How Wine, Nirvana & A Classic Kids TV Host Inspired Bray Wyatt's WWE Firefly Funhouse

Prior to his untimely death in 2023, Bray Wyatt was known as one of the most creative minds in the pro wrestling industry, unafraid to try something unusual as long as he felt passionate about it. One perfect example of this was the series of Firefly Fun House vignettes, introduced on WWE TV in 2019. Appearing on an episode of "Wrestling with Freddie," former WWE writer Nick Manfredini revealed the segment's origin.

"[Wyatt] had the idea that he wanted to wear a mask, right? He wanted to ... become a monster, and that was kind of it," Manfredini said. "But monsters don't cut promos, and we obviously can't lose promos from Bray Wyatt. That's his bread and butter."

That meant that Manfredini and Wyatt had to come up with a way to bring together the idea of a monster who could still reasonably talk to the audience. At the same time, both he and Wyatt were set on coming up with something that hadn't been done before, which can be tough in pro wrestling. As luck would have it, Manfredini caught inspiration one night while watching a movie about beloved children's TV host Fred Rogers.

"I was drunk, watching the Mr. Rogers documentary," the writer continued. "I was just like, 'What if he did this? What if Bray worked with puppets?' Because there was a ... scene in the movie, but I remember seeing a GIF of it, of Mr. Rogers putting on this clown mask. ... I think that was it. I was like, 'S**t.' That's Bray wearing the mask, Mr. Rogers, and maybe it was just the red wine talking in my brain, but I was like, 'Let's do this.' I sent him a text."

According to Manfredini, Wyatt was intrigued but not fully sold on the idea until another piece of the puzzle fell into place. A few days after discussing the concept, Manfredini heard the song "Lithium" by Nirvana, and the lyrics inspired him to incorporate the concept of multiple personalities into the character. That, plus a scene from the movie "It" featuring Pennywise in the audience of a children's show, helped Manfredini convince Wyatt that the character was worth realizing.

"I think it just clicked in his head," Manfreidini said. "Now he's coming up with ideas for puppets, we're both going back and forth. The ball was rolling after that."

Manfredini stated that the idea didn't come in-house from WWE as many of the company's creations do. Instead, it was himself, Wyatt, and makeup and special effects artist Jason Baker who each played an integral part in bringing The Fiend and Firefly Fun House to life.

After an extended absence from Wyatt, the concept debuted on TV with a series of mysterious vignettes before the full reveal in April 2019. A few months later, Wyatt made his return to the ring as The Fiend, kicking off one of the most memorable periods of his career. By 2021, however, Vince McMahon had seemingly lost interest in the character, leading to Wyatt's WWE release that year. Though he was brought back in 2022, Wyatt's return was cut short by what would later be revealed as a COVID-19 diagnosis. He made his final appearance for the company in February of that year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling with Freddie" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.