The first talent announcement has been made for WrestleCon 2022, and it is the former Bray Wyatt.
Windham Rotunda, known as Bray Wyatt and The Fiend in WWE, has been announced for the WrestleMania week 2022 WrestleCon in Dallas, Texas.
WrestleCon 2022 will be held at the Fairmont Dallas hotel from March 30 to April 5, 2022. Ticket information will be made available here soon, while hotel reservations at a discounted rate are available here now.
Rotunda’s WWE non-compete clause expired on October 30 after he was released by WWE on July 31. His final match with the company came at WrestleMania 37 in April, where he lost to Randy Orton.
While AEW president Tony Khan has said that he would like to talk to Rotunda at the right time, Rotunda’s first post-WWE project is a feature film. The movie is a Callosum Studios production and expected to be a horror film.
The former Bray Wyatt is working on a feature film with Callosum Studios, according to a report.
Windham Rotunda’s first post-WWE project was announced in an exclusive report by Metro.co.UK. Callosum’s owner and special makeup effects artist Jason Baker says that he and Rotunda are collaborating on a movie.
“It’s a feature film and it’s something really new and different. I’d say probably the best way to describe it is Ichi the Killer meets Xanadu,” Baker said.
“We had some meetings out there and things happened and things got moving forward, and now we’re going and shooting this feature film with him and the end of the month,” Baker said. “He’s a phenomenal collaborator, he’s become a really good friend, and we’re actually.. We’re starting a film at the end of the month.”
Baker is the artist who created Rotunda’s Firefly Fun House puppets, but says not to expect any of that in the new film.
“We’re not using any of that… We’re going in a completely different direction, a whole new thing,” he said. “It should be fun. Hopefully fans of horror and fans of Windham like it.”
Baker also states that filming for the movie begins shortly. “Two weeks to go, we’re filming in Tennessee,” he said.
Rotunda’s WWE non-compete clause expired on October 30 after he was released by WWE on July 31.
Three months after losing a Firefly Inferno match to Randy Orton, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt re-emerged with a new look at Fastlane.
The Fiend returned to WWE programming by helping Alexa Bliss defeat Orton at Fastlane tonight. The Fiend broke through the ring during the match and stared Orton down. With Orton’s attention turned to The Fiend, Bliss jumped off the middle rope and pushed Orton into a Sister Abigail from The Fiend. Bliss then pinned Orton to get the win.
The Fiend was wearing a new mask and gear tonight that had supposedly been burnt when Orton lit him on fire in their Firefly Inferno match at December’s TLC pay-per-view.
In the months since TLC, Bliss has been tormenting Orton in storyline. Bliss said that if Orton wanted her out of his life, he’d have to take her out of it at Fastlane. Orton wasn’t able to get his hands on Bliss in tonight’s match. Bliss used fire during the match and made a piece of lighting equipment fall, almost hitting Orton. As part of him being tormented by Bliss, Orton was also coughing up black liquid before the match started.
Alexa Bliss resurfaced tonight on Raw, warning Randy Orton that The Fiend could someday come back.
The end of last night’s TLC event had Orton defeat The Fiend after initially setting him on fire on the outside of the ring. While he was still on fire, Orton RKO’d The Fiend, then poured gasoline on him. He then took a match and lit The Fiend on fire as the show abruptly went off the air.
Orton came out on tonight’s Raw and explained that he liked what he did the previous night. He said that a normal man would have regrets over setting a man on fire, but The Fiend was not a man, and Orton was not normal.
After Orton declared that The Fiend was no more, the lights went out in a manner similar to when The Fiend appears ringisde. Instead, it was Alexa Bliss, swinging on a swing set inside the ring. She joked that The Fiend could be at the beach as he looked a little pale, or could be at his favorite restaurant eating barbeque.
The end of the segment had Bliss warn Orton that if The Fiend did come back, he would be unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Bliss had not been on Raw in recent weeks as she was filming scenes for the upcoming Punky Brewster reboot that will air on the Peacock streaming service. Charlotte Flair will also appear on the show, and D-Von Dudley is serving as a producer.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including a full review of WWE TLC with the BURNT TO A CRISP DEATH of the Fiend, two ladder matches, babyfaces with no friends, good action and more. Plus, we answer your questions, discuss Ben-K getting knocked out badly and more.
