5 WWE Superstars who could challenge "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship

The Fiend is still going strong.
The Fiend is still going strong.

Ever since SummerSlam 2019 Bray Wyatt has been terrorizing some of the top superstars in WWE, with each wrestler changing after enduring his wrath. Wrestling more often than not as his alter-ego The Fiend, Wyatt has ripped through the likes of Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, The Miz, and now Daniel Bryan for a second time.

At the Royal Rumble, a new-look Daniel Bryan put up a tremendous effort against The Fiend in what was a brutal strap match for the Universal Championship. However, he came up short. It remains to be seen if Bryan will undergo further change after his second encounter with The Fiend.

Every one of Wyatt's victims has been linked to his past in some way, as he has the ability to 'Hurt' and 'Heal' his opponents. The Eater of Worlds allegedly used the 'Hurt' glove on every opponent except for Bryan, who has reincarnated the Yes Movement since his first encounter with Wyatt.

The Fiend still has a lot of 'Hurting' and 'Healing' to do as the Universal Champion, with quite a few names from his past being primed as potential candidates to end the horror of The Fiend.

Here are five WWE Superstars who could challenge "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship at some point in the coming months.


#5 Kane

Likely to happen.
Likely to happen.

The Fiend has confronted Kane a couple of times now. Whenever the Major of Knox County has made a return to RAW or SmackDown, Wyatt has been there. He clearly hasn't forgotten the Big Red Machine.

Bray Wyatt's first main roster match actually came against Kane, in a Ring of Fire Match at SummerSlam. He had back-up then but now, it is all about The Fiend.

This match is a big possibility for Super ShowDown, which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the end of February. A picture of a local advertisement even circulated around of the bout being an Inferno Match.

It certainly is a possibility for Kane to be The Fiend's next victim as we are officially on the road to WrestleMania.

#4 Braun Strowman

They used to be a family.
They used to be a family.

Yes, Braun Strowman is currently pursuing the Intercontinental Championship, but is his feud with Shinsuke Nakamura that interesting anyway? Strowman should be doing so much more. He should be higher up the card.

The Fiend has an unforgiving attitude, which is why he chose to attack the Monster Among Men a couple of months ago. Strowman's main roster career actually began alongside Bray Wyatt, with him being the "black sheep" of the Wyatt Family.

This is the kind of history that feuds are built of. The two have hardly engaged in physical combat since their separation in 2016, aside from a couple of instances. That is what makes a confrontation between Wyatt and Strowman so intriguing.

The Fiend should defend his Universal Championship against Strowman at some point, either on the road to WrestleMania or after the Show of Shows. It would be monumental for Bray Wyatt's alter-ego to own a victory over somebody huge. WWE management has the opportunity to do something really cool with Braun Strowman. I hope they follow through.

#3 The Undertaker

Taker's got a lot of healing to do.
Taker's got a lot of healing to do.

Every Superstar that The Fiend has beaten so far has been smaller than him. There has been nobody who can match up physically to him. So far, everybody on this list is bigger than Bray Wyatt. That pattern continues here, with The Undertaker.He hasn't wrestled since that extremely fun tag team match alongside Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules, so expect the Deadman to rise sooner rather than later. 'Taker is the perfect supernatural counterpart for The Fiend. The ultimate hero who could vanquish the evil monster.

The two shared the ring multiple times, as Undertaker dominated Wyatt and his family throughout 2015. Defeats at the hands of The Undertaker at WrestleMania and Survivor Series left the Eater of Worlds struggling to gain momentum.

Now that he has buckets of it, maybe it is time to collect that debt from the Deadman. This would be the perfect program for The Undertaker to retire from if it were to ever happen.

A match between The Fiend and The Undertaker would not be technically great, but as a spectacle, nothing would come close. The aesthetic of it makes it worth a try at the very least. Maybe, we get a little passing of the torch at WrestleMania?

#2 Roman Reigns

This could be the WrestleMania main event.
This could be the WrestleMania main event.

Roman Reigns was the favorite to win the Royal Rumble match right up until late Sunday afternoon. He ended up finishing second for the 4th time in his career. The loss makes his road to WrestleMania a lot bumpier than expected. Although his likely destination is still a Universal Championship match with The Fiend.

And while it would be a great match, WWE will need to be smart in how they book this. Reigns has been getting more and more positive responses from the fans, so the company should actively try to maintain that. If that means delaying his shot at the Universal Title, so be it.

There is another opponent who could challenge Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania aside from the Big Dog but in terms of beating him, Reigns might be the best option. Whether you love him or hate him, you cannot deny his quality in the ring and as a top star.

He would have a fantastic long reign as champion after his last one was cruelly cut short. It is up to WWE whether they are ready to have The Fiend lose. There is a way to do it, as Ramblin' Rabbit alluded to a couple of weeks ago on SmackDown.

A match between Wyatt and Reigns would be their first big one after their feud in 2015, which saw the Big Dog go over.

#1 John Cena

Would Cena change?
Would Cena change?

If WWE is not ready to have The Fiend lose to Roman Reigns just yet, one of the best options for the Universal Championship match would be a man who has not had a match for the belt ever. John Cena has won 16 World Championships but has never challenged for the big red/blue belt ever.

If Cena were to have a match at WrestleMania this year, there isn't a better role for him to play than to put over the star he should have put over years ago. As you already know by now, The Fiend never forgets.

This was one of the first acts of injustice committed onto the Bray Wyatt character of old. Cena beating him at WrestleMania 30, completely halted any momentum for the Eater of Worlds. A rematch six years later would allow Wyatt to get that win back in a major way.

What makes a Cena vs Fiend match even more compelling is the aftermath of it. How would Cena change? That alone makes for a brilliant story, with the Leader of the Cenation returning to debunk the effect of The Fiend only to get sucked in himself.

This would be an excellent match for WrestleMania, with Cena's pursuit for a 17th World Title adding to the layers of an already compelling story. If Cena does come back for a match at 'Mania, The Fiend would be one hell of an opponent. Let him in!

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Edited by Rick Ucchino
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