Report: Original Plans For The Fiend Vs. Randy Orton Revealed

The match between Randy Orton and The Fiend during the Sunday portion of WrestleMania 37 has been subject to much criticism and ridicule, from the booking, to the theatrics, to the ending.

For said ending, Fiend was suddenly distracted by Alexa Bliss spewing black goo from her scalp, leaving him susceptible to a lone RKO from Orton.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, plans for the match changed over the weekend.

The match was never scheduled to be a Firefly Funhouse encounter, similar to The Fiend's battle with John Cena from WrestleMania 36, and the company opted for a straightforward singles bout.

Those involved with putting the match together weren't told an endgame ahead of the weekend beyond that Orton would be written off TV "for a good period of time." Plans changed to a "surprise" finish over the weekend, though, and Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon were said to be instrumental in the change being made.

Management then appeared to be happy with how everything went down, but talent were "exceedingly confused."

Note: Fightful Select originally reported that The Fiend was booked to go over at WrestleMania 37 and the winner was switched to Randy Orton over the weekend. They have since updated their report to clarify the finish was changed, and not the winner, however, talent did push for Wyatt to win the match.