Some new information has come to light regarding Bray Wyatt’s WWE release.
Bray Wyatt was released in a shocking move made by WWE in July, ending his decade-long run with the company. Since his exit, various reports have surfaced suggesting reasons for what happened, some of which Wyatt responded to himself, as seen below.
— Windham (@Windham6) October 30, 2021
Ringside News recently issued a report claiming that the internal feeling backstage in WWE was that Wyatt deserved to be released, to which Wyatt replied with the GIF above, while also emphasizing his interest in telling his side of the story.
Now that we have Johnny and Bruce’s opinion, I would like to share mine soon. #KultofWindham
— Windham (@Windham6) October 30, 2021
Fightful Select (subscription required) have now released a report giving more insight on the situation, along with the feeling backstage.
It was noted that WWE’s creative team had been notified over the summer that Wyatt was cleared to return to the ring, however this never happened as he was obviously released.
Wyatt’s last match took place at WrestleMania 37 in April, with his last appearance being an episode of ‘Firefly Funhouse’ after WrestleMania. He was seen backstage at several episodes of Raw following WrestleMania, with Randy Orton and himself among others expressing their unhappiness with their WrestleMania match, and the creative direction, which was noted to have been changed several days before the show.
it was further noted that at one point there wasn’t a clear endgame to the storyline, which began in November 2020 before concluding at WrestleMania, in a match won by Randy Orton. The idea was that Orton would take some time off following Mania, however instead this happened to Wyatt, who never returned from his hiatus.
Several WWE Superstars are said to have gone to Wyatt and Orton backstage to speak to them about the match, stating that they ‘felt bad’ about it getting changed last minute.
The belief is that Wyatt was outspoken when it came to poor booking decisions, and by the end many thought that Vince McMahon didn’t like him because of this.
The creative team was also notified of some ‘major frustration’ regarding the angle which saw The Fiend get burned alive by Randy Orton before returning with a slightly altered attire. It is believed that Wyatt thought the gear was too heavy and difficult to wrestle in, and that it looked bad, however it should be noted that Wyatt hasn’t yet confirmed this himself.
WWE talents were informed that Wyatt’s release was due to ‘budget cuts’, however this caused major frustration backstage as Wyatt was an huge merch seller and money maker for the company. This has led to several ‘long-time’ Superstars worrying about their place in the company.
Wyatt’s non-compete clause expired last Friday, which means he is now able to wrestle elsewhere. While very little is known about his next moves, whether it’s within or outside the wrestling world, Wyatt was recently spotted at the Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, with Fightful Select noting that he was there to field inquiries regarding Hollywood projects.