The physical appearance of Bray Wyatt’s Fiend persona still has wrestling fans buzzing since its debut at SummerSlam.
The unsettling mask would be accompanied that night with a disturbing lantern modelled on Wyatt’s head.
With its mouth stretched and elongated to hold the light, and its eyes sewn shut, the lantern created an undeniably powerful statement, thanks to the work by Tom Savini Studios.
Speaking with GameSpot, Savini Studios’ Jason Baker—who is credited as the supervisor of Wyatt’s mask construction—discussed their relationship with WWE, as well as the collaboration process with Wyatt.
Baker explained that Savini Studios and WWE have a relationship stretching back almost ten years, naming Erik Rowan, Luke Harper, Kallisto, and Stephanie McMahon as some of the Superstars they have previously worked with.
When it came to the Fiend, however, Baker asserts that Bray deserves all the credit.
“It’s all Bray’s brainchild,” he said. “He had these ideas, and we did some concept art, but it wasn’t really hitting home with Bray. So he got a really, really good sketch artist named Kyle Scarborough, out of St Louis, to do some concept art for him. Those sketches were awesome, and we took those and brought them to life.”
“They’re good blueprints, but we put our own stamp on the mask as well,” continues Baker. “It comes down to sculpting, logistics, and comfort. If the guy’s going to wear this while beating the living piss out of people, he should be able to see out of it and make sure it’s strapped to his head.”
Baker teased that, despite the Firefly Funhouse and Fiend work that has consumed his life, the WWE Universe “haven’t seen anything yet.”
