After nearly a year since last appearing live on WWE TV, Bray Wyatt returns to Raw as his new masked Firefly Funhouse gimmick, called The Fiend. Following his short WWE run as Nexus member Husky Harris, it was clear that the wrestler who would become Bray Wyatt needed a makeover. While part of the NXT developmental brand, that makeover came, transforming him into the charismatic Wyatt Family cult leader that's been a mainstay WWE villain since debuting on the main roster in 2013.
Oddly enough though, despite spending most of his WWE run inside or on the edge of the main event scene, Wyatt has never seemed to entirely be allowed to break through into a mega star. Wyatt is an excellent talker and a capable in-ring performer, but for whatever reason, WWE always seems hesitant to give him the rocket push. He's only held a world championship once, and that reign lasted less than two months, with Wyatt dropping the title to multi-time world champion Randy Orton at WrestleMania in 2017.
In 2018, Wyatt found himself in an odd position, having turned face and become part of a popular tag team with "Woken" Matt Hardy. Unfortunately, Hardy got injured, and the team was disbanded. Then, Wyatt wasn't used for nearly a year, for reasons that still aren't quite clear, as he wasn't reported to be injured. On Monday's Raw, Wyatt finally returned from exile, appearing live in front of a televised WWE crowd for the first time since August 13, 2018. Sporting a creepy new mask and attire, Wyatt laid out Finn Balor with Sister Abigail. Watch the segment below.
While it's too early to tell what Wyatt's reasoning is for attacking Balor, the huge reaction he got was unsurprising. Wyatt has always had a loyal group of fans, despite spending most of his career as a heel. Couple that with the goodwill directed toward the bizarre series of pre-taped Firefly Funhouse segments that have aired on Raw over the last several months, and Wyatt seems poised for a huge comeback. As those who watched Firefly Funhouse know, Wyatt's new mask and look represents his recently created alternate identity, known as "The Fiend." A work of horrific art, the mask was actually designed by horror special effects legend Tom Savini, a noted wrestling fan.
A feud between Wyatt and Balor could certainly be interesting, although they did already engage in a fairly brief rivalry in 2017. For one, that Wyatt was noticeably different than this one, who's also lost a noticeable amount of weight and looks to be in the best shape of his life. It seems likely the two superstars will do battle at SummerSlam. Here's hoping though that WWE actually has some long-term plans in place to cement Wyatt as a permanent top player this time out.
Source: WWE