Bray Wyatt’s WWE Journey Was Almost Derailed by an Eye Poke on John Cena

Bray Wyatt’s journey to becoming one of WWE’s most captivating characters may have started with a simple accident in the ring. According to Tom Pestock—better known as former WWE Superstar Baron Corbin—Wyatt’s entire career took a dramatic turn after a mishap with John Cena that left Vince McMahon furious.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Corbin recalled the long-standing rumor that during Wyatt’s early days as Husky Harris in The Nexus, he accidentally poked Cena in the eye during a match. That mistake, according to Corbin, led to both Cena and McMahon being so angry that they sent Husky Harris back to NXT, forcing him to rebuild himself from scratch.

“I will start with the backstory of it. So when Nexus was up on television, Bray Wyatt was not Bray Wyatt. He was Husky Harris, right? We’re going back here. And there is a rumor that I believe is 100% true. That Husky poked John Cena in the eye in a match, and Vince was so mad. Cena was so mad that they sent Husky Harris back to NXT. We’re all grateful for that because Bray Wyatt was born, right?”

That decision kept Wyatt in NXT for over two years, where he completely reinvented himself as the eerie, cult-like figure that would go on to headline WrestleMania, capture multiple world championships, and become one of WWE’s most unique characters.

Years later, Corbin found himself in a similar situation. During a July 2016 match, he also accidentally poked Cena in the eye—and for a moment, he thought his WWE career might be over, just like Wyatt’s was years before.

“Cena cussed me out during the match,” Corbin admitted, but this time, things didn’t escalate. Instead of getting sent back to NXT, Cena delivered a stiff punch in return, giving Corbin what’s known in wrestling as a receipt—a way of letting an opponent know they messed up, but without going too far.

Wyatt’s transformation from Husky Harris to The Eater of Worlds might have been the result of a freak accident, but in hindsight, it was the best thing that could have happened to his career. If not for that accidental poke to Cena’s eye, would we have ever seen the iconic Bray Wyatt character take shape? It’s wild to think that a small moment in the ring could have led to one of the most unforgettable personas in WWE history.