5 Easter eggs you may have missed from the Firefly Funhouse match at WrestleMania 36

There were a lot of hidden references in the Firefly Funhouse Match!
There were a lot of hidden references in the Firefly Funhouse Match!

WrestleMania 36 was unprecedented, to say the least. The two-day event would largely take place in an empty Performance Center in almost complete silence. However, two matches would be exempt from the normal regulations, and be much more cinematic affairs.

WWE were forced to think outside the box to help wrestling fans worldwide escape normality, and they did so by completely exiting their own universe.

The first of the critically acclaimed matches was the Boneyard Match on night 1 of WrestleMania between AJ Styles and The Undertaker. A match that would end up trending online, and either furthering the excitement for the second night, or creating a sense of apprehension as to whether anything could possibly live up to it.

The Doctor returned, as did the fist!
The Doctor returned, as did the fist!

Well, then came the single most bizarre match in WWE history, the Firefly Funhouse Match.

Bray Wyatt and John Cena have managed to stir up an absolutely outstanding storyline in a matter of weeks, by bringing it all the way back to six years ago.

The match has been the talk of Twitter today, and it seems like it'll go down in folklore as an absolute work of art - but how many references did you catch?

Some were subtle, some not so much - but the numerous layers involved made this match one of the most re-watchable matches in professional wrestling history.

But let's look beyond the return of the Prototype, the Doctor of Thuganomics and even the SmackDown fist, at some of the subtle themes and references you may have missed.


#5 The stuff of nightmares

The Prototype returns!
The Prototype returns!

This one point spurs many of the references that happened in itself, but it's worth asking the overbearing question - "Did the Firefly Funhouse Match actually happen?"

When John Cena walked to the ring and was instantly transported into the Firefly Funhouse, it all seemed very dream-like. The match would combine every single one of John Cena's fears into one.

From his "Ruthless Aggression" debut to the over-emphasis on him being merely a bodybuilder - and even a potential fear of commitment with Nikki Bella, as had long been the story on Total Divas and Total Bellas - the concept touched on everything John Cena would be apprehensive of.

Might there be a chance that Bray Wyatt vs John Cena completely took place within the 16-time World Champion's worst nightmares?


#4 Self-reflection

WWE Photo

Much like the first point, John Cena's fears culminated in his own insecurities being projected back onto himself.

In recent weeks, John Cena has spoken about how he wanted to give an opportunity to the future Superstars of WWE, and that Bray Wyatt wasn't one of those.

Cena's been accused in the past of "burying talent" - so some fans would cry hypocrisy at the 16-time World Champion snatching the opportunity to have a WrestleMania match despite stating that younger talents should have them.

Do the muscle man dance!
Do the muscle man dance!

This was doubled down on when a man who's been accused many times of being put in a position where his booking would make the WWE Universe turn on him would seemingly shoot on Bray Wyatt, and say he would "end the existence" of the most over-hyped, over-valued and over-privileged WWE Superstar in existence."

When John Cena snapped at the end and fell into the trap of The Fiend, the 16-time World Champion's words about Wyatt were echoed and would ultimately prove to be his downfall, as Cena's own insecurities about his hype, value and privilege were turned back on him, and he faded into obscurity.

"Ending the existence of the most over-hyped, over-valued, over-privileged WWE Superstar in existence."


#3 Self-awareness

New World Order!
New World Order!

While the previous theories and references have been mainly about what John Cena thinks of himself, one major point that came across during the match was how self-aware both WWE and the 16-time World Champion are of the opinions of WWE fans worldwide.

The WWE Universe has been clamouring for a John Cena heel turn for years, particularly when the aforementioned crowd turning on Cena happened, but they've never pulled the trigger on it.

Now, of course there are very valid reasons for John Cena remaining a babyface for almost his entire career, not least the number of wishes he's made for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the sheer volume of merchandise he shifts. While John Cena is a role model for an insane amount of people and seemingly a true babyface in real life, WWE's older fans have still called for the heel turn as a response to crowd reaction.

Hollywood Cena!
Hollywood Cena!

Well, what better way to shine a spotlight on this than to have John Cena join the nWo?

Wyatt would transform into Eric Bischoff, and Hollywood Cena would rock up with the spraypainted WCW World Heavyweight Championship as WWE finally gave a section of their support exactly what they've been asking for all these years. Well, kind of.

And of course, this would become John Cena's downfall when he finally did turn heel and attack Wyatt, as he transformed into John Cena and realised exactly what he'd done...once Wyatt turned into Huskis Pig!

A moment of realisation
A moment of realisation

#2 Self-deprecation

"This is such good s**t!"
"This is such good s**t!"

WWE is always at its best when it takes a shot at itself, and that's precisely what this match was all about. From Bray Wyatt mocking John Cena by singing Nikki Bella's entrance music to the match actually being a thing because of the backlash that followed Cena vs Wyatt at WrestleMania 30, WWE were shining a light on what fans see as the company's own shortcomings.

Not least by mocking Vince McMahon himself.

Now, the Vince McMahon puppet character shocked the world when Wyatt introduced him to the Firefly Funhouse, but this match turned it right up to 11 with the puppet interacting with Cena before joining Mercy on commentary.

John Cena was greeted with a warm welcome
John Cena was greeted with a warm welcome

Jon Moxley recently revealed on Talk Is Jericho that Vince McMahon's catchphrase was, "This is such good s**t!" - usually while talking about something Moxley didn't have the same feeling about.

Well, WWE went there, and had the puppet Vince say that exact line during the match while on commentary!

This reference was one of the several aspects of this match that rewarded long-term, hardcore wrestling fans, and provided the ultimate pop as WWE poked fun at themselves in the most wonderful way.


#1 "Life is a circle"

Bray Wyatt in his original form
Bray Wyatt in his original form

Possibly the most important Easter egg of this match was that it was the ultimate story of redemption. Following The Fiend's shocking loss to Goldberg at Super ShowDown, Bray Wyatt would tweet out that "life is a circle" in an incredibly poignant message.

This would precede Wyatt calling out John Cena for a WrestleMania Match, and if you missed the Twitter message, it may not have been abundantly clear at first just why he did so.

Wyatt would soon go on to subtly hint that the loss to Goldberg happened because The Fiend didn't need to seek retribution on the Hall of Famer for any wrongdoing he'd committed against Wyatt, and that's why there was no need to go after the title again.

Cena, though, had been the reason for Wyatt's failures, killing his momentum six years ago at WrestleMania - which was precisely where the circle had to close, which the former Universal Champion elaborated on when answering a critical fan on Twitter.

Well, that's precisely what happened. The Firefly Funhouse match was precisely that - a circle. It was a complete loop of John Cena's career and shortcomings, as well as being just that for Bray Wyatt, too.

Wyatt finally got his retribution on the man he claims created The Fiend by defeating John Cena at WrestleMania - and doing so in one of the most unforgettable matches of all time.

John Cena was left wondering "What if?"
John Cena was left wondering "What if?"

Where do we go from here? Do we see John Cena again? What does Bray Wyatt do next?

Well, the beauty of the circle is, round we go!

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