WWE’s Firefly Fun House Match: When Talent is Trusted

Bray Wyatt has gifted WWE with a WrestleMania masterpiece, reaching a cinematic and entertainment peak for professional wrestling.

Sheer beauty. Excellence in execution. Planned to perfection. After that disgraceful loss to Goldberg, many, including me, worried about Bray Wyatt. The Fiend is his Renaissance rejuvenation, a creation so unique and haunting, no one could have predicted it. Even WWE had no clue how to manage it. Only one person could handle this creative concoction: its maker Bray Wyatt.

WWE has a history of trying to control its talent and overproduce, but you can see the fingerprints of Wyatt all over it. In a bold decision, the WWE Brass put their trust in Wyatt, who has always shown strength in playing mind games, and this match was Bray’s manga opus.

It starts like all great Wyatt things: in the Firefly Fun House. Every promo and segment Wyatt has done since his return as the Fiend character acted as seeds planted to make this forest. The callbacks were endless, seeing the return of the Muscle Man Dance and every puppet playing a role in the manipulation of Cena’s psyche. Wyatt proudly announces that Cena will be facing himself, and seeing John in the Fun House was an interesting sight.

Once John opens that door and exits, we start on the path of reliving the build of John Cena, tracing his career from his “Ruthless Aggression” moment to now. Wyatt calls on the parallels, highlighting how both he and Cena were almost fired for not living up to potential and had to take matters into their own hands. Both superstars took a walk down memory lane, in a sort of revisiting the timeline.

Stages of Cena

We go through all the stages of Cena. They recreate his debut against Kurt Angle, which Wyatt dubs his greatest failure and even throws a reference to Nikki Bella.

This leads to a parody of the only WWF programming, where Wyatt shines a spotlight on how John Cena is this generation’s Hulk Hogan. This pokes fun at the campiness of the characters but also critiques Vince McMahon’s emphasis on muscle and brawn over talent. Cena is pumping iron and showing off his strength until his arms give out. It highlights another failure of sorts, his bodybuilding past and not working out.

Then, they shift to his Doctor of Thuganomics character. Cena is rapping and throwing disses at Bray over and over again. This is when we start to see Cena in a negative light as Wyatt takes the insults to a quiet crowd, letting you hear the insults word for word with no reaction. Wyatt opens his soul to Cena and tries to give him an opportunity to not be a bully. Cena refuses to back down, leading Wyatt to knock him out. The match shifts.

Next, we get a treat as Bray Wyatt revisits his cult character with a pristine promo. It centers on the moment that Wyatt and Cena fought each other, six years ago. The crowd was firmly behind Wyatt, and Cena couldn’t handle it. This leads to the recreation of the moment: where Cena has a chair and Wyatt tells him to finish the job. Back then Cena didn’t give in but this time takes the swing. Wyatt is not there, but Cena can’t go back. He finally took the step towards the hate.

This leads to a recreation of the NWO, with Wyatt as Eric Bischoff and Cena as Hollywood Hogan. Before that point, Cena had always resisted the “dark side” that numerous heels have tried to pull him to. Cena goes to attack Wyatt and pounds on him. All of Cena’s failures and past frustrations flash before us: the loss to RVD, the loss to CM Punk.

Cena is seeing red, punching the ground, only to later realize that he is attacking Huskus the Pig. This time, though, the Fiend appears. Wyatt has succeeded in manipulating Cena, and retribution has arrived. The only thing left is the cleansing, the final blow, the crescendo. The Fiend conquers John Cena, making the man we can’t see disappear.

The Production

The performances of each competitor were amazing. Cena played his part perfectly, giving his all into the scene recreations and hamming up the comparison. Wyatt was flawless in his role as conductor, gracing us with a sadistic symphony. The narrative journey allowed both performers to explore a range of emotions while having fun. The puppeteer also did a stellar job as always, utilizing the Firefly Fun House gang to their full potential.

The match also showcases the WWE’s production staff. To any viewer, it’s no surprise that WWE hires talented individuals that craft and create excellent promo packages. The Firefly Fun House match was no exception. The blending of old TV and PPV footage and puppets dancing while scoring the appropriate music took us on a journey. Each stage has its own feeling that seamlessly transported us along the narrative.

Final Thoughts

This match was a success. I was honestly worried that the Fiend Post-Goldberg would be hard to recover. Matching up with John Cena gave Wyatt a dedicated opponent, and, together, they created something that will live on forever. Let Wyatt in.