WWE superstar Bray Wyatt has been a popular heel in the company for years now, and he's currently still one of its top competitors. So ever since Wyatt lost his match at WrestleMania 37 due to Alexa Bliss' interference, and thereafter dropped off the map, fans have been a little concerned. People want answers as to why Wyatt and his persona "The Fiend" have been absent from WWE events since the annual pay-per-view, and it looks like we now have an answer.
Fans possibly became even more concerned about Bray Wyatt's status within the WWE after the brand dropped Braun Strowman's contract alongside those of other big names. PWInsider.com had some encouraging news to report on the matter, and if the outlet's sources are correct, it may give some insight as to what's happening with Wyatt and the company.
We are told Wyatt has purposely been kept off TV. It is not a case of he has heat for anything as he is well liked. The Randy Orton match, we are told, went 100% exactly as planned.
If this report is accurate, then it seems WWE fans have nothing to worry about in the long term. Bray Wyatt is reportedly in good standing behind the scenes at WWE with wrestlers and decision-makers alike, and his hiatus apparently isn't related to the result of his WrestleMania 37 match. Instead, he's being held off television intentionally and is taking an extended break from the schedule.
As far as why that's happening, we can only speculate. It's possible the WWE decided to pump the brakes on Bray Wyatt and The Fiend in order to hype up an eventual return later in the year. We recently reported the brand has big plans for SummerSlam 2021, and I would think a surprise return from Wyatt at that event would definitely excite fans just as much as some of the rumored matchups.
It's also worth noting that Bray Wyatt's absence could also be saved for Alexa Bliss' ongoing storyline within the women's division. The WWE has slowly but surely developed Alexa's feud with prominent women within the brand while teasing the scope of her mysterious "powers" via her creepy doll Lily. Since Bliss betrayed Wyatt, leading to his loss to Randy Orton at WrestleMania, The Fiend's return could be meant to interfere in Bliss' next major title opportunity as a form of retribution.
While any of those storyline-centric plans could be true, it's also possible Bray Wyatt's recent break is tied to the real-life death of his friend and former colleague Jon Huber. Huber and Wyatt traveled and performed a lot together in the WWE as part of The Wyatt Family, and Wyatt memorialized Huber on social media following his death in December of 2020. Wyatt still had ongoing arcs to resolve with his character at that time, so perhaps the overarching goal was to get through WrestleMania and then step aside to take a break and process the loss.
Not to forget that Bray Wyatt is also a father to 4 children, two of which he shares with WWE ring announcer Jojo Offerman. The bottom line is that there could be a litany of reasons going into why Bray Wyatt needed a break from the WWE, and we probably won't know the exact reason he was away unless he decides to share the impetus himself. The important takeaway is that insiders say he's in good standing and that his intentional shift away from TV isn't due to bad blood. It stands to reason he'll return, though we can't say for sure when or how.
WWE has Hell In A Cell happening on Sunday, June 20th, and it will stream on Peacock as well as pay-per-view. That would also certainly be a good event for Bray Wyatt to re-emerge, especially given some of the wild stuff that's happened there in the past, so stay tuned!
