5 Iconic moments in Bray Wyatt's WWE career
Since arriving on the WWE main roster in 2012, Bray Wyatt has supplied the WWE Universe with great matches, spooky promos, and weird moments. Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) is one of the most creative minds in wrestling today. We've seen this with his "Eater of Worlds" gimmick, the "Fiend" gimmick, and the Firefly Funhouse.
Wyatt returned to WWE after almost a year and a half away from the company. Here's a look at 5 of Bray Wyatt's most iconic moments in his WWE career so far.
5.) The Deleters of Worlds win tag team gold
After a lackluster feud with Finn Balor, Wyatt began dealing with an illness that sidelined him for over a month. When he returned, he entered into a feud with Matt Hardy, which was the catalyst for Hardy bringing back his "broken" gimmick.
After trading victories and Hardy pushing Wyatt into the "Lake of Reincarnation," Wyatt returned at WrestleMania 34. He then teamed up with Hardy as "The Deleters of Worlds." The two defeated Sheamus and Cesaro at the Greatest Royal Rumble to win the vacant Raw Tag Team Championships.
While the two lost their titles in their first defense against the B-Team and were unable to win it back afterward, the win was well received by fans. The quick deletion (pun intended) of the team was a headscratcher to most, Hardy included.
4.) Bray Wyatt wins WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber
At Elimination Chamber 2017, John Cena put his WWE Championship on the line in an Elimination Chamber match. Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Baron Corbin, and AJ Styles all competed for the title. The final three were John Cena, AJ Styles, and Wyatt. Wyatt hit Cena with Sister Abigail and eliminated him, guaranteeing a new WWE Champion.
Wyatt hit Styles with Sister Abigail and pinned him to become the WWE Champion. It marked the first time in his career that he held a singles title, and the crowd went insane.
This was around the time that Randy Orton "joined" the Wyatt Family and won the Royal Rumble. At first, Orton refused to face Wyatt at WrestleMania 33, but it was all revealed to be a ruse to destroy the Wyatt family.
Orton defeated Bray at WrestleMania 33 for the WWE Championship, ending his reign at just 49 days. While Bray winning the WWE Championship was seemingly just a way to put the title on Orton, his win garnered one of the loudest crowd reactions of his career.
3.) Firely Funhouse Match vs. John Cena
NIGHT 1: #BoneyardMatch
NIGHT 2: #FireflyFunhouseMatch
Buckle up, @WWEUniverse. #WrestleMania https://t.co/32EkKPleiV
One of the most bizarre matches in WWE history took place at WrestleMania 36, and it involved Wyatt and WWE legend John Cena. Cena appeared on SmackDown in what seemed to be him announcing his retirement. The lights went out, and The Fiend stood behind Cena, pointing to the WrestleMania sign.
WrestleMania 36 was right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing the show to be held with no fans. Instead of a normal in-ring match, WWE decided to put on a theatrical "Firefly Funhouse Match" between Cena and Wyatt.
The match took Cena through some real moments in his career, and some fake ones as well. Some of these moments include Cena turning heel and joining the nWo in the same way as Hollywood Hulk Hogan.
The match ended when The Fiend hit Cena with Sister Abigail and a mandible claw, and Bray Wyatt himself counted the pin. The match was polarizng among fans, but helped display Wyatt's creativity.
2.) "The Fiend" debuts at SummerSlam 2019
Following a quick hiatus, Wyatt returned after the Superstar Shake-Up and appeared as the host of an ominous children's show, the "Firefly Funhouse."
After weeks of shows, the Firefly Funhouse started getting a little more sinister, with Bray Wyatt eventually appearing as The Fiend on the show. The Fiend attacked Finn Balor on an episode of Raw, and Balor challenged him to a match at SummerSlam 2019.
The Fiend's entrance alone was worth the price of admission for the fans. From the remix of Wyatt's normal entrance music, to the lantern in the shape of Wyatt's head, to just the ominous feeling it brought over the arena. The fans in attendance broke out in a very loud "holy s**t" chant and loved every minute of the entrance.
The match was a quick 3-minute onslaught from The Fiend, with fans loving every minute of it. He defeated Balor with a mandible claw and put the WWE on notice.
1.) Bray Wyatt returns at Extreme Rules
When Triple H took over for the retiring Vince McMahon, he began bringing back much of the talent that McMahon released. One name that every WWE fan was clamoring for was Bray Wyatt, who was released in July of 2021. Then began major speculation when WWE began making references to a "white rabbit."
Fans began hearing the song White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane playing during commercial breaks. They also saw QR codes pop up on the screen which led to weird videos and minigames.
As we grew closer to Extreme Rules, the fan theories were running rampant. The one that garnered the most attention was Bray Wyatt returning to the company.
After the Fight Pit match between Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins concluded, the lights in the arena went out. The arena then heard a voice singing, "He's got the whole world in his hands."
Live-action versions of the Firefly Funhouse characters appeared, Wyatt walked through a door with his lantern, took off his mask, and said "I'm here" before blowing out the lantern.
The Philadelphia fans let out one of the biggest pops WWE has received in recent years and is Bray Wyatt's most iconic moment to date in his career.