For the past seven years or so, Bray Wyatt has been one of the most heavily-featured stars on WWE programming. Wyatt has held the WWE Championship, the Universal Championship, and numerous other titles during his time with the company. The last time fans saw Wyatt was on the Raw after WrestleMania 37, where he appeared in a Firefly Funhouse segment as his Mr. Rogers-esque persona whose alter-ego is the controversial character "The Fiend." And it seems that will be his last appearance with WWE for the foreseeable future, as Wyatt has been released from his contract.
WWE made the shocking announcement today, providing no other details as to why Wyatt was released. WWE stated that it wishes Wyatt the best in his future endeavors, but didn't clarify if it was firing him or if Wyatt had requested his release. Wyatt hasn't made any statement about his release either, with his last social media post on May 18 where he seemed to make fun of WWE's use of zombies in a segment.
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No reason has been given for Wyatt's extended absence, and his sudden release is likely going to make some WWE fans scratch their heads. After all, it seemed Bray Wyatt and his Fiend character had unfinished business with Alexa Bliss, who cost him his match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37. Unfortunately, with Wyatt now gone from WWE, it seems that storyline will never get a proper conclusion.
Bray Wyatt's WWE release comes months after his brother was also let go from the company. Some WWE fans may not even realize this, but Bray Wyatt's brother is Bo Dallas, who was let go as part of some mass WWE releases this past April.
Samoa Joe was also part of those WWE releases in April, but he has since been brought back to the company. Upon his return to WWE, Joe moved to the NXT brand, first as an enforcer for William Regal, and now as an active member of the NXT roster. Joe is embroiled in a feud with Karrion Kross, which is coming to a head at the next NXT Takeover event with the NXT Championship on the line.
There's precedent for released WWE stars to make quick returns to the company. It happened with Daniel Bryan a decade ago, and there are various other examples that can be pointed to. However, without knowing the specifics or the circumstances behind Bray Wyatt's release, it's unclear if that is something that's in the cards. And with AEW seemingly snatching up all the big-name former WWE talent it can get its hands on, one has to wonder if Wyatt's next stop will be in the rival promotion.
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