Braun Strowman had some high praise for his former Wyatt Family leader, Bray Wyatt, and his new character The Fiend.
Speaking on Sam Roberts’ podcast, Notsam Wrestling, Strowman spoke about his friendship with Wyatt, calling him “one of my closest friends inside and outside of the business.” He divulged that Bray got into a “weird place” as he struggled with his WWE direction before eventually landing on the Firefly Funhouse and Fiend gimmick.
“[…] he literally went into the drawing board and started from scratch. We went for a while without even talking because he went so deep into this character; he shut himself out from the world. I remember watching the very first episode of the Firefly Funhouse and was thinking, ‘What the hell is this? Bray, what are you doing?’ But the more I watched, I couldn’t turn away from it. It was so intriguing what he was doing, and then they brought ‘The Fiend’ out and I was like, ‘Alright, it’s unbelievable.’”
He continued, “Bray’s mind – he is so talented in this industry, phenomenal in the ring, probably the best damn guy on the microphone going, let’s be for real,” Braun said. “There’s a lot of guys that can talk, but when you give Bray Wyatt free reign on the microphone, it’s hard to keep up with him. Just his mind for this business and for entertainment [is impressive]. He thought all about this character on his own, and it’s just like, it blows my mind. But at the same time, it’s just so good to have him back.”
“He’s My Brother”
Strowman called Wyatt a locker room leader who helps lift morale as “one of the top guys in the company.” He reflected on how Wyatt mentored him when he first debuted with the Wyatt Family, recalling how he would drive him around and the two would talk non-stop about the business.
“He taught me the business,” Strowman said. “When I came in, that was it. I drove Bray around and he talked and taught me the business. He taught me how to book hotels, he taught me where to eat, how to do everything on the road, because I had no idea. I will forever be indebted to that man. He’s my brother.”
Braun Strowman will perform double duty at WWE’s September event Clash of Champions. He will not only defend the RAW Tag Team Championships with partner Seth Rollins, but he will also face Rollins in a match for the Universal Championship. Reports indicate that The Fiend may be next for whoever emerges victorious.
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions.