5 dream opponents The Fiend should have faced in WWE and why

The Fiend was a character constructed from the mind of Bray Wyatt, reinventing himself after devastating losses derailed the incredible momentum he had in the early part of his career.

Unfortunately, such has been the case for so many. Bray Wyatt and The Fiend were on the receiving end of some head scratching booking which undercut everything the character had going for it.

At its best, The Fiend was a character of nuance and a rich yet devastating back story. The Fiend was meant to be a vengeful guardian angel for Bray Wyatt, targeting those who have harmed Wyatt during his time with WWE. Much like the Obscurials from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, The Fiend was born from the misuse and abuse of an exceptional individual.

Although, in an ideal world, The Fiend would be unnecessary, such is the way wrestling works. This construct seemed to be Wyatt's escape from booking purgatory and into the limelight.

There were a variety of points where WWE's booking of The Fiend damaged the character and its aura, but opponent choices and directions were central to the problem.

Let's take a look at 5 opponents in WWE that The Fiend should have faced and the reasoning behind why Wyatt would need vengeance against these names.

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#5 The Fiend vs Triple H

The 2016 Royal Rumble to WrestleMania 32 was a strange time for Bray Wyatt. The whole build pointed towards Bray Wyatt vs Brock Lesnar (more on that later) and yet a match between the two never materialized.

But on a stranger note, Bray Wyatt would have a stare down with then-WWE Champion Triple H with no follow up. Wyatt was drifting around the upper midcard scene looking for a foe, someone to propel him to the main event, and yet found no one heading into WrestleMania.

Triple H entered Mania as WWE Champion, facing the likes of Dean Ambrose and even Dolph Ziggler along the way. But there was no further mention of Wyatt's intentions with Triple H.

It was especially confusing since Triple H was the champion at the time and Wyatt could have easily been inserted into the picture involving Brock Lesnar, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.

So, what of The Fiend's intentions?

If Triple H were to follow up with Bray Wyatt then Mania could have looked very different, what if Bray Wyatt beat Triple H for the championship at Mania?

What if Triple H were to lose the championship to Dean Ambrose at Roadblock, could Wyatt have got his clash with Brock Lesnar after all?

Add those "what if?" factors in the fact that Triple H eliminated Wyatt from the Rumble in the first place, and there is a narrative being built that Triple H's involvement led to Wyatt's drifting status at WrestleMania 32.

The Fiend could have sought to show Triple H that his obsession with keeping the belt off of Reigns could have come at the detriment of Wyatt's WrestleMania plans.

#4 The Fiend vs The Rock

Maybe The Rock is as responsible for The Fiend as anyone else? Bray Wyatt entered WrestleMania 32 with no announced plans and no certain spot on the card, even despite being built as an opponent for Brock Lesnar.

What transpired was perhaps one of the most damaging moments that served to condemn the Wyatt Family. The Rock came out to announce the attendance record that the Show of Shows had set.

Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman of the Wyatt Family confronted The Rock as they seemed set to make an example out of the Brahma Bull. The segment led to an impromptu match between The Rock and Erick Rowan, which was swiftly completed in six seconds after a solitary Rock Bottom to Rowan.

The devastating loss was a nail in the coffin of the faction as they struggled for momentum and appeared to lose direction completely. Although Wyatt was not officially involved in the match, he was the patriarch of the faction and having a member lose so quickly with no eventual pay off but to pop the crowd was severely damaging.

The Rock therefore represents someone who can be seen as damaging Bray Wyatt and harming his career. While the move served as nothing but a new record for The Rock, it made Bray Wyatt and his faction look like a joke at a time when all eyes are on WWE.

Avenging the loss with a clash between The Fiend and The Rock would have been a way to find some long-term payoff for the segment; especially if The Rock, being a semi-retired talent, was to lose in a squash match to display The Fiend as a force to be reckoned with.

The Rock inadvertently lending a hand to the creation of The Fiend and being destroyed would have served as an excellent plot device for The Fiend's development as a dominant supernatural force.

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#3 The Fiend vs Brock Lesnar

The 2016 Royal Rumble appeared to plant seeds for a WrestleMania feud between Bray Wyatt and Brock Lesnar. Brock eliminated Strowman, Rowan and Harper before they returned and eliminated Brock at the behest of Wyatt.

Then on the road to WrestleMania we saw a handicap match at Roadblock, where Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper teamed up to take on Brock Lesnar. The bout ended with the squashing of Harper. Bray Wyatt, however, did not get involved in the match, simply observing the mutilation.

