The Disturbing Truth Behind The Fiend

Eric Bischoff grrr
WWE Network

Shortly after the Hell In A Cell debacle, an unrelated event unfolded: Eric Bischoff was removed from his position as Executive Director of SmackDown. Again, this served as a reminder that Vince is going to Vince: Eric, per the musings of those who know Vince best (Jim Ross), Wrestling Observer sources and Fox insiders, was “hired to be fired”. He was a fall guy with which to shield himself from blame. The narrative had gently changed. Paul Heyman’s fingerprints are on RAW! The show has improved! Buddy Murphy is getting a push!

And now, the narrative has changed again, as it all too often does: Vince never went away, did he?

The disturbing truth behind the Fiend is that the Fiend has proven, almost conclusively, that WWE is bankrupt as a creative entity. It's been this way for years, but everybody is waking up to it. People like to use the capitalism argument when it comes to WWE, so look at the latest SmackDown rating. How can a million people be wrong?

The character cannot work, even if Vince grasped it. The Fiend is over-powered, but he isn't permitted to showcase that power. And if he was, that power can only manifest as schlock that renders suspension of disbelief impossible in the context of professional wrestling. To have stood any chance of this working, WWE should have treated the Fiend like Brock Lesnar immediately: as a destructive force only a well-built babyface, in the form of his life ahead of WrestleMania, could compete against. Instead, he was 50/50'd in his second match.

WWE at this point would have Cthulhu look shocked when Shorty G stole one from him.

CONT'D...(4 of 5)

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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!