One MIND-BLOWING Secret From Every WWE Royal Rumble

2021 - We Nearly Saw A Sequel To A Famous Cinematic Match

John Cena Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

At WrestleMania 36, WWE presented a ‘Firefly Fun House’ match between Bray Wyatt and John Cena.

It was hardly a match at all, rather a pandemic-enforced short film, and it was weirdly incredible for what it was: a shocking exploration of John Cena’s flawed psyche. It was visually arresting, the only time an empty arena WrestleMania actually felt worthy of the name, and the reveal that Cena was a politicking bully all along was catharsis for all those awful years of his mean-spirited top guy run. It wasn’t just stunning for what it was; it was stunning that WWE would do it.

The Fiend’s programme with Randy Orton deeper into 2020 was less well-received. That’s probably because the Fiend created a demonic doppelganger of Orton, who was never seen afterwards, before the real Orton murdered the Fiend with fire. It culminated at WrestleMania 37, during which Alexa, sitting atop a “box-like structure”, turned on Wyatt with a goo-assisted distraction.

It was meant to be advanced at the 2021 Royal Rumble; in a report originally written by Ringside News and corroborated by the January 4 Observer, a Firefly Fun House match had been added to the schedule. Obviously, this didn’t happen - but what might it have looked like?

Cena’s rep took a beating in the first Fun House match. Wyatt depicted him as a homophobe and fake good guy who did nothing more than punch down at his opponents. How would the Fiend have tormented Orton in that mental prison?

Perhaps it might have included a Brian de Palma-length take of Orton’s chinlock to mock how boring he is. We’ll never know.

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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!