A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: TLC
34:18: Ben-K knocked out
44:34: Mailbag
In addition to the beginning of this year’s WWE Draft, three matches have been announced for next Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
– Sasha Banks will challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
After being beaten down twice by Bayley, Banks got revenge on her former tag team partner when she attacked Bayley at Clash of Champions this past Sunday. Banks has vowed to take the one thing Bayley loves most — the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Banks said during a promo on SmackDown tonight that Bayley doesn’t stand a chance against her.
– Kevin Owens will face “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
As part of the brand-to-brand invitational, Raw’s Owens made an appearance on SmackDown tonight and hosted a KO Show segment with Alexa Bliss as his guest. He questioned Bliss about how she’s been changed by The Fiend. The Fiend then appeared and put Owens in the Mandible Claw. After that, The Fiend and Bliss held hands after The Fiend extended his hand to her.
This will be the first time Wyatt has wrestled as The Fiend on a weekly WWE television show.
– Big E will take on Sheamus in a falls count anywhere match.
Video of a promo aired on SmackDown tonight where Big E challenged Sheamus to the falls count anywhere match for next week. Sheamus also quickly defeated Shorty G on tonight’s show.
Sheamus attacked Big E last month, taking him out of a scheduled number one contender’s fatal four-way match that Sheamus was also part of. Big E returned two weeks ago and started to attack Sheamus before Sheamus ran off.
– Also on next week’s SmackDown, Otis will “represent himself in court” as he attempts to prevent his Money in the Bank contract from being taken by The Miz.
The WWE Draft will begin on SmackDown next Friday (October 9) and then conclude with night two taking place on Raw (October 12).
Bray Wyatt, under his fiend persona, defeated champion Braun Strowman tonight at SummerSlam in a falls count anywhere match. The finish had Strowman grab a boxcutter and tear open the ring mat, exposing the wood paneling. The Fiend cut off Strowman with a uranage, then pinned Strowman after two Sister Abigails.
After the match had ended, Roman Reigns returned to the company and took out The Fiend with a spear. He also speared Braun Strowman on the outside. After attacking The Fiend with steel chair shots, Roman closed the show by spearing The Fiend once more.
Reigns hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He was originally set to face Goldberg for the Universal title at WrestleMania 36, but pulled out.
Strowman was put in the title match and defeated Goldberg for the championship on the April 4 card.
The show-closing angle of last night’s SmackDown saw Bray Wyatt target a friend of Braun Strowman’s.
In last night’s main event, Bayley defeated Nikki Cross to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Alexa Bliss tried to console Cross after her loss, but Cross pushed Bliss down and stormed off. The lights then went out and The Fiend appeared. The show ended with The Fiend putting Bliss in the Mandible Claw and yelling Strowman’s name.
The Intercontinental title was also on the line last night as AJ Styles defended against Gran Metalik.
Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, and Otis returned to WWE TV on the show. There was a segment where Deville attacked Rose, cut some of her hair, and then went to shave Rose’s head until being stopped.
Even “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt got in on sign-pointing season Friday night, offering a WrestleMania challenge to John Cena that was accepted with a hat tip and a hand wave.
In the closing minutes of SmackDown, Cena had just wrapped a promo essentially announcing his retirement in front of his hometown fans in Boston, MA. He was on the top of the ramp doing a military salute when the lights went out with the Fiend’s accompanying sound effects.
He then appeared behind Cena and simply pointed to the Mania sign. Cena looked at the fans and turned back to Wyatt and tipped his cap, giving the “You can’t see me” hand wave. The lights then went out again to close the show.
Wyatt is coming off a widely-panned Universal title loss to Bill Goldberg at Thursday’s Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia. To that end, Goldberg accepted Roman Reigns’ title challenge on SmackDown, setting up their Mania match.
This was Cena’s first appearance on WWE TV since last summer and WrestleMania will be his first match since January 2019 where he lost in a no. 1 contender’s four way on Raw.
With WrestleMania 36 approaching, WWE has a new Universal Champion.
Goldberg won the Universal title by defeating “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in the main event of Super ShowDown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia today. He pinned Wyatt after giving him a Jackhammer.
