WWE’s Bray Wyatt outing may be the most puzzling yet

News of the WWE release of a hyper-talented artist who had been underused, or completely abused, has become so common lately that it’s no longer surprising. Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen Aleister Black (now Malakai Black), Ruby Riott, Braun Strowman, Mickie James, Andrade, and more go wild. So seeing Bray Wyatt’s name next to these isn’t exactly a shock, although it might seem like the biggest in some ways.

But it’s when we get into reasoning that things seem terribly strange and callous, if everything is really as it appears. When news of Wyatt’s release broke yesterday, the term “budget cuts” didn’t follow too far behind. Wyatt had taken time off from WrestleMania and was working for a comeback in August, and he remained popular among WWE fans.

The aforementioned budget cuts were cited last week in layoffs of employees at several departments. This becomes difficult to sort out when WWE brags about its record profits over the past year, thanks to not having to organize and tour shows due to the pandemic. WWE returned to live broadcasts over the past month, of course, but the cost of those shows hasn’t stopped their momentum financially. At least not according to what he told his investors just two days ago.

On this WWE investor call, Vince McMahon and Director of Revenue Nick Khan were only too happy to mention the ways the return to live entertainment with the crowd has inflated the company’s coffers. Whether it’s more goods, tickets, or more eyeballs on their PPVs (which doesn’t really affect the results, as their deal with Peacock is on lockdown), McMahon and Khan painted a picture at about as pink as you can imagine. Khan also bragged about the new sponsorships WWE signed this year, which we know are worth more than soda money. So why is this company hiding behind budget cuts to justify layoffs when its financial situation looks so good? WWE would hardly be the first multi-billion dollar company to maximize profits over the little guy’s worry, but it seems overly cruel.

There are summer whisper for months, WWE cut where it could to maximize profits in order to make a sale, but those are just whispers. Hiring Khan, who is sort of a master mega-deal negotiator (like a WWE sale would be) has only fueled this fire. It’s hard to get a company to say it has to cut one day, while telling its investors that it has a safe the size of Scrooge McDuck the next day.

As far as Wyatt is concerned, this could all be a smokescreen to his advantage. When Wyatt took leave after Mania, rumors were that he need a break and was going through some things, including the death of his close friend Brodie Lee. Wyatt’s planned return in August would seem to indicate that he was able to start playing again, but we may just have to wait and see what happens over the next few days and weeks. Wyatt’s brother – Bo Dallas in WWE and Taylor Rotunda in real life – has pulled out of wrestling, leading some to conclude that Bray, Windham Rotunda, will follow suit. But it was probably just adding two and two and getting five.

If Bray is to continue his career, there is no shortage of suitors, and he will become yet another front-line talent that WWE hasn’t leveraged enough and let go far too easily. Which is an odd statement at first glance, considering all that Wyatt has accomplished in the business. Of all the recently released artists, Wyatt has probably accomplished the most. The characters of Bray Wyatt, whether as the head of the Wyatt family – the closest thing TV has ever got from the Angel family of “Preacher”, and that includes the TV show “Preacher” – or as The Fiend, were the most vivid and memorable in the company’s recent history. Wyatt is a dynamite promo (intentional?) And a vastly underrated worker in the ring. When he debuted as Fiend at SummerSlam 2019, you’d be hard pressed to find a fan who isn’t totally blown away.

Wyatt is also the one who invented the Firefly Funhouse Match starring John Cena at the 2020 COVID WrestleMania, a short film that is sure to be one of the most memorable matches in the company’s history, and one that can be studied in art schools. When you let him go on his own, that was the kind of thing Wyatt could do. They thought enough of him to give him a match against Cena at Mania in 2014, and be the champion at Mania in 2017, and have the Wyatt family completely crush The Shield, perhaps the most popular faction in the world. company.

And yet, they were never able to fully pull Wyatt’s trigger. He lost to Cena in this Mania. He lost to Orton as the champion in 2019, even after Cena himself insisted that Wyatt should win the title against Cena a few months before. The Wyatt family never really became the dominant faction, even with the massive talent of Wyatt and Lee (then Luke Harper). While Bray and the Wyatt family still lingered at the top of the map, their time in the marquee was brief.

The easy conclusion to draw is that as soon as his non-competition is lifted, Wyatt will join AEW to take over his close friend Lee’s faction, The Dark Order. It ignores what Wyatt might want to do and the myriads of reasons he might not want to do it, what Lee’s family might want and all that goes with it, a story as tidy as it gets. Wyatt would definitely be welcome in AEW, and he could relish the chance to fully flesh out the characters that were cut right before WWE magical.

Whatever the reasons, it seems like an unnecessary loss for WWE. But it’s been their calling card lately.