The Fiend Attacks Seth Rollins at WWE ‘Clash of Champions’ and Fans Change Their Tune

The Fiend made his presence known against Seth Rollins at WWE Clash of Champions on Sunday, September 15. Rollins had just successfully defended his Universal Championship versus Braun Strowman, but The Beastslayer’s celebration was short lived. Bray Wyatt attacked him on the entrance ramp as the crowd in Charlotte, North Carolina, went wild.

The live audience was indeed ready for Wyatt’s arrival. The crowd had been chanting “yowie wowie” at several different points during the event as it seemed they were preparing for the fiendish finish that was to come. But even as fans are excited for what they saw, many more are wondering why Wyatt has already been selected as Rollins’ next challenger. The fact is, this move had to happen.

Pro wrestling fans can be a curious bunch at times, mostly because of the unifying themes they seem to echo nearly everyday, especially online. On one hand, fans want to rally behind a Superstar when he or she is not given what they deem to be fair treatment. But oftentimes when that Superstar does get a shot, fans immediately recoil and change their minds. This appears to be exactly what’s happening with Bray Wyatt.

The fans believed he needed a chance. They felt he should have the opportunity to prove what he could do with the new Fiend gimmick and they couldn’t wait until that opportunity finally came. The weekly vignettes that aired on WWE programming perfectly set the table for Wyatt’s new run, but they became frustrating because he was rarely ever seen on TV.

Watch The Fiend appear at Clash of Champions!

This proved that the plan to get Wyatt over was working of course, though that may not have been obvious at first glance. So when Bray finally revealed himself at SummerSlam, the crowd was indeed ready and hailed his new gimmick as the best thing that’s ever happened to him. They were excited for what was next and couldn’t wait to see him take advantage of this renewed lease on life in WWE.

Curiously enough, something similar has already happened to Bray Wyatt in the past. Fans were on Wyatt’s side when he became the WWE champion at Elimination Chamber in 2017. They couldn’t be happier as The Eater of Worlds finally got his due in Vince McMahon’s company. It was his time and his fans supported him all the way to his WrestleMania 33 title defense against Randy Orton.

But then the fans turned on Wyatt. Many blamed his booking as the reason why they abandoned him, but the reason made little difference. Wyatt was no longer what the crowd wanted. They wanted Orton. Randy was the babyface in the match with Wyatt, which means he should have been the popular choice to win. But those fans that supported Bray the whole time he was heel, perhaps shouldn’t have cared about the newly reformed Orton.

Watch The Fiend give Rollins the Mandible Claw!

That became obvious after Randy’s win over Bray. The Viper’s promo on the following SmackDown Live was met with a chorus of boos from the WWE faithful. It seemed that fans had turned on Bray for no good reason, for the sake of seeing Orton once again becoming WWE champion.

So as Bray Wyatt now begins his journey to the Universal Championship, it’s obvious that fans are once again changing their tune. Suddenly, Bray Wyatt doesn’t deserve the main event treatment. He’s not a title contender because he never wrestles and that means he shouldn’t now have the top spot opposite of Monday Night Raw’s premier champion. This is the song that many fans are now singing. The problem is, the lyrics don’t make sense.

This is WWE, the company where Superstars get title shots at the whim of Vince McMahon. Championship matches happen because they happen, not necessarily because they’re logical. WWE does not employ Top 10 rankings to determine No.1 Contenders.

Watch The Fiend’s entrance video!

There is no real ranking system in place at all for that matter, because titles are not treated like legitimate prizes in WWE. Titles are props in the company and nothing more. WWE has proven that time after time over the years and that does not appear to be changing any time soon. 

Why not give Bray Wyatt a Universal Championship shot in 2019? Is there a more popular Superstar on the Raw roster right now? Fans want The Fiend, at least for now. Why not capitalize on his newfound popularity while the audience is demanding to see him?

WWE’s booking is what it is and the likelihood of it working for Wyatt this time is anyone’s guess. But why would anyone expect WWE to change tactics now, after their history of nonsensical booking?

Bray Wyatt is on the rise. He’s worked hard to get this spotlight and he’s earned the chance to finally perform to his potential. The pro wrestling business is all about seizing the moment and making it count. This is exactly what WWE is doing with Bray Wyatt and critics that don’t understand that may be missing the point. 

Vince McMahon’s company can do great things in short bursts and The Fiend’s run may be nothing more than just another quick tease at the top. But if this is all WWE is willing to do, then maybe fans should just accept it for what it is and try to have fun along the way. Whether or not that will actually happen, remains to be seen.

 

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live