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The highlight of SummerSlam had to be the in-ring debut of Bray Wyatt's new monster, The Fiend. It kept the fans in awe as The Fiend slowly walked to the ring holding a lantern that appeared to be made of Wyatt's old face. While it might have been a little much for the children, it was done on a PPV instead of television.
When Wyatt returned to the air on the night after WrestleMania 35, it was a relief as he had been away from the company for almost nine months. But during that time away, it was apparent that he had been crafting something that was truly special.
If you go back in wrestling history, what's the greatest gimmick of all time? Personally, I think it is the Undertaker. He was so different from every other star and he made you believe he really was a dead man due to his dedication to the character and gimmick. While The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were also great characters, they were more extensions of their personalities rather than gimmicks.
Other gimmicks like Goldust, albeit strange, were great because of Dustin Rhodes' commitment to getting it over. Other characters like Mankind, the Road Warriors, Kane and even more recently Elias and the New Daniel Bryan, were special because of how different each was from others at the time.
The Fiend has only been around for a few months, but due to many factors, it could arguably be considered one of the best gimmicks of all time. I think it is, and due to a lot of fan reaction to it, I'm not alone. Here are five reasons why The Fiend belongs among the greatest gimmicks of all time.
#5 Creepiness is hard to pull off, but is great when done well
The best gimmicks are the ones that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up for one reason or another. Usually that is due to it being something that is truly unique to the wrestler portraying it and how well they can pull it off.
It's why The Undertaker, despite the fans knowing a lot of behind the scenes workings today, is still regarded as having one of the best gimmicks of all time. He originally chilled and terrified audiences because they really thought that he was dead back in the 1990s. We also believed that he would take his opponents six feet under after defeating them.
And if you watched Lucha Underground, a lot of what set that promotion apart from others was that a lot of the storylines were steeped in mythology and creepy folklore from Mexican and Aztec history. Scaring people in today's society is hard to do as we are desensitized to a lot of things. Rosemary and Su Yung in Impact Wrestling are also current stars that pull of the creepy well.
A performer that scares you makes you remember them more than a guy that won a match. Like The Undertaker and Kane, the Fiend is truly an unnerving visage due to how believable it could be that someone created a chilling alter ego in order to deal with past traumas.
#4 Amazing attention to detail
The Fiend's debut match at SummerSlam wasn't memorable merely because he showed up for his bout with Finn Balor. One thing that made it so intriguing was the attention to detail around just his entrance. While the lights still went out and the fireflies still lit up the audience like before, he also debuted a new theme song.
It fit with his new persona of a man dealing with his past failings and the post-traumatic stress issues that came with it. The remixed version of his theme used the terms "hurt" and "heal" at various points as the vocalist screamed them. The new song added to Wyatt's aura as he moved slowly towards the ring.
And building upon the entrance was the new lantern with which he usually goes to the ring. Instead of being a run-of-the-mill normal lantern, his new one had his old face (obviously a mask) draped over it. Hollywood special effects master and actor Tom Savini was hugely instrumental in helping Wyatt bring his new persona to life.
During episodes of Firefly Funhouse, he has many characters and lessons related to his past character. It's these details, like the Undertaker's urn or Mankind's ripped out hair, that truly make the gimmick something that stands out from all the rest. You can read about five cool easter eggs you might have missed from The Fiend's entrance at SummerSlam here.
#3 It's different
Going along with the previous slide, a big part of why the new persona works is because it is unlike anything in WWE today. Most of the roster are great at their jobs, but most of the men and women are great wrestlers with some personality rather than carefully crafted gimmicks.
Bobby Lashley is built from granite and looks like a Greek God but that's about the extension of his character. A lot of what gets a star over today is being great in the ring. That's perfectly fine. I do want my professional wrestlers to string together fantastic matches regardless of opponent.
But just because someone is great at wrestling doesn't mean that they cannot also have some character work behind their wrestling skill. How many stars have gloves that they wear to the ring and gloves that they listen to before they finish off an opponent? Other than luchadors, how many WWE stars wrestle in masks, and extremely lifelike creations like Wyatt's?
During his initial run in WCW, Sting was a face-painted guy with a flat top that was easy to root for. But once he ventured into the Vigilante/Crow territory and didn't speak in the mid and late 90s, it started to add layers to his being rather than just in the ring.
It is an extremely hard task to get fans to believe in a gimmick that defies reality. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn't hard to get someone over as a crazy person because we still didn't know as much about traumas and disorders as we do today. Wrestlers like Mick Foley might have had split personalities back then, but not on this level.
#2 It's multilayered with the Firefly Funhouse and Fiend personas
Mick Foley initially debuted in the WWE as Mankind. He was a tormented soul who wore a mask that partially covered his face. He would rant and rave and shake back and forth while cutting promos. And if that didn't creep you out enough, he even tore out clumps of his hair.
If that wasn't great enough character work, he also brought Dude Love, a hilarious love machine, and Cactus Jack, a hardcore rebel, to the WWE. Those reasons were huge reasons why Foley became so beloved by the fans.
Wyatt's new character deals with a very real disorder that millions of people worldwide deal with in PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder. Something in a person's life has affected them so much that it alters their every day life. Even normal things like going shopping or hearing fireworks on the Fourth of July become hard to deal with.
The Funhouse has allowed Wyatt to use paint therapy to deal with his issues. He also destroyed a cardboard cutout of his former self. The main way that he deals with his problems that won't go away is The Fiend. His representation is not an example of split personality because his host character acknowledges The Fiend. But by having two separate facets of the same character, it makes the presentation more special and more believable.
#1 Bray Wyatt's committed to it
It was frustrating for both Wyatt and the fans as he was away from the WWE for what seemed like forever. His near nine-month hiatus spanned from late last Summer to the night after WrestleMania 35. It left a lot of people clamoring for Wyatt's ability to captivate us on the mic due to his promo skills.
Windham Rotunda was dedicated to playing a creepy, bayou-like preacher that espoused chaos theory rhetoric to the masses. Not everyone was able to hold the attention of the WWE Universe with every word. Wyatt could.
Since he was away for so long, it clearly gave him a lot of time to both think about and craft aspects of his new character. How would it look? How would his promos change? Would cutting promos in pre-taped vignettes instead of in-ring promos take away from his electricity on the mic? He even returned in much better shape than before. That's dedication.
Wyatt was clearly committed to making both personas work and it's why he was greatly cheered for as the leader of the Wyatt Family. If he wasn't behind what he was doing, it would show. If a star's heart isn't in it, it will show to us fans. Today's fans are smarter than ever and can peak behind the veil now more than ever. The veil that Wyatt has worked on for almost his entire career is now putting him among the greats in terms of character work.
And on a random side note - it must have the backing of management if he's been allowed to have a Vince McMahon puppet among the residents of the Firefly Funhouse.
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