5 Reasons why The Fiend is already one of the best gimmicks in WWE history
The highlight of SummerSlam had to be the in-ring debut of Bray Wyatt's new monster, The Fiend. It kept the fans in awe as The Fiend slowly walked to the ring holding a lantern that appeared to be made of Wyatt's old face. While it might have been a little much for the children, it was done on a PPV instead of television.
When Wyatt returned to the air on the night after WrestleMania 35, it was a relief as he had been away from the company for almost nine months. But during that time away, it was apparent that he had been crafting something that was truly special.
If you go back in wrestling history, what's the greatest gimmick of all time? Personally, I think it is the Undertaker. He was so different from every other star and he made you believe he really was a dead man due to his dedication to the character and gimmick. While The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were also great characters, they were more extensions of their personalities rather than gimmicks.
Other gimmicks like Goldust, albeit strange, were great because of Dustin Rhodes' commitment to getting it over. Other characters like Mankind, the Road Warriors, Kane and even more recently Elias and the New Daniel Bryan, were special because of how different each was from others at the time.
The Fiend has only been around for a few months, but due to many factors, it could arguably be considered one of the best gimmicks of all time. I think it is, and due to a lot of fan reaction to it, I'm not alone. Here are five reasons why The Fiend belongs among the greatest gimmicks of all time.
#5 Creepiness is hard to pull off, but is great when done well
The best gimmicks are the ones that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up for one reason or another. Usually that is due to it being something that is truly unique to the wrestler portraying it and how well they can pull it off.
It's why The Undertaker, despite the fans knowing a lot of behind the scenes workings today, is still regarded as having one of the best gimmicks of all time. He originally chilled and terrified audiences because they really thought that he was dead back in the 1990s. We also believed that he would take his opponents six feet under after defeating them.
And if you watched Lucha Underground, a lot of what set that promotion apart from others was that a lot of the storylines were steeped in mythology and creepy folklore from Mexican and Aztec history. Scaring people in today's society is hard to do as we are desensitized to a lot of things. Rosemary and Su Yung in Impact Wrestling are also current stars that pull of the creepy well.
A performer that scares you makes you remember them more than a guy that won a match. Like The Undertaker and Kane, the Fiend is truly an unnerving visage due to how believable it could be that someone created a chilling alter ego in order to deal with past traumas.