Bray Wyatt kicked off WWE’s first premium live event of the year, the Royal Rumble, with an over-the-top Mountain Dew Pitch Black match against LA Knight. From there, the cult leader turned Firefly Funhouse host teased a feud with “Muscle Man” Bobby Lashley, but for no apparent reason, the program was dropped on the road to WWE WrestleMania. Along with the storyline coming to an abrupt halt, Wyatt disappeared from WWE TV altogether and has not been seen since.
In the months that have followed, reports have emerged that Wyatt is dealing with an undisclosed illness, and that is why he has not been around. In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Mike Rotunda, former WWE Superstar IRS and the real-life father behind the man who plays Wyatt, Windham Rotunda, was asked when fans can expect to see his son back on WWE TV.
“Well, you know, you read a lot of stuff on the internet, which I wouldn’t believe a lot of it, or, in my case, any of it,” he said. “So, Bray Wyatt, I’m sure, will return to WWE, hopefully, shortly, and we’ll go from there.”
While Mike may be telling fans not to believe what they read on the internet, his comments come as Fightful is cautiously giving fans similar good news about Wyatt. They report that Wyatt is getting “closer” to being cleared for an in-ring return, and some creative ideas have been presented internally for his return. Off course, unless he does get cleared, none of those plans can be put into effect.
Before Wyatt was taken off TV, there were apparently creative plans in place for him to work with Alexa Bliss, Eric Young, and Uncle Howdy, played by his brother, Bo Dallas. In the six months that Wyatt has been away, Bliss has become pregnant with her husband, Ryan Cabrera, and Young has asked for his release, which was granted. Young asked for his release after finding out about Vince McMahon’s impending return to the WWE creative process and his unwillingness to work with the billionaire for creative and personal reasons.