There are various reports currently circulating in regard to the original plans for The Fiend versus Randy Orton at WrestleMania.
14 matches took place across WrestleMania weekend and for the most part, those bouts and their results have been celebrated by fans. Night two's opening match is the glaring exception. The match came to an end when The Fiend was distracted by a very ominous-looking Alexa Bliss. Bliss had black liquid dripping down her face and The Fiend appeared to be in a trance.
Randy Orton saw his chance and delivered an RKO to The Fiend for the win. Fans are unhappy that The Fiend lost, but also that the angle was left on a cliffhanger of sorts. WrestleMania is traditionally where stories come to an end, not where long-running angles are subject to an additional twist. According to a report from Fightful (via Cultaholic), original plans for the match ending were very different.
There is a little confusion about what exactly those plans were, though. An initial report suggested The Fiend was supposed to win the match. However, an amendment to that same report has since clarified Orton was always supposed to win. The big change is The Fiend was not supposed to leave WrestleMania looking like a fool. He was meant to leave a victorious Orton in such a state that The Viper would have been written off TV for an extended period.
The same report also reveals management made the call to change things up and they are very happy with how the match turned out. However, the Superstars involved were confused, and probably still are. Bliss appeared on Raw and introduced fans to her doll, Lily. Meanwhile, Bray Wyatt's Firefly Funhouse character appeared on Raw for the first time in months. He appeared surprisingly upbeat considering what happened the night before.
Other reports have revealed Orton versus The Fiend wasn't the only match that was subjected to last-minute changes during WrestleMania weekend. A far cry from WWE's old way of booking when Vince McMahon would have plans laid out months, if not years ahead of time. Right now, things surrounding The Fiend and Bliss aren't great, but we hope fans are willing to let things play out.