Goldberg hit four spears on Wyatt during the match and fought out of the Mandible Claw twice. Wyatt got up as Goldberg was celebrating after, but the lights then went out and Wyatt was gone when they came back.
Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio overnight that Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns is planned for WrestleMania 36. Goldberg’s challenger for WrestleMania will be decided by an Elimination Chamber match at WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 8.
Meltzer noted that John Cena is planned to be Wyatt’s new WrestleMania opponent. Cena will appear on tomorrow’s episode of SmackDown in Boston, Massachusetts.
After Goldberg’s title win, it was teased on commentary that he’ll also be appearing on SmackDown tomorrow.
Wyatt had been Universal Champion since defeating Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel in October 2019.
This is the second time Goldberg has held the Universal title. He was Universal Champion for less than a month in 2017, winning the title from Kevin Owens at Fastlane and losing it to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33.
WWE returns to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this morning for this year’s Super ShowDown event.
Both world championships will be on the line. Goldberg challenges “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship, while Ricochet challenges Brock Lesnar for the WWE title.
For the first time in Saudi Arabia, one of WWE’s women’s titles will be defended as SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley faces Naomi. This follows the events from Crown Jewel 2019 where Natalya and Lacey Evans had the first-ever women’s match in the country.
In the show’s two other championship matches, Seth Rollins & Murphy will defend their Raw Tag Team titles against The Street Profits and The New Day will defend the SmackDown Tag Team titles against The Miz & John Morrison.
Plus, Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin’s rivalry continues inside of a steel cage, AJ Styles, Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, R-Truth & Rey Mysterio face off in the Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match, Mansoor returns to Saudi Arabia for a match against Dolph Ziggler, Angel Garza takes on Humberto Carrillo, and The Viking Raiders face Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson.
Viking Raiders vs. Gallows & Anderson will be part of this morning’s pre-show. It begins at 11 a.m. Eastern time, with the main card starting an hour later.
**********
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated The War Raiders
Raiders started off hot, throwing around Anderson. Ivar stuck his beard in Anderson’s face. Anderson used a distraction to tag in Gallows, who took control of the match. Anderson is soo tagged back in as they get the heat on Erik.
Ivar eventually got the hot tag and ran wild on both, taking out Gallows with a clothesline. Ivar went for a bronco buster but Anderson escaped. Tag to Erik who drove Ivar into the corner, taking out Gallows. However, Gallows came back after a sitout chokeslam on Erik. Ivar tags in and takes out both men with a springboard.
Ivar took out Anderson on the apron as Ivar went for a moonsault, but Anderson dodged just in time. Anderson and Gallows connected with the Magic Killer and that was it. About as basic of a match as you can get, though the War Raiders still looked good.
The Undertaker won the Gauntlet Match for the prestigious Tuwaiq Trophy
R-Truth defeated Bobby Lashley
Truth tried to mount Lashley with punches in the corner, but Lashley threw him off and sent him to the floor. Lashley hit a vertical powerslam then put Truth in a sleeper. Truth countered with one of his own then followed with a shoulderblock. Lashley cut him off and went for the dominator but Truth hit a blue thunder bomb, channeling his childhood hero John Cena, and hit the five knuckle shuffle.
Truth went for the AA but Lashley escaped and hit a flatliner. Lashley went to charge Truth in the corner, but Truth ducked, sending Lashley into the post. Truth then cradled Lashley for the surprise win.
Lashlely wasn’t happy about that and destroyed Truth on the outside, sending him into the ring post. Lashley then took Truth into the ring and speared him. Truth ended up bleeding, may have cut his cheek.
R-Truth defeated Andrade
Andrade immediately attacked Truth, stomping all over him. Andrade went for a cover, but Truth kicked out. Andrade went for the hammerlock DDT but Truth kept fighting out of it. Andrade went for the running knee in the corner, but hit the top turnbuckle instead, falling to the floor.
Truth started a comeback, hitting a corkscrew crossbody. The two then collided at the same time with a headbutt, with R-Truth falling on top of Andrade for another surprise win.
R-Truth defeated Erik Rowan by disqualification
Truth sends Rowan to the floor and connected with a plancha. Rowan countered and sent Truth into the steps, knocking over whatever’s in the bag. Rowan was unhappy and repeatedly threw Truth’s head into the steps. Truth then threw the stairs at Truth, causing the disqualification.
