The Fiend was a frightening, unique hit in his in-ring debut.

It was hard to take your eyes of Bray Wyatt’s ghoulish incarnation from the moment he stepped into Scotiabank Arena in Toronto to face Finn Balor at SummerSlam on Sunday night. WWE continued to build the foundation for the character. It will need to keep adding layers for it to matter more long term. WWE has nothing else like this besides the part-time Undertaker.

After the lights went out, “Let Him In” slowly flashed in red on the screen as Fiend emerged holding a taxidermied head of Bray from his old Wyatt Family persona. The eyes were stitched closed and it had a lantern in its mouth.

Fiend walked to the ring to Code Orange’s warped, punk-rock version of Wyatt’s old music with the crowd flashing its cellphone lights like it did for him in the past. It was a great way to connect the old character with the new one. The crowd was also chanting “Yowie Wowie” at times.

The match itself was a partial squash. Balor got in some offense late after Fiend smothered him with strikes and power moves early, including Sister Abigail and a move that mimicked him snapping Balor’s neck from behind.

The most intriguing thing was seeing moments where Fiend appeared to have an internal struggle with himself, either battling his children’s-television-host side from the Firefly FunHouse or the older version of the Bray Wyatt character.

It’s the part of Wyatt that WWE still needs to fully explain and will likely do so slowly. How well they do that will ultimately decide the success of Fiend and keep him from being a one-trick pony. Fiend needs to remain a super-protected entity, while still giving the audience a sliver of hope he can be defeated.

Fiend won the match by countering Balor’s Coup de Gras with a Mandible Claw. Instead of having Balor tap, WWE had Fiend pin him after he went lifeless. It’s a good way to differentiate his version of the move from the one Mick Foley used.

When it was over, the lights went out and Fiend appeared one more time under a spotlight to look back at the ring. The lights lifted and the crowd chanted “That was awesome!”

Seeing Fiend do something more dramatic at the end — Undertaker used to put his opponents in body bags — might have added more. Maybe he and his fallen opponent disappear from the ring together. Instead we got a shaken Balor, who got an invitation from the OC, A.J. Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, to call if he needs them. Maybe this loss convinces Balor he needs help.

Fiend doesn’t need any extra help continuing to get over. WWE has an attraction it desperately needs right now. It’s up to them to protect it and keep building it correctly.