5 Reasons why The Fiend wrestled after WWE SmackDown at MSG went off the air 

By Riju Dasgupta
Modified Sep 12, 2019 11:15 IST
Bray Wyatt wrestled after WWE SmackDown at MSG went off-air
Bray Wyatt wrestled after WWE SmackDown at MSG went off-air

SmackDown was a fun show and you can read the good and bad from it here. However, what happened after SmackDown is particularly notable since it was a genuine surprise for fans in attendance.

Bray Wyatt took on the B-Team in the dark match. Why did WWE make the decision to run the match after the show went off the air and not during the show itself is something many have been wondering.

In this article, I shall elaborate on 5 reasons why this may have happened. Be sure to sound off in the comments section and let me know your views as well, ladies and gentlemen.

This is the best I can gauge the situation, to be honest...

#5 Because The Fiend was advertised for RAW

Immediately after the special appearance from The Fiend happened, Wrestling Inc. posted the following update, explaining the reason:

WWE may have booked Wyatt for tonight's dark main event because he had been advertised to appear at Monday's RAW, also from the same venue, and this was one way to get him live in front of the MSG crowd.

And yes, while Bray Wyatt did appear in a Firefly Fun House segment, a lot of fans may have felt a little short-changed because they paid to see The Fiend, who only appeared on screen and not in the ring, per se. The Fiend is the hottest thing in wrestling at the moment and to witness the act live is a treat in itself.

I wasn't at SummerSlam, but to even be in the crowd at WWE events, with the fireflies all around you is quite a unique experience. Multiply that manifold and you get Bray Wyatt's latest incarnation, that of The Fiend.

#4 Misreading 11:19

So, Bray Wyatt did appear in the Firefly Fun House and mentioned the reason why he did not attack Stone Cold Steve Austin, as was originally believed. Abby The Witch mentioned that her clock had stopped at 3:16 and Bray rectified this problem. He hit the clock with a hammer until it finally said 11:19.

The internet went wild with speculation and they discovered that The Undertaker had made his debut on 19th of November. Therefore, they believed that Wyatt would attack The Undertaker upon his appearance at SmackDown Live. Of course, this did not happen and The Undertaker ended up choke-slamming Sami Zayn, who had the gall to interrupt his promo in the ring at MSG.

The simple explanation for all of this is that the internet, like always jumped to conclusions, and 11:19 could just be referring to 11/19 or November 2019, which is when Survivor Series will happen this year.

#3 Leaving Madison Square Garden on a very high note

It is a rare sight indeed to see WWE make a big deal of the venue that they're in, but they did make an exception for the Madison Square Garden. I mean this is an iconic and legendary venue that's known all across the world and is quite rightfully referred to as the 'Mecca of Sports Entertainment'.

I mean WWE went all out to make the shows seem as special as they could, with guest appearances from Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker to kick-off two respective nights. But what would top everything off, to make the two-night affair truly unforgettable?

What would top the sight of Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton recreating their historic moment? The answer came in the form of The Fiend, who stepped out after 205 Live, to take on the B-Team in what was a rare sighting!

Fans were, unsurprisingly, thrilled!

#2 Bray giving his brother a cool moment

Lest you forget, Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas are brothers in real life, which played into this match. I mean growing up as brothers who're into wrestling, who wouldn't want to have a match at MSG? I'm sure that Wyatt wanted to do this as a favor to his brother and to Curtis Axel.

I mean if you compare their career trajectories, Bray Wyatt has had far greater success in sports entertainment than Bo Dallas has. At a time when Bray Wyatt is at the top of the food chain, he'd want to do something cool for his brother. It seems unlikely that Dallas will emerge out of the bottom rung of the WWE card anytime soon.

It's a shame really because Dallas is a very talented individual but he's never been able to find his footing as a performer. Maybe another run with The Miz will help him!

#1 Not a moment to spare

If you watched SmackDown Live, you'll know that a lot was crammed into those two hours of television content. I mean Bayley vs. Ember Moon should have gone a lot longer, but Bayley picked up a win in almost no time at all, and this was because SmackDown Live has limited time as compared to RAW which has an extra hour to spare.

To put such a match on SmackDown would have eaten up valuable time, in my opinion, and more importantly, it would have taken away from the sheen of The Fiend. I'm sure that WWE wants to keep him as a special attraction and for the world at large, The Fiend has not wrestled since SummerSlam.

So in a way, I'm glad this was the dark match. Very few things in wrestling feel special and The Fiend certainly does.

This is awesome!

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.