AJ Styles defeated R-Truth
Of course, Rowan wasn’t happy about that. He threw Truth back in the ring and hit a claw slam before leaving.
AJ was very happy about Truth’s condition. He stomped on Truth and repeatedly mocked him, dancing in the ring. Styles locked in the calf crusher and that was it.
Rey Mysterio was due to come out, but AJ Styles was smiling. Mysterio was then shown backstage being laid out by the OC.
AJ took a mic and said it looks like little Rey isn’t going to get up from that one. He asked the referee to ring the bell. The referee wouldn’t do it. He then told the announcer to ring the bell. He wouldn’t. The announcer then said if AJ’s opponent didn’t make it to the ring at the count of ten, Styles would be declared the winner.
The referee started to count, but then it was shown backstage that both Anderson and Gallows were laid out. The Undertaker’s shoes appeared, showing it was him who laid them out.
The Undertaker made his way to the ring, so I guess he’s the last participant.
The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles
AJ complained to the referee, then went to attack Undertaker. The Undertaker responded with a chokeslam, and that was it. Not much to this.
The New Day backstage talked about their Tag Team title match against John Morrison and The Miz. Kofi promised they would show the world who the better team is.
John Morrison and The Miz defeated The New Day to win the SmackDown Tag Team titles
Big E starts off overpowering The Miz. Morrison tags in and drops Big E into the ring rope. Morrison followed with a corkscrew plancha to the floor.
Miz works on Big E in the ring, dropkicking him in the leg. He took Big E to the corner and tagged in Morrison, who connected with a springboard kick. Big E took a chance and threw a charging Morrioson to the floor and dropped Miz.
Kofi came in for the hot tag and ran wild on Morrison with a nice comeback. Morrison came back with a running knee. Morrison went for the moonlight drive but Kofi countered with the SOS for a nearfall. The New Day then laid out Morrison with a suplex/foot stomp combo.
Miz is tagged in, taking out Big E with a DDT and started with the Daniel Bryan kicks. Morrison tagged back in. After a double team, Morrison went for the starship pain but Big E moved out of the way. The New Day gained control and planted Morrison with the midnight hour but Miz broke it up.
Kofi went for a trust fall to the Miz on the outside but Miz dodged, sending Kofi crashing to the floor. That looked awful. Miz went back to the ring and laid out Big E with the skull crushing finale for a near fall. Big E dodged a Miz charge to the corner. Tag to Kofi who rolls up Miz for a nearfall.
On the outside, Morrison hit Kofi in the back with a steel chair to the chest of Kofi. Miz rolled up Kofi with the tights for the win and the championships.
Seth Rollins said that the moral vision of The Street Profits were a little off kilter. They will retain the Raw Tag Team championships tonight; it is a matter of destiny that the threat of the Street Profits will be eradicated along the way. Good match, but the crowd didn’t care much for it.
Angel Garza defeated Humberto Carrillo
Carrillo connects with some kicks early, then arm dragged Garza to the outside. He took out Garza with a hurricanrana on the floor, then hit a tope suicida, sending Garza on the barricade. Garza got the heat and ripped off his pants. Garza told the quiet crowd to shut up as he put Carrillo in holds.
Carrillo connected with a kick, then a springboard kick for a two count. On the top rope, Garza jumped to the floor then dropkicked Carrillo was he was coming off the top rope. Garza hit a superkick, but Carrillo connected with a right then a destroyer.
The two exchanged near falls until Garza simply sat down and pinned Carrillo. Both of them tried, but the match never really got going and the crowd was completely dead for it. The Raw match was a million times better.
Bayley interview. She said she’s making history tonight just like every other time in her career. She will prove she is the most dominant women’s champion that SmackDown has ever seen.
Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy defeated The Street Profits to retain the Raw Tag Team titles
Profits started things off, taking down the champions with stereo dropkicks. Ford kicked Rollins on the apron, but Murphy shoved Ford into the announcer’s table, giving them control of the match.
Seth keeps the heat on Ford, hitting a falcon arrow for a nearfall. Buckle bomb/kick combo follows. Ford finally escaped and hot tagged in Dawkins. Well, the crowd made zero reaction to the tag, but you know what I mean.
