5 ways WWE has gotten completely meta with The Fiend

The Fiend is one of WWE's truly innovative characters.
The Fiend is one of WWE's truly innovative characters.

The Fiend is arguably the biggest thing in WWE right now and while a lot of that has to do with how he is portrayed, it's the meta and fourth wall breaking nature that really makes it stand out. It might even be what truely separates The Fiend from every other Superstar in the company and it shows just how creative WWE is.

With that being said, and The Fiend's spellbinding lore growing larger and larger by the day, here are five ways that WWE has broken the fourth wall, or just gone completely meta, with Bray Wyatt's character.

As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what you think they will do next with the Fiend.


#5 Subliminal messages

There's a lot of subliminal messaging going on with The Firefly Funhouse.
There's a lot of subliminal messaging going on with The Firefly Funhouse.

What is up with Bray Wyatt's subliminal messaging?

While some fans might have thought it was just a one-off during the infamous muscle man dance, the company has continued to drop these oh so subtle hints about the true nature of The Fiend character. Of course, no one knows what they mean yet. At least in regards to the character, but it's obvious that this messaging is meant for the viewer to see.

The segments even have quick cuts of a stoic faced Bray Wyatt telling the audience to "let [him] in", which was pretty spooky to watch. As if that wasn't creepy enough, he also seems to be using references of sheep to symbolize the brainwashing of his young audience.

Either way, there is just so much to work with here and WWE should spend time exploring every inch of this lore. They also need to keep building upon it and pushing the envelope to make sure the audience is kept off guard.

#4 Vince McMahon's portrayal

Vince McMahon is a genius for allowing this.
Vince McMahon is a genius for allowing this.

Vince McMahon has shown that he isn't afraid to be a butt of the joke in the past, and he more than proved that when a crude caricature of him appeared on The Firefly Funhouse. Of course, McMahon's puppet has appeared multiple times on the dark kid's show parody, but it was his latest appearance that had fans talking.

Things started oddly enough, with Bray Wyatt acknowledging the rumors of him taking on Bruan Strowman or Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell. This prompted "McMahon" to rush in and berate him. Wyatt then asked the puppet to please calm down, and fed him money - presumably made from the earnings of his new gimmick gimmick.

Not only was this McMahon being able to laugh at himself for the first in a long time, but it also was a truly bizarre fourth wall breaker. It pretty much left The WWE Universe in a state of absolute shock and wondering what kind of nightmare fuel that the company had planned next.

In the end, it was probably one of the best meta moments of all time, especially since it plays on fans' opinion of McMahon, and could be the beginning of a reality-bending storyline.

#3 Rambling Rabbit's warnings

Is Rambling rabbit trying to tell The WWE Universe something?
Is Rambling rabbit trying to tell The WWE Universe something?

Does anyone notice something strange about Rambling Rabbit?

While the puppet seems very innocent and easy-going at first, he has been seen several times trying to expose the sinister nature of The Firefly Funhouse. Unfortunately for the bushy-tailed creature, he repeatedly gets cut off by Wyatt in one way or another, and it's very interesting to watch.

Beyond being creepy, Rambling Rabbit's subtle messages to the audience about what's really going on is an interesting cliff hanger to leave fans with every week. Having these little messages littered about the Firefly Funhouse segments is both a great way to clue the audience in on what's really going on and leaving them in suspense.

From holding up his cute little help sign at the end of a recent edition of The Firefly Funhouse to threatening time and time again to expose The Fiend, his warnings are a great way to break the fourth wall.


#2 Acknowledging his past self

WWE is doing some great world-building with The Fiend character.
WWE is doing some great world-building with The Fiend character.

Bray Wyatt has done a barrage of weird things since returning to television and starting the Firefly Funhouse, but one of the most bizarre has to be his acknowledgment of his past. In fact, between painting a picture of The Wyatt compound that was burned down by Randy Orton, to outright decrying his past self (including taking a chainsaw to a carboard cutout of himself), it seems like WWE is going somewhere with this.

At the very least, it feels like WWE is using Bray Wyatt's past to build a sort of weird lore around The Fiend. Lore that could set the stage for several blockbuster feuds in the months to come and is leading to some absolutely creepy easter eggs in the meantime. It's also one of the best examples of WWE seemingly breaking the fourth wall with the character.

We mentioned the Vince McMahon puppet earlier, but every puppet in these segments is a reference to Bray Wyatt's past. Take, for example, Mercy the Buzzard - Mercy is a reference to Waylon Mercy, a character played by Dan Spivey in the early 90s that Wyatt drew inspiration from when creating his previous character. And buzzards, well... Wyatt's been known to ask us to follow them.

In the end, Wyatt' acknowledging his past self is a way to put the WWE Universe on edge and keep them guessing as to what happens next. Furthermore, it's something that keeps them coming back for more every single week, which is something WWE needs right now.


#1 Addressing rumors

Who is The Fiend gunning for at Hell in a Cell?
Who is The Fiend gunning for at Hell in a Cell?

Rumors have been circulating for weeks now that WWE wanted to do the unthinkable and thrust The Fiend into The Universal Championship picture. Some, however, have been wary of the possible effect that it might have on the character. Others are also wondering whether WWE can protect The Fiend and not overexpose him by putting the character in such a high profile role.

Whether these fears come to fruition or not will depend on what exactly WWE's plans are, but it's very interesting to watch Wyatt address the rumors outright during an edition of The Firefly Funhouse. In fact, not only was it a huge fourth wall breaking move, but it also really could be the start of something big.

Again, it's not known exactly where this is going, but with Wyatt rumored for multiple title fights at this point, it seems like WWE is at least considering this as an option. Furthermore, it also seems like they are trying some very unique things when it comes to The Fiend character, which will make it even more fun to watch.

What other examples of Firefly Funhouse going totally meta can you think of - obviously there's a lot more. Head on down to the comments section and let's talk about it.

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