Bray Wyatt was initially released by the WWE back in July 2021 as part of a long line of talent cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wyatt would then spend over a year posting various obscure messages about what his future in the pro wrestling business might be, then returned to the WWE at the Extreme Rules 2022 pay-per-view at the end of the months-long “White Rabbit” viral campaign. Wyatt has since unveiled a new persona as he attempts to be a normal person while haunted by the mysterious figure Uncle Howdy, all the while feuding with LA Knight on SmackDown.ย
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Wyatt’s return was overseen by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who took over WWE’s booking following Vince McMahon’s initial departure in July 2022. However, McMahon has since returned to the company as its executive chairman, causing fans to panic about all the wrestlers Levesque rehired during McMahon’s absence. Wyatt outright acknowledged that concern on Twitter by favoriting a fan’s tweet directed at him.ย
While Wyatt doesn’t do public interviews, his former tag team partner Matt Hardy shed some light on Wyatt’s complicated relationship with McMahon on an episode of his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast.ย
“Windham (Bray Wyatt) has always had a very strange relationship with Vince, very strange, like, I almost felt like Vince looked at him like a son in some ways,” Hardy said back in May. “When he would do things that he liked, he would love him and he would really give him everything that he could possibly give him. He would bend over backwards to try and accommodate him. But then when he did something he didn’t like, he hated, like he was going to lock him away for good.”
“It was almost like a really weird, a really strange and different duality that Vince shared with Bray,” he continued. “When he liked him or loved him, he was all about him. But when he disliked him, oh my god, it was really bad and he would like punish him and insult him. To me, it was so strange. It was almost like a parent.”
Wyatt will compete in his first televised match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view later this month, taking on Knight in a Pitch Black Match. It’s still unclear what that stipulation entails, so stay tuned!ย