Ford gets tagged back in and hit a frog splash for a two count. Dawkins threw Murphy into the announce table as the Street Profits went for a double team, but Rollins escaped. Murphy and Rollins went for a double pedigree, but the Profits counter with stereo DDTs. Ford went for a tope con hilo to the floor, but Rollins and Murphy grabbed him and threw him into the barricade.
Dawkins took out both men on the outside and threw Murphy back into the ring. Murphy distracted the referee long enough for Rollins to connect with a stomp on the apron, allowing Murphy to cover for the win. This was just a match. The nonexistent crowd heat is slowing this show down to a crawl.
Mansoor defeated Dolph Ziggler
Roode and Ziggler berated Mansoor prior to the bell. Mansoor dropkicked Roode. The referee then sent Roode packing as the match started.
Ziggler started things with a headlock. Mansoor countered with one of his own and hit a shoulder block and hit a standing moonsault. Ziggler connected with an elbow for the heat, dragging Mansoor’s face on the top rope and connecting with a jumping elbow.
Ziggler continued to dominate, posting Mansoor then driving him down with a suplex. Mansoor fired back with an elbow, dodged a famouser and connected with a kick on the apron and followed with a springboard neckbreaker.
Mansoor hit a slam and went to the top rope, but Ziggler crotched him. He motioned for the superkick, but Mansoor countered with an inside cradle. Mansoor continued to fight back, landing a cool looking inverted sliced bread into a DDT then followed with a moonsault for the win. Crowd popped big time for that win. They were into this match most than others, and it was perfectly fine for what it was.
Mansoor thanked the crowd, saying their voices carried him and gave him hope. When he stepped into the ring last year they proved Saudi Arabia was ready to have its first WWE superstar, and proved that they were here to stay. Mansoor spoke in Arabic to end the promo.
Brock Lesnar defeated Ricochet to retain the WWE title
Lesnar repeatedly drilled Ricochet with German suplexes. He then lifted him up, F5, that was it. It lasted maybe a minute, two tops.
That is what it was supposed to be, but can’t say Ricochet’s career trajectory in WWE at this point is all that great.
Roman Reigns defeated King Corbin in a steel cage match
Roman was tying up the steel cage with a chain he brought to the ring when Corbin jumped him from behind. He tried to escape the cage, but Roman grabbed him and gave him clotheslines in the corner. Corbin counters Roman with a uranage and covers him for a near fall.
Corbin finds the key to free the lock on the chain. He unlocks the door, but Roman catches him before he’s able to open the door. Corbin tried to crawl out, but Roman slammed his head on the door. Roman went for the Superman punch, but Corbin countered with a chokeslam.
Corbin grabs the chain nearby and wraps it around his fist. He mocked Reigns, but Roman countered with a Superman punch for a nearfall. Corbin finds and opening and tries to escape over the ring, but Reigns catches him as the two exchange punches on top of the cage. Corbin dragged him back into the cage and threw his head into the cage. Roman responded by crotching Corbin on the ropes.
Reigns then grabbed the chain and hits the Superman punch for the win. It was fine, the crowd was a little more alive here and they were into Reigns.
Bayley defeated Naomi to retain the SmackDown Women’s championship
Bayley controlled things early, but Naomi made a comeback, sending Bayley to the floor and landing outside with a big plancha. Bayley got the heat after attacking Naomi on the apron and threw her into the barricade.
Bayley had the heat for a while until Naomi made a comeback following a kick in the corner, then followed with a springboard kick. Naomi springboarded and hit maybe a clothesline or something? Don’t know what she was going for but it didn’t look good. Bayley hit the Bayley to Belly out of nowhere but only got a two count.
Naomi went for a full nelson but Bayley clipped her leg and hit a back suplex. Naomi went for a driver but Bayley escaped and hit a running knee to the corner. Naomi hit an enziguri as Bayley made it to the top rope but missed the springboard moonsault.
Bayley then used the shirt Naomi was wearing to trap her legs. Bayley then rammed Naomi’s head face first into the mat and pinned her to retain the title. This was okay, though sloppy in spots. And, again, the crowd was dead save for one or two attempts at a chant.
