Bray Wyatt Was Cleared to Return Days Before His WWE Release

WWE shockingly announced this past weekend that Bray Wyatt had been released from the company. The former WWE and Universal Champion hadn't been seen on WWE TV since the night after WrestleMania 37 and very little had been reported about why he was suddenly gone for months. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported back on July 20 that "WWE sources have remained quiet about Wyatt's circumstances beyond the idea that he's being held off for a specific reason. The belief among some is that it's not a creative issue." He added that there was no timetable for Wyatt's return, but several reports have stated Wyatt was being internally booked for shows just before getting cut.

This week, Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso shed a little more light on the situation. He wrote on Wednesday, "Since WrestleMania 37 in April, Rotunda has been out with an undisclosed physical ailment, one that Sports Illustrated confirmed is not concussion-related. He was finally cleared last Thursday, then effectively fired on Saturday.

Wyatt has yet to release any kind of statement regarding his departure, though he did comment on a tweet where a fan surmised that his final Firefly Fun House segment was a subtle hint that he'd be leaving soon.

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— Bray Wyatt (@WWEBrayWyatt) August 1, 2021

Now the big question is what will Wyatt do next. AEW's Cody Rhodes was asked about the possibility of him joining AEW during a media conference call earlier this week.

"The Rotunda family and the Rhodes family certainly go way backm," Rhodes said. "I can't comment on if I see a spot for him. But I can tell you [he's] an incredibly creative individual and an incredibly creative man....I can't comment on if he fits in with us, but I can say if he has an ounce of passion for this, that guy can fit in anywhere because he's a very special, special talent."

He also discussed AEW's outlook towards signing major free agents. Rumors of the company bringing in CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Ruby Riott have been popping up over the last few weeks.

"I tell a lot of my peers in wrestling and people I use as a sounding board, I always tell them, 'you can't wish away good talent,' especially when you get in a groove as a talent yourself," Rhodes said. "And it's not unlike the world that Tony [Khan] comes from already, the world of the NFL and football in the UK. If there's a free agent out there that can move the needle and be something significant for us... personally, I think you have to go after them. Does that change the landscape of the show and the roster? For sure, but that's one of those things where as much as things can get personal, it is business. And no one is immune from that."