A new report has given an update on the events which led to the release of Bray Wyatt, including issues with Vince McMahon and a lack of direction over his story with Randy Orton.
Bray Wyatt was released by WWE on July 31st 2021 ending more than a decade with the company. It was noted at the time that the release was due to budget cuts, but a new report has suggested that there could have been many other elements at play.
The report from Fightful Select says that the creative team were told in the summer that Wyatt had been cleared and would be returning to action ahead of his release. In addition, it was supposed to be Randy Orton rather than Wyatt who took time off after their match at WrestleMania 36.
With regard to the WrestleMania match, both Wyatt and Orton were said to be upset with the creative direction, which saw the outcome of the match change just two days ahead of the event. Other Superstars allegedly approached the pair saying that they felt bad that the match was changed.
Fightful report that they were told that there was “never a true creative endgame for that story.”
Continuing on, “numerous people” said that Wyatt was outspoken when he thought that creative was bad, and by the time he left, Vince McMahon “didn’t like him” because of it. Wyatt was reportedly critical over the “burned Fiend” angle, and the suit he felt was too heavy and difficult to move inside. This hasn’t been confirmed by Wyatt himself.
Bray Wyatt’s release has led to some within WWE to feel that their job is no longer safe.
“A consensus was that almost nobody in the company truly believed this was a budget cut… several other long-time stars said that they don’t feel like their jobs are safe any longer, despite of their positions on the card or prior pushes.”
Bray Wyatt recently teased a return to the ring, counting down on social media to the expiry of his WWE non-compete clause. At time of writing there is no word on where or when Wyatt may appear next.