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On this week's edition of WWE SmackDown, Braun Strowman revealed a more creepy side to his persona from the past, and in the process, he also challenged Bray Wyatt to go back to the swamp, where their story began in the first place.
After the show, WWE confirmed a "Wyatt Swamp Fight" between both of these characters at Extreme Rules: The Horror Show.
Cinematic matches have become a huge asset for WWE in current times, and Bray Wyatt is quite popular for his creative skills as well, which is the main reason why Wyatt's character has become a special attraction in 2020.
So it's only natural to assume that the Wyatt Swamp Fight may end up being a creative masterclass as well. With that being said, let me present to you five ways through which WWE can ensure that Wyatt Swamp Fight ends up being an interesting takeaway from this year's Extreme Rules PPV.
#5 Keep people guessing as to what this match is all about
Perhaps the simplest step to execute this cinematic match properly would be to keep WWE fans guessing as to what it's all about till the very end.
This week's WWE SmackDown was also a tribute to The Undertaker, and they replayed the Boneyard Match in parts as well. One of the main reasons why that particular match received unanimous acclaim was because it took everyone by surprise at WrestleMania 36.
People had no idea what it was actually going to be like until the match took place, and it's always good to keep people guessing if the end result is going to be fantastic.
Similarly, there is no actual need for WWE to explain what a "Wyatt Swamp Fight" will look like. The title itself gives all the information one should need heading into this year's Extreme Rules PPV.
#4 Keep it horror-themed as an antidote to the Firefly Fun House Match from WrestleMania 36
I firmly believe that the Firefly Fun House Match was an absolute treat when it comes to complex storytelling in WWE. It also mostly featured "Fun House" Bray Wyatt playing actual mind games with John Cena.
But as we all know, Fun House Wyatt is a light-hearted version of a character that hides his own evil intentions, so for an event titled "Extreme Rules: The Horror Show", it would be inappropriate for the Wyatt Swamp Fight to be similar in comparison to the Firefly Fun House Match from WrestleMania 36.
This is WWE's perfect opportunity to display Bray Wyatt as the sinister character he was originally intended to be.
Yes, WWE has done a cinematic match with Wyatt before cinematic matches became cool, but at that time, it was obvious that WWE didn't exactly understand the essence of what makes these matches excel.
On this week's WWE SmackDown, Strowman revealed a creepy instance from the past where Wyatt kept howling with laughter despite being bit by a vicious snake in their swamp. Can you imagine how amazing the "Wyatt Swamp Fight" would be if they recaptured that promo's creepiness through visual storytelling at Extreme Rules?
#3 It should be an acid trip down memory lane for WWE fans
The Wyatt Family was a huge part of Bray Wyatt's WWE career in the previous decade. It will go down in history books as one of the eeriest cults that WWE offered to its own fanbase.
But as we all know, Wyatt's cult broke down to a point where he became lost in the mid-card shuffle for a while.
However, his current feud with Braun Strowman has allowed Bray to bring back his "Eater of Worlds" persona. WWE fans always knew the potential of that character, but in execution, Wyatt couldn't take it up another notch due to limited creative control.
If Strowman and Wyatt's feud has shown us anything, it is that history can be the most integral part of several WWE rivalries. And thanks to Wyatt's supernatural character, we can visually go back in time during their Swamp Fight at Extreme Rules.
In 2020, it has become apparent that the Wyatt Family never ceased to exist back when it ended. The faction has always been a part of the members who were in it, and the past could come back to haunt Braun Strowman at Extreme Rules: The Horror Show.
#2 Bray Wyatt should have ample creative control here
Vince McMahon is WWE's ultimate decision-maker. No major idea goes live without Vince McMahon being aware of it.
However, Bray Wyatt's ascension to WWE's latest "special attraction" had a lot of factors behind it. As I mentioned previously, Wyatt's initial run featured a lot of stumbles as he had to operate within WWE's confines of creativity.
But in his latest run, us fans have seen the brilliance of Wyatt's creativity when he receives ample creative control in WWE. In a way, Wyatt has mostly shaped his own narrative as "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, and at this point, it's best for him to operate with little to no creative interference.
To some extent, even Vince McMahon has understood the potential of Bray Wyatt's creativity on SmackDown, which must be why a trippy project like the Firefly Fun House Match got approved in the first place.
Nobody knows Wyatt's character better than Bray Wyatt himself, and when it comes to a match that deals with his character's history a lot, Wyatt is the best man to lead the creative direction for his upcoming fight against Braun Strowman.
#1 The "Wyatt Swamp Fight" is a type of match that must have long-lasting consequences
Despite all the times I've said that this match can be a complex example of storytelling, there are only two ways a WWE match can definitively end. Either Bray Wyatt destroys his former pupil, or Braun Strowman reigns supreme and overcomes his own creepy past.
When you think more and more about both of those endings, it becomes obvious that this match must have some long-term consequences. Somehow, if The Fiend appears and puts Strowman down for good, then it's reasonable to assume that Strowman's character could become an eerie version of himself, one that was highlighted on this week's WWE SmackDown.
Let's be fair, the fact that WWE removed the Universal title from this match only hints towards the possibility of Wyatt winning here. But in the case where "The Eater of Worlds" is not able to do the job, the only way Wyatt moves forward is by challenging Strowman as The Fiend.
Because there is no point in an inferior version of Bray Wyatt hanging around WWE SmackDown when we know what The Fiend is capable of.
So whatever the case may be, the "Wyatt Swamp Fight" is a rare match where history changes the future. For Wyatt, history is a way of suppressing how far The Monster Among Men has come as a character, and for Strowman, history is something he must overcome in order to move forward as the WWE Universal Champion.
