“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor
I have to get this out of the way before getting into what happened next: I’m a huge Bray Wyatt supporter and have been for years. I was a big fan of the old gimmick and didn’t really feel that it needed too much of a tweak. I thought he was misused at points and never got the real run he deserved. I think he’s an excellent worker with crazy agility and talent for someone his size and it’s been a shame to not see him wrestle for close to a year. So you can imagine what Sunday night was for me.
I thought Finn Balor might come out as “The Demon” but he didn’t, and instead was dressed for a white party in the Hamptons. Much like everyone else, I was curious to see what Bray’s new entrance might look like and I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation. And then: YOWIE WOWIE!
Seriously, how completely amazing was that? The new version of the theme music was superb and the “LET HIM IN” graphic was fantastic as well. The Fiend finally appeared on the stage and I’m now fully behind the tweak. Sales could be huge for that new lantern, am I right? Sorry, Christmas Story leg lamp, but there’s a new game in town. And he’s actually wrestling in the mask, which is both creepy and impressive.
Oh right, there was a match here as well. It was booked simply, but it was exactly what it was supposed to be and it worked. Balor got a little offense in but Wyatt was the dominant force. He looked great in his return and the mix of some of the old moves with some new things in there worked nicely. Sister Abigail didn’t get the job done but the Mandible Claw did. A perfect debut for The Fiend.
What’s next: While Wyatt may never reach that top level, he’s going to get a nice push for a while. Merchandise sales are apparently through the roof and Vince McMahon likes that. He’ll get some wins over mid-card talent moving forward until creative figures out what the next big step is for him. As for Balor, he’s going to be taking some time off and this was a good way to go out as it sets up a big return down the line. The Demon will be back to combat The Fiend at some point and that’s going to be explosive.