The Era of Wyatt is officially upon us.
Bray Wyatt won the Elimination Chamber Match last night, pinning both John Cena, his old nemesis, and AJ Styles, often referred to as "the best in the world," clean as a sheet in the middle of the ring to become WWE Champion.
Some fans actually thought this day would never come, that the still-just-29-year-old Wyatt would never taste WWE World Championship Gold. But he never shared that view.
Speaking with ESPN.com following his victory, Wyatt said: ”To me it was an up-yours to the authority, because when I walked in to this, I don’t think anyone ever looked at me and said, ‘One day you’re going to be WWE champion.' I’ve seen so many come and go over the years, and so many that look the part and thought they were something special and they just weren’t. And someone like me, I had to cut my teeth for years just to be recognized. No one looked at my direction. I had to grab them by the throat and make them look me in the eyes and say, ‘Look at me.’ This is a huge accomplishment for me, because no one else expected it but I always did.”
“This is something that cements my legacy,” he said, looking at the title. “This is something that I’ve accomplished — but I want to accomplish more. WrestleMania is right here.”
Wyatt acknowledges that there's no time to savor this vindication.
“I really don’t get to enjoy it,” he said. “After I’m done here, I have to race to get to the next town. That’s what I do. That’s who I am. I’m a nomad. I kept traveling and I kept working and scrapping to get by all these years, and finally I get this moment, but I’m 29 and I have so much work left to do. Tomorrow is no different. Well, the only thing that will be different is that I’ll be recognized as the champion I already knew I was.”
