This is decision is a perfect example as to why the WWE is struggling to regain their footing as the top wrestling entertainment promotion. With AEW rising to challenge the WWE’s too-long uncontested reign, missteps like these that involve some of their more popular superstars isn’t a good idea.
What happened?
Simply put, WWE creative put a possible tease in Raw’s Firefly Funhouse about the Fiend possibly going after the Undertaker. With the Undertaker appearing on Smackdown Live, it made sense they’d both be there.
The two hour program comes and goes, and no Fiend.
205 Live comes and completes and then, only when the cameras are off for the shows (a dark match), did the Fiend make his appearance.
It was a handicap match against the B-Team, in which the Fiend laid waste to them in just over a minute. To be clear, there is no official footage of the match, but there are plenty of fan videos online other sites have shared.
The problem here stems not only from the tease, but also the fact the WWE announced the Fiend would make an appearance after the shows were off the air, and the fans at home missed it.
Many cite the WWE for showing great restrain in how they’re handling Bray Wyatt’s latest character, but this wasn’t restraint. This was, most likely, planned to drive those of us not in attendance nuts and build our desire to see him again. While this is only a theory, it’s the most likely scenario. After all, what’ll drive fans that want to see the Fiend in action crazier: seeing him on TV or hearing about a match that happened after the televised event?
To be fair, it’s a smart move and will work to their benefit over all, but it’s also possibly it’ll turn some fans off and send them to AEW. We’ve had superstars shoved down our throats as must-love (Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins), we’ve had lackluster storylines (Who’s after Reigns?) and inconsistent storytelling (teasing the Fiend on Raw and not showing him on Smackdown) in general for months, at least.
Could it have been on the air?
Of course. Yes, it was a squash match, but so was Heavy Machinery’s match. The difference is, Heavy Machinery has been in the public eye for several matches while the Fiend has lurked in the shadows. It would’ve been so easy to switch the two and put the Fiend over more for whatever they have planned for a possible main event at Hell in a Cell. And considering the Fiend has no role at Clash of Champions and probably won’t be there, it’s hard not to look at this like a mistake.
But this “mistake” will most likely benefit the WWE ‘cause we want to see more of the Fiend.
