AEW star recalls helping Bray Wyatt form "a prequel" to The Fiend
Bray Wyatt's career touched the hearts of many of his peers in the industry. Even while portraying The Fiend, he still made lasting impressions, and recently, AEW and ROH star, Dutch, recalled when Wyatt first began creating the persona.
According to Dutch, he spent some time with Bray Wyatt when WWE sent him back to developmental. During this period, the two men shared some comradery and the AEW star became the guinea pig for Wyatt's creative ideas.
During his recent appearance on the Developmentally Speaking podcast, Dutch recalled the crazy idea Bray Wyatt had and the first incarnation of what would eventually become "The Fiend."
"He wanted to put himself in a mask, so it was kind of a prequel to what The Fiend would eventually be. But he put himself in a Slipknot mask, wore jeans, and a Misfits t-shirt, and called himself Axel Mulligan."
Check out the full episode below:
Bryan Danielson recently referenced Bray Wyatt during a promo before his strap match with Ricky Starks at AEW All Out. According to the star, not only was Wyatt the last man he took on in the match before Starks, but he was someone he loved.
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Dutch was also the first person Bray Wyatt used The Mandible Claw on during a House Show
Other than his starkly different appearance, Wyatt notably shifted away from using the Sister Abigail as his finisher and used the Mandible Claw instead when portraying The Fiend. The move was made famous by Mick Foley, and AEW's Britt Baker utilizes a version of it in her submission finisher as well.
Continuing in the same episode, Dutch recalled the first house show Wyatt and himself did together, where Bray Wyatt used the Mandible Claw on him.
"We had one match together, it was on a house show. I had a very weak stomach, so he was testing out the Mandible Claw as a finish. We’re very similar, so he also has a weak stomach. So he does it [Mandible Claw] to me, and I just start gagging!"
The star continued:
"And he’s like whispering to me, 'Dude, you gotta stop!' And I can’t, and I’m starting to salivate and all of a sudden and I can hear him start gagging. And he’s like, 'Whatever, just DQ me now, I can’t take this.' And I get off of him and get DQed just so the both of us wouldn’t throw up in the middle of the ring."
Foley notably greenlit Bray Wyatt's utilization of the move and praised how the star pulled off the move after the fact. It remains to be seen if another star will use it as their finisher, but for now, it will likely still be associated with The Fiend.