This week’s RAW saw Firely FunHouse Bray Wyatt take on Randy Orton, with the lights going out and The Fiend replacing his alter-ego to The Viper’s surprise. The surprise that ended the WWE’s residence at the Amway Center, though, was even more impressive as the change of gear seemed almost impossible by how quick it was.
Well, that’s because it was impossible. WWE cleverly managed to have Bray Wyatt turn into The Fiend as, with the lights going out across the venue, the live aspect of the show would end. When the lights came back up to reveal The Fiend lying under the 14-time WWE Champion, the WWE Universe was absent from the screens – which featured the face of The Fiend. The true genius here, though, is that the Fiend’s appearance left much of the WWE Universe bewildered as the transition was smooth and the crowd absence wasn’t out of the ordinary, as this is par for the course whenever The Fiend has been onscreen in the WWE ThunderDome.
Inside The Ropes has been told how the appearance of The Fiend had been recorded before RAW went live – and before Main Event, which is recorded before RAW, was taped in front of the ThunderDome crowd. The details of this have also been reported by Ringside News. who also reported that the ending to the show was pre-taped and had to use “camera trickery” to introduce The Fiend. Inside The Ropes can confirm there was indeed a switch of footage when the venue went pitch black, which ended the live broadcast and smartly initiated the part of the show which had been taped earlier in the day.
Many eagle-eyed viewers caught on to the fact that there must have been a switch, despite the edit being seemingly flawless at first glance. However, the switch was evident as, not only did Bray Wyatt manage to change into his Fiend attire, which he could have been wearing under the other gear, and end up wearing the Fiend mask – but also would end up wearing his contact lenses.