and silence of The Fiend while advancing his overall character arch.  Wrestling is important, but no character is complete without skills on the mic.  The "Mr. Rogers" Wyatt is more than adept while feuding with adversaries which heightens the psychological buildup towards matches but also makes up for the eerie silence of The Fiend apart from the guttural laughs and demonic bellows that accompany his matches as well as a variety of disturbing and catchy catch phrases: Let Me in and Yowie Wowie.  

The WWE from the departure of The Wyatt Family and up to the creation of The Fiend, had been running flat by many definitions.  They had recycled rivalry after rivalry (Rollins vs Lesnar and Reigns vs Lesnar) while also refusing to create characters that drastically altered the landscape of WWE (that is until The Fiend).  Fans were subject to characters like face Miz, face Strowman or Finn Balor.  Roman Reigns was absent from wrestling for a large portion of time while he won his battle with Leukemia.  While NxT and the Women's division made great strives, the WWE relied on wrestlers and rivalries of the past (I love Triple H, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Goldberg, but once you make the Hall of Fame, it's time to put the boots up).  Some of those matches were created in order to attract international buzz at shows, but those matches also reflected the lack of talent in the ring and on the mic; the TV ratings payed the price.  The WWE attempted to give in to fan gimmicks while pushing characters like Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, but their title reigns were forgettable at best.  Arenas constantly were filled with chants for "CM Punk" save for the matches between Ziggler and Rollins.  Superstars such as The Revival and Andrade made names for themselves and Drew McCintyre along with Baron Corbin became staunch heels, but the faces could never respond.  Daniel Bryan formed a environmentally sound grunge heel that created a spark and elevated Kofi Kingston's flat character.  AJ Styles was relied on as a face for far too long while The Bullet Club became a joke.  WWE needed a change and quickly (I think even the Shield might have returned during as well).

What makes The Fiend's supernatural character function is the stark contrast between the split personalities along with Wyatt's enormous frame.  Finn Balor's "Demon King" persona is interesting from the standpoint that it requires a lot of face paint, but it is highly underdeveloped.  Balor's meek stature does not aid his supposed Demon King; he appears as an imp who might sit on your shoulder and tempt you to do the wrong thing.  Wyatt is peppered with confusing and menacing tattoos, and his hair is bleached, dreaded and quite long.  The outfit of The Fiend sports clown like pants and gloves along with a mask that came straight out of a horror movie.  The Fiend is a believable nightmare.  Fans do not have to suspend their disbelief that this monster is impervious to stomps and Pedigrees.  Wyatt also has captured on a recent increase in love for horror movies and the horror genre.  While some continue to criticize the red light that accompanies The Fiend's matches along with the utter dominance of The Fiend, they fail to see how important Wyatt's character has become in the WWE.  The red light ups the thematic element of Wyatt's horror and differentiates his character from any other.  Certainly there is some way to defeat The Fiend, but it is not through simple methods that would defeat any other wrestler; this is why The Fiend is a supernatural character.  The WWE heard the laments of bloggers and the result was the inclusion of a match that featured Mr. Rogers Wyatt at TLC.  It was the first time that I questioned Wyatt and the WWE team because they attempted to indulge the desires of their followers; but it was different and provided another interesting element of Wyatt's character.  

The WWE needed something new and interesting that would alter the landscape: enter in The Fiend.  There have been returns and rises of other characters that have allowed WWE to escape from recycled rivalries, but thank The Fiend for the majority of WWE's current success.  There are so many options with The Fiend and Bray Wyatt, and the means to the outcome are difficult to predict.  Wyatt in creating The Fiend capitalized on a love for horror and odd fascination with disturbed clowns (The Joker and IT).  Whether you like or hate what The Fiend brings to wrestling, it cannot be stressed how important the change is that The Fiend has brought to the WWE.