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"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt contributes a bizarre aspect to WWE's weekly programming. Every dedicated fan of Wyatt has often contemplated how precisely his ingenious creative process works.
Bray Wyatt has various interests outside of pro wrestling. He could have been influenced by music (Alice In Chains, Slipknot), literature (IT, The Stand), or pop culture, in general. This particular list will take a look at various elements from movies or television shows that supposedly acted as catalysts in the creation of Bray Wyatt's different personas in WWE.
Let us know about some popular influences behind Bray Wyatt's onscreen personas in the comments section below.
Here are 5 Movie/TV Show references that inspired Bray Wyatt's WWE characters.
#5 fsociety/Elliot - Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
In a 2017 interview with Miami Herald, Bray Wyatt revealed that he was studying a "show about a cult with the Monopoly masks".
At the time, Mr. Robot was a popular TV show that featured a group called fsociety. The group consisted of individuals whose main goal was to rescind all consumer debt by hacking a giant financial conglomerate called E Corp. In the show, fsociety members used monopoly masks as a disguise, and it also became a symbol for the masses who supported their cause.
Wyatt led a cult called the Wyatt Family with WWE. Despite the technological differences and the contrast in tone between fsociety and Wyatt's cult, Sam Esmail's critically-acclaimed show may have influenced the enigmatic WWE star to some extent.
More so than the cult aspects of the show, Mr. Robot later evolved into a masterpiece that explored Rami Malek's character, Elliot's, Dissociative Identity Disorder in fascinating ways.
In 2019, Bray Wyatt moved away from his cult leader character when he introduced The Fiend. Just like Elliot from Mr. Robot, Bray Wyatt is currently split into several personalities. The first of which is an optimistic individual who relishes spreading bliss and positivity via the Firefly Fun House. The second personality is a sinister abomination that was born out of hate and resentment, The Fiend.
In the aforementioned interview, Bray Wyatt also cited Kevin Smith's 2011 film, Red State, as an influence for the Wyatt Family. The movie revolved around cults and extreme religious worship. Additionally, the film also featured a woman belonging to the sect, named 'Abigail'.
#4 Leatherface - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Bray Wyatt spoke with '107.9 The End' back in 2015 to promote WWE WrestleMania 31. In that particular interview, Wyatt said thatTexas Chainsaw Massacre was his favorite movie, and Leatherface is his favorite character from the TCM movie franchise.
Wyatt also said that his butcher's apron costume in WWE was influenced by the Leatherface character from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
In the film, a group of individuals is tormented by a chainsaw-wielding killer, Leatherface, and his psychopathic family. So the Wyatt Family concept might have been partly inspired by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well.
It's no surprise that Bray Wyatt is a massive geek when it comes to horror movies, and the aforementioned film had influenced his creative vision since NXT, where Wyatt once appeared with a protective mask and a butcher’s apron, playing a modern reboot of Leatherface.
Given the nature of Wyatt's interests, it seems comical that he was mostly branded as "Husky Harris" in WWE NXT and during his time with the Nexus on the main roster.
Wyatt's love for horror movies surfaced in his second FCW run, where Bray wrestled under the name 'Axel Mulligan' for a while, but that character never made it to FCW TV. Wyatt's appearance as Mulligan in WWE's developmental territory resembled that of a cross between Slipknot (band) and Michael Myers from the Halloween series of slasher films.
#3 Mr. Rogers - Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968-2001)
Mike Rotunda, the father of Bray Wyatt, spoke with Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast after being let go from WWE due to a series of company-wide cutbacks in 2020.
Rotunda talked about the inspiration behind Bray Wyatt's new Firefly Fun House gimmick as well:
"I think it was playing off the Mr. Rogers deal even before Mr. Rogers was redone."
Fred Rogers, popularly known as Mr. Rogers, was the creator, showrunner, and host of the popular children's television series, 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'. He was an influential role model who showed how to use television and the media to be helpful to kids and families.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood has been parodied a number of times in popular culture, so it was no surprise that WWE fans started to draw comparisons between 'Fun House' Bray Wyatt and Mr. Rogers when the former debuted his own show called 'Firefly Fun House'. In the Fun House, an optimistic version of Bray Wyatt talked to his 'fireflies' along with recurring appearances by puppets like Abby The Witch, and Ramblin' Rabbit.
Mr. Rogers' legacy has seen a resurgence thanks to a documentary and a biopic starring Tom Hanks, and WWE has acknowledged these comparisons between Rogers and Wyatt across TV and social media as well.
#2 Max Cady - Cape Fear (1991)
After going through a rocky journey in NXT, Bray Wyatt received his first dose of mainstream recognition in WWE when he debuted as the leader of a cult. Other members of the Wyatt Family looked up to him as a man of God, and Bray Wyatt delivered his sermons to the WWE Universe.
When Bray Wyatt debuted on the main roster, fans instantly drew comparisons of Wyatt to Robert De Niro's character (Max Cady) from the 1991 thriller film, Cape Fear.
In Cape Fear, Max Cady is a reprehensible ex-convict with a charming Cajun demeanour, covered in tattoos. Apart from the wardrobe comparisons, Cady was written as a manipulative antagonist crazed with the grandeur of a God complex, just like Bray Wyatt.
Interestingly, Wyatt's Max Cady-inspired gimmick was given to Waylon Mercy in 1995, but the latter star didn't gain enough recognition and was forgotten over the years.
In a 2K event interview, Bray Wyatt cited Robert De Niro as an influence to his gimmick when he was a part of the Wyatt Family in WWE.
#1 DC's 'Joker' Character
This entry may be crossing the boundaries a bit since Bray Wyatt's evil alter-ego (The Fiend) in WWE could have drawn inspiration from the Joker that is portrayed in the comics, as well as various iterations of the Joker from the silver screen.
When The Fiend debuted on the main roster, WWE fans noticed a similarity between The Fiend's mask and the New 52 version of the Joker from the comics.
Kyle A. Scarborough, who came up with the concept illustration for The Fiend's mask in WWE was asked about these comparisons by CBR. Scarborough said the following on this topic:
"Clearly it gives off the New 52 Joker vibe, but that's on me. The mask is as much Joker as it is Leatherface or Hannibal Lecter. I personally am a massive Batman fan. Have been all my life, so in my head it clearly feels like that New 52 iteration, but we all knew full well that wasn't what we were making."
From Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the titular character in Joker (2019), many have pointed out the similarities in Arthur Fleck and Bray Wyatt, both being cast out from society before they became the Joker and The Fiend, respectively.
While that may just be a mere coincidence, The Fiend's recent storyline with Alexa Bliss took an interesting turn when their chemistry drew comparisons to Joker and Harley Quinn's infamous relationship.
The current DCEU landscape has popularised Harley and Joker's connection amongst moviegoers as well.
Towards the end of August, Alexa Bliss may have foreshadowed the future of her WWE storyline with The Fiend by posting an edit of herself as Harley Quinn on Instagram, linked above.
