10 Times WWE Booked Themselves Into A Corner

6. The Fiend, General

Baszler Fiend
WWE

Daniel Bryan wrestled WWE out of said corner, because he is a genius, but this thing will retreat back into one and take a sh*t.

Bray Wyatt differs to spiritual antecedent the Undertaker, who also withstood and or no-sold punishment in his early guise as a stalking, impervious presence. 'Taker had the ability to adapt his gimmick into the context of traditional pro wrestling matches, and was an elite-level worker when he turned it on. We've seen very little of that from Wyatt in non-gimmicked attractions, and the standard elsewhere is incredible.

The Fiend's character is that of a relentless machine impervious to pain, or selectively impervious, given that he has to exchange momentum in the course of a match to make it halfway adjacent to pro wrestling. There's no consistent psychological basis to this, no perceptible weakness, no sense that a certain strategy might work if applied with enough perseverance, and consequently, fans get lost during his matches which more often than not generate the mildest of heat.

The Fiend is over, now, a bit, but he's either this dominant forever - a diminished return - or the supernatural monster becomes just another guy on the roster.

People will probably pay top dollar for his customised kickpads, so there's that.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!