Bray Wyatt's 5 greatest rivals in WWE

Bray Wyatt feuded with some of the biggest names during his WWE career. The charismatic talker went toe-to-toe with all-time greats and Hall of Famers such as John Cena and The Undertaker. He also showcased his incredible wrestling skills against Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor.

Wyatt was supposed to have a program with Bobby Lashley on The Road to WrestleMania 39 but, unfortunately, he was forced to sit out due to a COVID-contracted illness. His tragic demise on August 24, 2023, sent the entire pro wrestling world into a shock.

The real-life Windham Rotunda had finished his feud with LA Knight before he was removed from in-ring action due to his illness. Join us as we take a look at five of Bray Wyatt’s greatest rivals in Vince McMahon’s promotion.

#5. Matt Hardy was responsible for Wyatt's face turn

Matt Hardy made his prolific return to WWE alongside Jeff Hardy at WrestleMania 33. The Hardy Boyz continued their run as a tag team until Jeff’s shoulder injury forced him out of action in September 2017. Jeff’s absence caused Matt to go solo. He took on Bray Wyatt as his first major solo feud since returning to WWE back in April 2017.

The feud between Bray and Matt caused Hardy to bring back his “Broken” gimmick. The two fought against each other at the 25th anniversary episode of RAW, Royal Rumble 2018 and Elimination Chamber. The highlight of the feud came during the March 19, 2018 episode of RAW when the two faced each other in an Ultimate Deletion match.

The ending of the match saw Bray Wyatt pushed into the “Lake of Reincarnation.” He made his return the following month at WrestleMania where he helped Matt win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, turning face in the process. The two even won the vacant RAW Tag Team Championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.

#4. Roman Reigns’ heel turn came at Wyatt’s expense

Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt first crossed paths in NXT. Wyatt, however, had some main roster experience as part of Team Nexus. The two would not cross paths on RAW until 2013 when The Wyatt Family and The Shield almost came to blows. After squaring off against each other countless times, the two formed an uneasy alliance for one night in 2017.

Following his transformation into The Fiend, Wyatt embarked on an endless path of destruction and violence picking apart stars such as Seth Rollins and Finn Balor in the process. However, his reign of terror came to a shocking end at the hands of Roman Reigns. The former Shield star aligned himself with Paul Heyman, who guided him to his second and current Universal Championship rein at Payback 2020.

#3. Randy Orton was partly responsible for Bray Wyatt’s emergence

Randy Orton punted Husky Harris back to NXT, where he got the chance to repackage himself as The Eater ofWorlds. The Viper deserves some credit for helping Harris explore his inner self. The pair got a chance to work together in 2017 and then again in 2020 and they gave their one hundred percent each time.

The Wyatt-Orton storyline building up to WrestleMania 33 was incredible. Fans didn’t know if The Viper was going to turn on his master. The match itself, however, was a total let down. The outcome saw Orton beat The Reaper of Souls for the WWE Championship. The bout received a lot of criticism on social media.

#2. Daniel Bryan gave Wyatt his first major clean win

Daniel Bryan has put over many people in WWE and Bray Wyatt is among them. Back in 2013, The American Dragon was on the cusp of becoming the new face of the company but The Wyatt Family decided to intervene. The weeks of confrontation lead to a singles match between the two at the 2014 Royal Rumble.

The match was spectacular from start to finish and won lots of praise from wrestling pandits on the internet. The American Dragon put over The Eater of Worlds clean in his first major feud since Kane on the main roster. Bryan also put over The Fiend character in a huge way between 2019 and 2020.

#1. John Cena gave Bray Wyatt his WrestleMania moment

Back in 2014, Cena was The Franchise Player whilst Wyatt and his band of followers were the new guys on the main roster. Despite the mystery and allure of The Wyatt Family, Vince McMahon moved forward with the decision of putting Big Match John over on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Fast forward to WrestleMania 36, Bray Wyatt transformed into The Fiend. He has mowed through every major opponent there is on the roster. The only one that’s left is the man who took away Bray’s WrestleMania moment back in the day; John Cena. Many fans believe the Firefly Funhouse match between the two served as some sort of redemption arc for The New Face of Fear even though it was Cena who redeemed himself by putting over Wyatt.

Do you agree with this list? Let us know your favorite Bray Wyatt moments in the comments section below.