WWE: How much longer is The Fiend’s shelf life?
The Fiend is one of the hottest acts in the WWE right now, but the question needs to be asked: how long can it last?
WWE and Bray Wyatt caught lightning in a bottle when crafting the Fiend character. We first caught a glimpse of the character in a May 13 episode of Firefly Fun House before Wyatt made his in-ring debut as The Fiend at SummerSlam. Two months later, he became a World Champion and the company’s top merchandise seller (per The Wrestling Observer, h/t WrestlingInc).
The Fiend’s success skyrocketed and he was quick to connect strongly with the WWE Universe. The question is: how long can WWE ride that success before fans get sick of The Fiend’s schtick.
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The Fiend was introduced to us as an embodiment of fear that evokes terror in the bravest of Superstars. We watched (and laughed, honestly) as Seth Rollins – the reigning Universal Champion at the time – screamed in a tearful fright at the sight of The Fiend. Easy to poke fun of, yes, but it was a moment that helped sell the idea that we and everyone who faces him should be afraid of The Fiend.
But eventually, The Fiend is going to stop being scary. Not only to us, but WWE may stop booking his opponents to be afraid of him. Perhaps they already have, as Daniel Bryan never had any fearful moments where he was akin to screaming like Rollins. Nor did The Miz. Even after being “changed” and having his family terrorized, Miz was more than anxious to square up to The Fiend.
While it’s good to have resilient babyfaces who aren’t afraid to stare danger in the face, do we stop viewing The Fiend as scary if his challengers don’t find him scary anymore? And if The Fiend is no longer scary when his entire aura is shrouded in fear, does The Fiend no longer work as a character?
Beyond just fearing The Fiend, is there going to be a point where he just looks too powerful? The Fiend is notable for decimating his opponents within minutes. He isn’t known to have marathon sprints with other wrestlers, nor should he as this unstoppable entity, but that may be a detriment in itself.
If fans view The Fiend’s matches as too formulaic, not only will fans tire of them the same way they tired of Brock Lesnar’s “Suplex City” matches once upon a time ago, but it runs a risk of making the entire roster look weak if everyone who he encounters gets beaten in under four minutes.
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Right now, The Fiend works as a character, but there are enough holes in his structure to be concerned about how long it could possibly work before we all fall out of love with The Fiend.