5 reasons 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena in The Firefly Fun House match

'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt took on John Cena at WrestleMania 36 in a Firefly Funhouse match and the contest was nothing short of bizarre. It was almost like WWE knew what fans really thought of John Cena and used that to create a masterclass in storytelling. In fact, this is probably one of those matches that won't be forgotten in a very long time and for good reason.

If nothing else, WWE threw everything at this match and it paid off in the best way possible. Cena passed the torch and The Fiend got the big win at WrestleMania that he deserved which possibly establishes him as the company's next big thing.

With the bizarre series of events finally behind us, here are five reasons why The Fiend defeated John Cena in The Firefly Fun House match. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what you think is next.

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#5 Passing of the torch

What a passing of the torch moment between John Cena and The Fiend

There are a lot of things you can say to describe what played out between John Cena and The Fiend at WrestleMania 36, but one of the most obvious has to be that it was a passing of the torch moment. It almost even seemed like Wyatt took John Cena's place in history during the match, which only added to the eeriness of it all.

That might sound like too big of a leap in logic, especially with everything John Cena accomplished throughout his career, but the way it was edited and presented really made it seem that way. It also made The Fiend, who finally defeated Cena after several bizarre mini-segments, look like WWE's next big thing in the process.

In the end, there is no bigger statement than beating John Cena on a stage like WrestleMania and that's precisely what The Fiend did. Of course, he did it in the most bizarre and unsettling way possible, which is sure to live on in WWE folklore.

#4 To give The Fiend some much-needed momentum

The Fiend has all the momentum in the world after WrestleMania 36

It's no secret that The Fiend character hit a metaphorical brick wall after losing to Goldberg at Super ShowDown. The loss also brought the risk of WWE Universe giving up on The Fiend's character after that match, which only compounded the problem further.

Hence, going into this match with John Cena, The Fiend desperately needed momentum after that loss. Fortunately, he was booked into a match with John Cena at WrestleMania 36 soon and the interest instantly picked up. It was almost as if the company had done the one thing that could save the character entirely.

And then, it happened. In the course of just over nine minutes, WWE did everything that showcased why The Fiend was such a unique character. Furthermore, they did it at the expense of arguably the most dominant Superstars in WWE history, which spoke volumes to The Fiend's future in the company.

This was the momentum boost The Fiend needed.

#3 To heal fan resentment

WWE did everything possible to make fans happy during this match

It's no secret that the WWE Universe was upset when Goldberg defeated The Fiend to win the Universal title at Super ShowDown and it's pretty easy to see why. Rumors had it that Roman Reigns would challenge The Fiend for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 and anything less than that was considered a disservice to the character.

Unfortunately for the WWE Universe, that disservice was done and they were forced to consider whether to give up on him. Some even questioned whether they should continue to watch WWE over the incident, which was creating a massive wave of unmitigated resentment towards the whole product.

Thankfully, WWE rectified all that with The Firefly Fun House match and how it all ultimately played out. The company pretty much gave the fans everything they wanted in this match and more. They even had Wyatt finally beat John Cena in what had to be one of the most surreal WrestleMania matches ever seen.

Now the fans can finally heal!

#2 To possibly retire John Cena

Was this really the end of John Cena's career?

Believe it or not, John Cena might be done with WWE.

Of course, whether that is true or not remains to be seen. It will depend on if Cena decides to step inside the ring again, but it really looked like this was the 16-time champion's last match ever. In fact, between John Cena's epic promo playing over the closing moments of the match to Cena's future in Hollywood, this could very well be the end.

Another thing WWE fans have to consider when determining whether this was the end or not is the fact that they decided to go through John Cena's history. From his early days in the Ruthless Aggression Era, his relationship with Nikki Bella, to what he is today, WWE explored everything.

This match seemed more like a swansong to John Cena and his career than anything else. Furthermore, it honestly felt like this was a way to say goodbye to one of the most prolific Superstars in all of WWE history. The company even outright had him disappear after the match for added effect.

#1 To rectify the past

WWE finally rectified the past at WrestleMania 36.

While WWE didn't make the reasoning for The Fiend challenging John Cena apparent at the beginning, it was almost known to everyone that Bray Wyatt wanted the right the wrong of his match against John Cena at WrestleMania 30. In fact, he proclaimed it as the match that finally broke him and created The Fiend character that went on to dominate for months in 2019.

Hence, it is no secret that the match between John Cena and The Fiend at WrestleMania 36 was an attempt to rectify history. It was that very rare chance to go back in history, take a moment that led to the downfall of a Superstar's career and use it to turn him into the biggest thing this company has to offer.

In the end, The Fiend might not be holding the Universal Championship right now. He might not even get another crack at the title for a while, but what he accomplished at WrestleMania 36 was nothing historic. Interestingly enough, he did in the most enchanting and bizarre way possible.