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Writer: Nikunj Walia
Windham Rotunda formerly known as Bray Wyatt in the WWE came to be known as one of the most captivating and highly skilled superstars being credited for creative acumen, character development, connection with the audience and being technically sound in the ring. He was in every sense of the word, a main event player in the company.
After spending nearly a decade in the wrestling giant, Wyatt was released from his contract on July 31 2021 in one of the most shocking moves made by the company which was not received well by the hardcore pro wrestling fans across the globe. Many reports have suggested that his release came due to multiple creative differences surrounding his character and storylines, being highly outspoken about it that it seemed to anger the Chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon to a great extent.
It is yet to be seen where the Eater of Worlds lands up next in the pro wrestling world after his 90 non-compete clause came to an end recently, although multiple rumors and reports are hinting that Bray would eventually join All Elite Wrestling.
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However, if we look back at the overwhelming and accomplished career of Bray Wyatt in the WWE, there is only one major omission from his list of accolades; main eventing Wrestlemania.
The Firefly fun house host was well deserving for that main event spot on the Grandest stage of them all and had even battled some of the most iconic superstars at Wrestlemania such as John Cena, Randy Orton and The Undertaker. With his recent exit from the company, achieving one of the most important wrestling accolades in the business looks to be off the table for the majority of his remaining career which at one point was an immediate lock to put him in the main event of Wrestlemania against another top superstar in the company.
Here is our list of events that should have been altered in the WWE history books that could have led the man with the whole world in his hands to that marquee spot at Wrestlemania he rightfully deserved.
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Bray Wyatt’s alter ego gimmick The Fiend had been on a monstrous run as the WWE Universal champion in 2019. He had not lost a match yet putting down the likes of Seth Rollins, The Miz and Daniel Bryan with only one obstacle that was standing in his way to reach Wrestlemania that year as the reigning champion- the iconic Goldberg.
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Wyatt’s victory over the spear smashing legend could have marked it as one of his most important career wins and while many fans did believe that he was going to walk out of Saudi Arabia with the Universal title, he ended up losing to Goldberg after being hit with less than an impressive pack of spears and jackhammer.
A report by Wrestlezone suggested that Goldberg winning the match was a last-minute change with the WWE Hall of Famer himself pushing for the decision believing that the loss to The Fiend would hurt his wrestling image.
'We were told that Goldberg going over was a last-minute decision, apparently because Goldberg didn’t want to risk damaging his image. It was noted that Goldberg bargained for creative control and pushed for the title win because 'The Fiend' was a monster and the younger fans needed to see him come out victorious, or it would ruin his character.'
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The outcome of the match should have seen The Fiend tapping out the legendary superstar with the Mandible Claw or planting him with a Sister Abigail, sealing the victory and adding a noteworthy win to his already illustrious resume with the path being cleared to march towards the Showcase of the immortals as the reigning WWE Universal champion putting him in the immediate run for the main event slot at Wrestlemania 36.
While The Fiend was laying a path of destruction for the much part of that year, Roman Reigns was kept away from the main event mainly battling in upper mid-card feuds on Smackdown endearing himself to the pro wrestling fans with some strong in-ring performances. This was part of the plan to position him as the top babyface of the blue brand after re-emerging back to the WWE from battling leukaemia.
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The former Big Dog and the leader of the Wyatt family had a major feud going on back in 2015 with some of the most memorable encounters insider the ring, but Reigns was yet to step in the ring with Wyatt’s sinister alter ego who had laid his reign of terror on the entire WWE.
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Altering the main event of WWE Super Showdown where Wyatt would have emerged victorious over Goldberg, the next logical step would have been a collision with Roman Reigns in the main event of Wrestlemania. The now Tribal Chief was already slated to be in the title picture after the Saudi Arabia show as revealed on the following Smackdown where he walked out to challenge Goldberg for an epic Spear vs Spear showdown at Wrestlemania 36.
Moreover, it was heavily rumored that Wyatt vs Reigns would be the blockbuster main event penciled in for that year’s Wrestlemania.
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The undefeated and unhinged Universal Champion vs The Guy positioned to be the next face of the company would have had much more credibility in terms of the storyline build and the match itself on the biggest wrestling stage in the world and would not have either damaged The Fiend’s mystique of being a destructive and terrorizing force in the company.
If you come to think that even if Roman was booked to win the Universal title at Wrestlemania, a win against one of the current top superstars would have been a major boost for Reigns’s push as a babyface than defeating a 50-year-old legend in a short-lived match thereby also preserving The Fiend gimmick’s aura from much vandalism that it originally suffered at the hands of Goldberg.
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The exponential popularity of The Fiend was at such a peak during Wrestlemania 36 season that he was ready to take his rightful place in the main event of The Show of Shows, a spot that mostly featured Roman Reigns since 2015. However, The Head of the Table withdrew himself from the show not wanting to risk his health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that forced the WWE to host Wrestlemania 36 inside its Performance Center in Orlando without any fans in attendance.
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If the timeline of the onset of the pandemic had slightly shifted its course and Reigns would decided to pass over mania much earlier, there would have been a much higher possibility that Wyatt would have retained his Universal Championship against Goldberg.
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This could have set the tone of making one of the biggest rematches in Wrestlemania history even more monumental with John Cena vs The Fiend Bray Wyatt, the match that originally took place at the event being contested for the Universal Championship. The match result could have been the same as it happened at the show with Wyatt redeeming his Wrestlemania 30 loss against Cena and also retaining his championship to end the most unpredicted mania show in grand fashion, walking out of Wrestlemania still the Universal Champion and remaining undefeated for the latter part of that year.
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