18 WWE WrestleMania 36 Impulse Reactions
2. John Cena Vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt
From the moment John Cena tipped the front of his f*cking snapback to accept a challenge from the humanised (and euthanised) Fiend, this stood a great chance of stealing the show.
Especially this version of it.
A billion trillion times better than even the loftiest of expectations, the Firefly Fun House was an artful deconstruction of the John Cena character through the prism of every criticism he's ever faced. Confronting (and falling to) his own inner darkness, 'Big Match John' was forced to finally face the world he's bantered off for nearly two decades as Bray Wyatt got under his skin and over this recent career hump.
Truly, this was an impossibly wonderful triumph. The conflicting butterflies and unease never subsided as the pair moved from chapter to absorbing chapter, playing Black Lodge versions of themselves whilst still staying painfully true to a pro wrestling narrative that rewarded the fans that have invested in this through pigsh*t thick and wafer thin.
Far from just cinematic camp, this was carefully crafted Sports Entertainment, loyal to those that want to attach meaning when there's so little in the modern product. It was every definition of incredible.