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The Fiend Speared by Roman Reigns After Beating Braun Strowman at WWE SummerSlam
August 24, 2020
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Braun Strowman in a Falls Count Anywhere match at SummerSlam on Sunday to win the Universal Championship for the second time in his career.
Strowman used a box cutter to cut away at the canvas and small cushion above the wood boards that make up the ring itself. The champion was clearly attempting to go the extra mile to put The Fiend away.
However, the strategy backfired as Wyatt returned to his feet and delivered a uranage to The Monster Among Men. He connected with Sister Abigail twice to ensure Strowman stayed down for the three-count.
The Fiend wasn't the last man standing to close out SummerSlam, though, after Roman Reigns made his shocking return.
The former universal champion had not been seen on television since withdrawing from competition ahead of WrestleMania 36 due to concerns over the coronavirus.
However, The Big Dog stunned the WWE Universe with his return to action on Sunday when he laid waste to both Strowman and Wyatt, making it clear he's coming for the universal title.
Strowman and Wyatt had been at odds since their match at Money in the Bank on May 10. The Monster outsmarted the Firefly Fun House version of Wyatt to win that match and retain the universal title, but it simply set the stage for Wyatt to return more determined than ever.
Leading up to Extreme Rules, Wyatt began appearing on the Firefly Fun House again and teasing the return of his Wyatt Family character. That led to Strowman challenging him to a Swamp Fight, which Wyatt accepted.
At the July 19 pay-per-view, Wyatt attempted to get inside Strowman's head by drawing on his past as a member of the Wyatt Family and doing other things to get him to take his guard down.
Most notably, Alexa Bliss appeared in the guise of Sister Abigail and told Strowman that she knew he always wanted to be with her. Flashbacks of their time together as Team Little Big in the Mixed Match Challenge also played, and The Monster seemed strangely drawn to The Goddess.
That allowed Wyatt to gain the upper hand, but Strowman rebounded and sent his rival into the swamp. However, Wyatt resurfaced and pulled his rival underwater with the Mandible Claw before The Fiend emerged from the depths.
Strowman wasn't seen for a couple of weeks after that, but The Fiend drew him back out by targeting Bliss. On the July 31 edition of SmackDown, he essentially stalked The Goddess and locked her in the Mandible Claw to close the show.
The Monster Among Men resurfaced the following week and cut a promo about how he used Bliss as bait, and he agreed to put the universal title on the line against The Fiend at SummerSlam.
On that same episode of SmackDown, The Goddess appeared almost infatuated with The Fiend, which created an intriguing wrinkle regarding what type of role she would play at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
While SummerSlam was technically the third match between Strowman and Wyatt, WWE did well to make each bout feel different based on the stipulations and the fact that a different version of Wyatt competed each time.
Sunday's match was undoubtedly the most dangerous situation Strowman had faced against Wyatt, and it resulted in The Fiend recapturing the title he dropped to Goldberg in February.
Now, though, Wyatt's creation appears to be on a collision course with Reigns.
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