Everything seemed to be heading towards Brock Lesnar vs Bray Wyatt, but a change of plan saw Brock take on Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) in a street fight. This left Wyatt with no prior arranged plans.

With Bray Wyatt unattached heading into the event, his faction suffered embarrassment when they confronted The Rock, while Lesnar went on to pummel Ambrose for the win. It could be argued that had Wyatt faced Brock Lesnar after all, his character wouldn't have suffered the hit it did and The Fiend wouldn't have been required.

Fast forward, and The Fiend could have held this as a grudge and targeted Lesnar, culminating in a clash between the two. Another vein of the storyline would be Brock's greatest achievement, the end of the Undertaker's WrestleMania streak.

Bray Wyatt had the opportunity to face The Undertaker the following year and Taker returned with a vengeance to beat Wyatt. Brock Lesnar inadvertently took the shine away from Wyatt's clash with the Phenom and brought a different side of The Undertaker out due to his loss a year prior.

Goldberg's return to WWE was brought about by his rematch with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016. It was after Goldberg destroyed Lesnar when he coined the phrase "one last title run" and turned his attention to the Universal Championship, held by Kevin Owens initially and secondly The Fiend.

Eventually Goldberg went on to dethrone The Fiend at Super Showdown 2020 in what was undoubtedly one of the most devastating blows to Wyatt. Brock Lesnar could have been held responsible by The Fiend for many of Wyatt's shortcomings, presenting an indirect blockade and an allusion to Wyatt on his attempted climb through the ranks.

#2 The Fiend vs The Undertaker

Despite WrestleMania 30 marking the end of The Undertaker's legendary WrestleMania streak at the hands of Brock Lesnar, that didn't stop The Deadman from returning to WrestleMania 31 to face The Fiend Bray Wyatt.

Bray Wyatt was touting himself as "the new face of fear" and claiming that he will lay The Undertaker to rest and inherit the mantle of being the dominant supernatural force in WWE.

Instead, in an underwhelming clash, Wyatt became the next notch in Taker's impressive record at 22-1. If the Undertaker had some kind of stakes in the match, like his career, then the loss wouldn't have been so harmful but there was nothing to be gained by Undertaker winning the contest.

This wasn't the final interaction between the characters either, with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper taking on the Brothers of Destruction, Undertaker and his brother Kane, at Survivor Series 2015.

He would lose once more at the event and that would be the conclusion to their rivalry. It can't be expected for Bray Wyatt to have gone over The Undertaker on both occasions, especially since the Survivor Series marked the 25th anniversary of the Deadman.

But at the same time, losing on both occasions with little to redeem him made it clear how the company saw Wyatt. The Fiend vs Undertaker would have served as an excellent way of transferring the heat of Undertaker to Wyatt on the former's way out of wrestling. The Fiend could have been the necessary evil to slay the Undertaker and rid Wyatt of one of his most damaging defeats.

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#1 The Fiend vs Mr McMahon

During the Firefly Funhouse era of Bray Wyatt, we were treated to several references to the harmful booking and treatment of Wyatt throughout his WWE run. One name that was routinely referenced was none other than Mr McMahon, the owner and CEO of WWE.

Mr McMahon is the on-screen persona of the wrestling promoter, made famous by the Montreal Screwjob and his feud with Steve Austin throughout the Attitude Era.

When all is said and done, the person who has damaged Wyatt the most throughout his career is McMahon. His booking of Wyatt, where he was only ever allowed momentum when he had to give someone else the rub was disappointing to a lot of fans.

Wyatt was perpetually treated like a yo-yo and always felt like he had a ceiling held over his progress. That would serve as the central component to a feud between The Fiend and the boss.

The rise of cinematic matches would have served as the perfect delivery mechanism for this feud, as it goes without saying someone of McMahon's age should not be expected to compete in a physical match.

Much like what the Firefly Funhouse Match did with John Cena, The Fiend vs Mr McMahon could be a cinematic journey through his indiscretions both in the past and towards Wyatt.

WWE has a history of being self-aware and playing to their mistakes, as seen when Paul Heyman ripped into McMahon during the Invasion storyline. The Fiend vs Mr McMahon in a Firefly Funhouse Match would have been the perfect interaction for The Fiend character.

Addressing the mis-steps taken previously and putting Mr McMahon's character on trial with The Fiend as judge, jury and executioner.