Goldberg defeated The Fiend Bray Wyatt to win the WWE Universal championship
This didn’t last long. Goldberg speared Wyatt right at the bell. He then hit three more, but Wyatt rose up and grabbed Goldberg with the mandible claw. Goldberg fought out with knees, hit the jackhammer and that was it.
The Fiend was back on his feet right after the match. The lights went off, then he disappeared.
With Super ShowDown less than a week away, the final build to The Fiend and Goldberg’s Universal Championship match took place on SmackDown last night.
Goldberg appeared live on last night’s show. He addressed The Fiend but was quickly interrupted by Bray Wyatt and the Firefly Fun House. Wyatt introduced Goldberg to the Firefly Fun House characters and then said there was someone else who was dying to meet Goldberg.
The lights then went out. When they went back on, Goldberg said he knew The Fiend was right behind him. They faced off, with Goldberg hitting a spear on the Universal Champion ahead of their title match in Saudi Arabia. Goldberg was ready to go for another spear, but the lights went out again and The Fiend was gone when they came back.
It will be “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg for the Universal Championship at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia later this month.
The match was set up for Super ShowDown during Goldberg’s return to SmackDown last night. He appeared on the show via satellite and talked about how watching the Royal Rumble with his son gave him the itch to get back into the ring. Goldberg mentioned that WWE Champion Brock Lesnar already had an opponent — but there was also the Universal title.
Goldberg was interrupted by a Firefly Fun House news report, with Wyatt accepting Goldberg’s challenge for Super ShowDown.
In the main event of last night’s SmackDown, Carmella defeated Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and Dana Brooke to become the next challenger for Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship. Carmella was then attacked by Bayley immediately after her win.
Challenging for the Universal Championship is what’s next for Goldberg.
When WWE returns to Saudi Arabia for Super ShowDown later this month, Goldberg will challenge “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship. The announcement of the match was made on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Goldberg appeared on SmackDown via satellite tonight and issued a challenge to The Fiend. He said watching the Royal Rumble with his son gave him the itch to get back into the ring. He mentioned that WWE Champion Brock Lesnar already had his hands full — but there was also the Universal title.
Goldberg said his reign with the Universal Championship in 2017 was too short and he never got a rematch for the title. He was then interrupted by a Firefly Fun House news report segment that was hosted by Wyatt, who announced that The Fiend accepts Goldberg’s challenge.
This will be the first time Goldberg has wrestled since defeating Dolph Ziggler at last year’s SummerSlam. Goldberg also wrestled at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia last year, with his match against The Undertaker falling apart after Goldberg was knocked out during it.
Super ShowDown is taking place in Riyadh on Thursday, February 27 and will air live on the WWE Network. Lesnar defending his WWE title against Ricochet has also been confirmed for the show, along with The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) defending their SmackDown Tag Team titles against The Miz & John Morrison.
WWE has added a stipulation to The Fiend and Daniel Bryan’s Universal Championship match at the Royal Rumble.
The Fiend will now defend his Universal title against Bryan in a strap match at the pay-per-view. The stipulation was set up by a challenge that was issued by Bryan on tonight’s SmackDown.
Tonight’s show opened with an appearance by Kane. As he was cutting a promo about the Royal Rumble, he was interrupted by Bray Wyatt on the video screen. The segment led to the lights going out and The Fiend coming through the ring and trying to attack Kane.
But it was revealed that Kane and Bryan had set a trap for The Fiend. Kane (who was now outside of the ring) asked The Fiend what took so long. Bryan then ambushed The Fiend and hit him with the running knee. He tried to fight with The Fiend, but The Fiend escaped back through the ring. Bryan pulled out one of The Fiend’s dreadlocks as he escaped.
In a backstage interview, Bryan challenged The Fiend to the strap match. Bryan said the match was his idea for how to beat someone who disappears every time he’s in trouble.
Bryan said one end of the strap would be tied around each of their hands. And while he understood that The Fiend would try to whip the flesh off his body and try to rip his arm out of his socket, Bryan is done with the mind games.
The Royal Rumble is taking place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on January 26. Here’s the updated card for the PPV.
Men’s Royal Rumble match
Women’s Royal Rumble match
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending against Asuka
Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defending against Daniel Bryan in a strap match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Lacey Evans
Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin in a falls count anywhere match
