WWE SmackDown’s Smacks & Downs: The Fiend finally has character development

Smack: a callback leading to character development

Since the debut of the “Firefly Fun House,” the lingering question has been what was the actual motivation that drove this character change. While The Fiend was initially well received, his being impervious to pain, winning the Universal Championship that he didn’t need in the first place, and then losing to a botched jackhammer has really stunted his momentum.

Even though his match with John Cena at WrestleMania was expected, it didn’t diminish the anticipation fans have for seeing this match. However, as I noted last week, what did diminish it was The Fiend just standing there, pointing at the WrestleMania sign like some respectful adversary even though he never showed respect before. Where was the mandible claw?

Well, the “Firefly Fun House” was well done in the sense that we now know why Bray Wyatt is The Fiend. It all stems from his loss to Cena at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans. As Ramblin’ Rabbit so kindly reminded us (and somehow didn’t die…again), “It’s because John Cena totally destroyed you six years ago at WrestleMania, thus beginning a downward spiral of negativity and failure in your personal and professional life!”

Crediting Cena for the existence of the “Fun House” and The Fiend is a good choice. The Fiend’s very existence hinges on Wyatt’s inability to move beyond that loss in New Orleans, thus placing the blame for everything he’s done squarely on the broad, muscular shoulders of Cena. While Wyatt can forgive Cena, we know The Fiend only knows vengeance.

Yes, this should have been one of the first “Fun House” segments (tweaked, of course), which would have planted a long-term seed in the minds of fans and possibly lead to more sustainable fan support. Still, being such a big match on the card, this edition of the “Firefly Fun House” leaves me intrigued to see what’s next.