WWE Raw: Unpredictable nature of The Fiend is the best way to go

The Aug. 19 edition of WWE Raw saw the latest unpredictable attack in a long line of unpredictable attacks for Bray Wyatt’s new gimmick, The Fiend, who has been wreaking havoc for weeks.

Last night’s WWE Raw was set to feature an episode of the King’s Court featuring WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry “The King” Lawler, who was scheduled to have an interview with Sasha Banks after her shocking return and heel turn last week.

However, for what started out as an interview with The Boss quickly turned into an unexpected attack featuring The Fiend.

While Lawler was briefly previewing the King of the Ring tournament that kicked off last night, the lights started to go out.  The King knew what was coming and left the ring to walk up the ramp, but that attempted exit wouldn’t save him in the end.

Once The King got to the top of the stage, the lights went completely out and standing behind Lawler was The Fiend, looking as demonic as ever.  Wyatt then put The King into the mandible claw, laying the Hall of Famer out in the process to the point where he had to be helped out of the arena during the commercial break that ensued.

This was the latest unpredictable attack at the hands of The Fiend, who has quickly developed into the most intriguing character in the WWE.  The Fiend got things started by attacking Finn Balor several weeks ago, which set up their SummerSlam match that turned out to be a glorified squash match in favor of The Fiend.  But since attacking Balor, The Fiend has gone after several WWE legends.

He has put the mandible claw on the likes of Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, and now The King since his in-arena debut.  These attacks come off the heels of a series of the wildly successful Firefly Funhouse segments featuring the new happy-go-lucky, yet demented version of Wyatt that eventually led to The Fiend’s debut.  It’s safe to say Wyatt is the most must-see Superstar in the WWE right now, and much of that can be attributed to the way he has been booked lately.

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These seemingly random, out of nowhere attacks help create a mystique that no one else has on the roster and the plays directly into the hands of Wyatt.  After The Fiend’s SummerSlam win over Balor, he was not on TV  on either Raw or SmackDown.  That might seem strange to some given the momentum Wyatt has been creating and the fact that he won his debut match as The Fiend in impressive fashion at SummerSlam, but it actually makes long-term sense.

Having Wyatt pop up on TV at random times instead of every week keeps him fresh and keeps that mystique intact.  The same philosophy has been used in similar fashion over the years with the likes of The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, but this method fits the nature of The Fiend’s character to a T.  If The Fiend was on TV every week attacking people out of nowhere, it would start to feel much more predictable.

The current unpredictability surrounding The Fiend is as big of a reason as to why he’s must-see as anything.  It essentially creates intrigue to WWE TV week in and week out because fans that look forward to seeing Wyatt never know when he might show up and who he might go after.  That’s a reason for fans to tune in every week and let’s be honest, the ratings on Monday nights could use someone as intriguing as Wyatt.

This should all lead to much bigger things in the future, but it’s safe to say the WWE has something truly unique and special in this new version of Wyatt.  Fans have been understandably critical of the WWE’s ability to create these unique characters in recent years, so this is a total knockout and something the creative powers that be can have a field day with.

Nobody knows just what the future holds for Wyatt and The Fiend, but the unpredictable nature of his character is the perfect way to present one of the most creative new gimmicks the WWE has produced in years.