WWE News: Former Superstar Says Company ‘Jumped The Shark’ With Bray Wyatt’s Booking As ‘The Fiend’
In a recent interview, Erick Redbeard — who competed in WWE as Erick Rowan until his release in April — commented on his former stablemate Bray Wyatt’s booking as “The Fiend,” observing that the company might have severely damaged his credibility by booking him to lose the Universal Championship to Goldberg at the Super ShowDown pay-per-view back in February.
As quoted by Wrestling Inc., Redbeard guested on Pro Wrestling Junkies and held a Q&A session with fans, where he talked about his brotherly relationship with his fellow Wyatt Family members and expressed regret that most of their ideas weren’t used on WWE television. He then moved on to Wyatt’s current gimmick, saying that while he “loved” it upon its debut, the promotion “kind of jumped the shark with it” by having him lose cleanly to Goldberg. He stressed that fans can’t expect a character to have longevity if they come back so quickly after being dominated by a previous opponent.
“I’m hoping all of this going in and out of the Fiend character and the Bray Wyatt Firefly Funhouse character – I hope that Fiend character only shows his face every now and then. It’s kind of oversaturation with it. Kind of like the Finn Balor problem. You can’t have a guy that comes out as a Demon and make him lose, because that doesn’t make him special. So, in that point, I’m sure he’ll work his way around it. He’s been doing a phenomenal job.”
Despite the loss to Goldberg, Wyatt was booked strongly in the months that followed and would get to hold the Universal Championship a second time when he defeated Braun Strowman at SummerSlam. This reign, however, lasted just one week as he dropped the belt to a returning Roman Reigns at Payback. Rumors suggest that WWE wants Reigns to have a long run as a heel champion, with the idea being that fans will eventually cheer him once he firmly establishes himself as a villainous performer.
That said, it’s unclear if or when Wyatt will get another shot at “The Big Dog” in the near future, as he is currently slated to defend his title against Jey Uso at Clash of Champions on Sunday, September 27.
Redbeard’s recent comments about Wyatt’s booking aren’t the first ones he’s made about his ex-WWE stablemates in recent months. As cited by WrestlingNews.co, he spoke to entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet in August and said that he isn’t closing the door on the possibility of a reunion with Brodie Lee, who was previously billed as Luke Harper before he signed with AEW earlier this year.
