Former WWE Writer Reveals Vince McMahon’s Interference Ruined Bray Wyatt’s Original Fiend Vision

When Bray Wyatt debuted The Fiend character in WWE, fans were hooked by the twisted storytelling and eerie Firefly Funhouse segments. But according to former WWE writer Nick Manfredini, the original concept behind The Fiend was never supposed to dive into supernatural territory — and things quickly derailed once the character gained momentum.

Speaking on the MCPN: My Cultura Podcast Network, Manfredini explained that The Fiend was originally conceived as a psychological creation — a dark, twisted alter ego that Wyatt controlled, not something paranormal or otherworldly. But once the gimmick caught on, Vince McMahon and WWE higher-ups reportedly couldn’t resist getting involved.

“It was never meant to be supernatural. It kind of—once it became successful, it was like, oh, you know, everybody’s involved, everybody’s changing things, everybody’s getting their hands on it. When it was just a very small group at first, then it became a big thing. So it kind of spiraled a little out of control at the beginning because it was never supposed to be—he was supposed to be in control, right? Bray Wyatt of the Fiend. That was the whole point.”

Manfredini described a clear moment where things started going sideways — Vince McMahon reportedly rejected the notion of Wyatt being in control of The Fiend, essentially dismantling the heart of the storyline.

“In like the fourth vignette, he tells the story about how, ‘Now I can control it.’ He’s doing the paper plate mask. Vince saw it another way — to where it was something he couldn’t control and it just kind of came out. He wouldn’t even mention the Fiend by name. He was always like, alluding to ‘this guy.’”

That shift in vision created major tension behind the scenes. According to Manfredini, Bray was so frustrated by the interference that he considered walking away.

“So that kind of changed it a little bit and made it a little—you know, we had to—it wasn’t the original vision. But, you know, he was very frustrated with stuff like that when somebody was trying to change what he wanted to do.”

“And I was too. I mean, I’m not going to lie. But, you know, we’re employees, right? We don’t own this character. As much as we created this, we have to look at it like we don’t own it. We’re employees. We have to do what’s told. Let’s make the best of it. Let’s not complain and just kind of go ahead.”

“And that’s—that’s the way I like to approach it. And he—you know, he did too, after some, you know, complaining and threatening to quit.”

Even though The Fiend became a merchandising machine and one of the most talked-about characters in modern WWE history, it came at a cost — constant creative compromises that pulled the gimmick away from Bray Wyatt’s true intentions.

“But yeah, it was—it was a lot of compromise, right? Like a marriage. A lot of compromise.”

This revelation sheds new light on Bray Wyatt’s creative frustrations in his final years with WWE. Fans often speculated about why The Fiend’s story felt inconsistent — and now, it seems interference from the top may have been a driving factor.

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