In the later stages of his WWE career, Bray Wyatt gained fame as The Fiend, a character tied to a creepy Firefly Fun House segment inspired by children’s TV host Mister Rogers. The concept was originally created by former WWE writer Nick Manfredini, but evolved significantly over time, as he discussed on the “Wrestling with Freddy” podcast. Manfredini noted that the idea was never meant to be supernatural initially. As the segments gained popularity, more people got involved and started making changes, which caused things to escalate beyond the original plan.
Manfredini also explained that Vince McMahon had a different interpretation of The Fiend compared to himself and Wyatt. While they saw The Fiend as a persona adopted by Wyatt, McMahon preferred portraying The Fiend as an uncontrollable entity. This shift caused frustration for Wyatt and Manfredini, though they recognized they didn’t own the character since they were employees.
Wyatt introduced this version of The Fiend in early 2019 and continued until his WWE release in July 2021. He returned the next year after Paul Levesque took over the company’s creative direction, but eventually had to stop wrestling due to health issues. Tragically, Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) passed away from a heart attack on August 24, 2023.
Fan Take: This behind-the-scenes look at The Fiend’s creation shows how creative visions can clash in WWE, highlighting the complexities of character development. For fans, it underscores the impact Wyatt had on the sport, and his legacy continues to influence storytelling in wrestling.
