10 Unexpected Origins Of Wrestling Characters
2. The Inspiration Behind The Fiend
The first incarnation of the Bray Wyatt character was not a Cape Fear rip-off, but the tropical aesthetic, the twang of the accent, the maniacal cackling, the well-articulated menace, the manipulative behaviour: all were similar to what was a loose frame of reference.
The Max Cady antagonist was a different strain of evil to Bray, who dealt in more abstract, supernatural material. Where Cady was a violent sexual criminal, Wyatt was a bayou-dwelling cult leader guided by the spectre of a "Sister Abigail".
The Fiend was something else, and something far more horrifying (from a creative standpoint: the character wasn't scary, just horrendously awful). An invincible killing machine that not even fire could burn - an ageing ex-WCW headliner had more effect on the Fiend than a change in energy state capable of wiping out vast stretches of land - the act was rotten in a wrestling context because, unless Vince McMahon fancied a different main event for WrestleMania, there was no way to build a compelling match around it.
Kyle A. Scarborough helped conceived the mask, and in an interview with CBR may have let slip a subconscious, inadvertent inspiration behind it:
"Clearly it gives off the New 52 Joker vibe, but that's on me. I personally am a massive Batman fan. Have been all my life."