Former WWE superstar Bray Wyatt’s non-compete clause with the company is believed to be expiring any day now. This means he'll be free to join other organizations like Impact Wrestling or AEW. Perhaps then it’s no coincidence that reports have surfaced in recent weeks that provide alleged claims about Wyatt’s backstage behavior at the WWE and now, Vince McMahon’s feelings on him towards the end of the wrestler's tenure. The CEO of WWE is an opinionated person and, according to reports, he wasn’t too high on Wyatt in the year leading up to his eventual release.
The latest rumors come from Fightful (via Wrestlingnews.co) and, per league sources, Vince McMahon’s opinion of Bray Wyatt changed towards the end of the wrestler’s time in the organization. McMahon allegedly didn’t like that Wyatt was too outspoken about the creative team, which truthfully isn’t hard to believe. Previous reports mentioned Wyatt reportedly didn’t appreciate the team’s ideas regarding his originally planned return, which was then canceled because of his release.
Another interesting tidbit from the report notes that there are those within the WWE who believe the release was not at all tied to budgetary restrictions. Again, that’s not surprising given fans felt the same way, especially knowing the wrestler is someone who moves merchandise on top of being an entertaining crowd favorite. Some within the company allegedly feel the release sent a message that no one is immune to being let go, regardless of where they stand.
It’s also worth mentioning that many fans were upset with Bray Wyatt’s match against Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 37. The WWE originally booked Wyatt to win, which would’ve pleased spectators and given Orton some time off but, at some point, plans changed and Wyatt lost instead. Fightful noted there wasn’t a creative payoff for the end of that match, which would certainly help one understand any frustration on Wyatt’s end. The assumption at the time was that Wyatt would feud with his former cohort, Alexa Bliss, who’s currently away from the WWE.
This all further adds to the “Bray Wyatt vs. WWE” story, in which Wyatt has yet to speak on publicly. Amid all of the negativity surrounding his tenure, CinemaBlend recently spoke to AEW Executive Vice President of Talent, in-ring performer, and of course ex-WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes on the matter. Ultimately, he had only had positive things to say. Rhodes revealed he felt there’s a lot Wyatt brings to an organization beyond “cartoony gimmicks,” which makes one wonder if Wyatt’s next gig will be at AEW. Surely, we’ll find out sooner rather than later.
CinemaBlend will try to keep an eye out for where the fan-favorite wrestler ends up next. For the time being, it may be worthwhile to keep an eye on AEW: Dynamite, which airs over on TNT on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET.
