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The annual Royal Rumble 2020 event is merely a couple of days away from us as the WWE Universe is ready to kickstart its journey on the Road to WrestleMania. With Royal Rumble being the official start of the WrestleMania season, the company has a big task at their hands this Sunday at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
Apart from the two Royal Rumble matches, another major contest to look forward to is that between "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan for the former's Universal Championship. A storyline that has been amazingly built by the two veterans, many are considering this to be the best rivalry that the Universal title has seen, since its inception in 2016.
In this article, let's take a look at five ways in which this encounter can end. Do let us know your opinions and predictions for this match. Do you think Bryan stands any chance of defeating this sadistic creature?
#5 The Fiend wins in a dominating manner
The contract signing between The Fiend and Daniel Bryan at the go-home SmackDown show for Royal Rumble made one thing clear, Bray Wyatt is sick and The Fiend has destruction on his mind. Then what chances does Bryan have against this eerie alter-ego of Bray Wyatt?
Wyatt has previously mentioned on the Firefly Funhouse episode that The Fiend does not like Bryan, and we might just see the same at Royal Rumble with the Universal Champion decimating him in a dominating manner.
Add to it the fact that the match will have the two competitors tied together with a strap. Daniel Bryan chose this stipulation to ensure The Fiend doesn't escape, but let's be honest, he might end up in a situation where he would want to escape from the sinister creature, rather than the other way around.
The Fiend defeating Daniel Bryan fair and clean is one of the most possible endings that we could see this Sunday.
#4 Kane interferes to help Bryan but gets taken out by The Fiend
Before becoming the Universal Champion, The Fiend had developed a habit of attacking random legends on Monday Night RAW. One of his victims was none other than the legendary Kane during an episode of RAW in September 2019.
On the penultimate episode of SmackDown before the Royal Rumble, Kane made his return to WWE TV but was interrupted by The Fiend. Turns out, the Big Red Machine outsmarted Wyatt this time, as Daniel Bryan attacked The Fiend from behind, forcing him to retreat.
Following their successful trick on SmackDown, there's a chance that Team Hell No might again try to work together to defeat The Fiend. During their match at the PPV, Kane could come out to cause interference. But what if the Fiend overpowers and takes out both of them and defeats Bryan? This could take Bryan out of the title picture, and we might see Kane locking horns with Wyatt.
The Devil's Favorite Demon has had a long history with Bray Wyatt, and if the latest rumors are to be believed, TV ads in Saudi Arabia are advertising The Fiend vs Kane for the Universal Title at the show scheduled in February.
#3 The Undertaker confronts The Fiend
Ever since the debut of The Fiend, WWE Universe has been constantly speculating a feud between this New Face of Fear against the Lord of Darkness, The Undertaker. While the idea of these two supernatural forces clashing against each other is surely mouth-watering for a pro-wrestling fan, Vince McMahon hasn't pulled the trigger on this one yet, due to some unknown reason.
With Royal Rumble taking place in Houston, Texas and this being the hometown of the Deadman (oops, you thought he's from the Death Valley?), there are chances that we might see him appear at the show to kickstart what could be his last WrestleMania feud. Undertaker is set to complete thirty years with WWE this year, and there is a huge chance of this finally being his last year as an in-ring competitor. Taker vs Fiend is too big of a dream match not to be booked, and WWE could sow the seeds for the same at Royal Rumble.
While the rumors suggest WWE planning a match between Roman Reigns and Wyatt for WrestleMania, it might end up doing more harm than benefit to both the Superstars. The Undertaker confronting The Fiend at the Royal Rumble after the latter's victory is sure to get the entire arena up on their feet to witness this iconic moment. The company can then set up a match between the two at WrestleMania, or this could be the start of a slow build-up, leading to a showdown between the two at Survivor Series - which would be the 30th anniversary of The Undertaker in WWE.
#2 Daniel Bryan shocks the world, Fiend enters the Rumble
To be honest, hardly anyone is considering the possibility of Daniel Bryan actually defeating The Fiend at the Royal Rumble and walking out with the Universal Championship. Nothing against Bryan, but such is the momentum of the sadistic alter-ego of Bray Wyatt.
While I'm not suggesting that Bryan will pin or submit The Fiend, as that would be a massive momentum-break for the Universal Champion, but one thing that not many have paid proper attention to is the stipulation involved.
A strap match is one where the opponents are tied together with a strap, which can also be used as a weapon. While a variation of this match can end in a pinfall, the strap matches that we've seen in WWE recently have the rule that the wrestlers involved have to go around the ring, touching all four corners in order and without stopping to win (watch the video below for clarification). If such is the case, there is an outside possibility that Bryan might end up winning it, without having to pin The Fiend. Of course, we don't know the exact match rules as of now, so this is just mere speculation.
Daniel Bryan winning the Universal Championship might be a big blow to The Fiend's momentum, but what if WWE double-swerves the fans and The Fiend enters the Royal Rumble match at #30 and wins it? Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Never say never.
#1 The Fiend goes out of control, Sister Abigail debuts
The character of The Fiend has been hailed by many as one of the best gimmicks of WWE in recent times. One of the biggest reasons for this is the creative genius of Bray Wyatt, who has incorporated many layers of depth in The Fiend. Be it the puppets inside the Firefly Funhouse trying to reveal some secret to defeat him, or the intricate ties he has with Wyatt's former gimmick and the entire Wyatt Family, The Fiend is a masterpiece.
On the go-home SmackDown show, we saw the alter-ego of Wyatt ruthlessly beat Daniel Bryan with the strap and ending up stabbing his own hands to sign the contract with his blood. Have you seen a more sick individual that The Fiend?
During the Firefly Funhouse segment, Wyatt mentioned "MISTAKE" as the word of the day. Was this a way to warn Bryan from what is about to happen to him this Sunday? What if Bryan's plan of having the Fiend tied to him backfires, and he ends up getting destroyed at the hands of the creature? Who could control this out of control demon then?
This could be the perfect time to have the long-awaited debut of Sister Abigail, who could play a massive role in unveiling more hidden layers of The Fiend's past. Could she be the one controlling The Fiend and capturing all the puppets in the Firefly Funhouse? If so, could defeating her be the way to finally defeat The Fiend? The possibilities are endless here, and this would end up providing the much-needed spark to Wyatt that he needs before the commencement of the big WrestleMania season.
