101 Shocking Wrestling Plans You Won't Believe Almost Happened

70. Bray Wyatt Becoming #AllElite

Bray Wyatt's 'Fiend' alter ego wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but he'll be missed forever by a community that appreciates how creative a soul the man was. Indeed, Bray's 2023 passing was a dagger through the hearts of millions, and it also caught everyone off guard considering news reports had spread about him readying a WWE comeback following a sudden sabbatical.

That wasn't the first time Wyatt had been sidelined or out of WWE. He left the organisation in July 2021 and didn't return until Triple H was (largely) calling plays in September 2022. During that time between WWE runs, AEW boss Tony Khan was interested in bringing Bray under his umbrella, but rumours suggested that money demands might've scuppered the deal.

Might've. We may never know for sure what happened.

All bets on Wyatt becoming #AllElite were off the table once he made his emotional return to WWE at Extreme Rules 2022. Bray cut a shaky, almost anxious figure onscreen, then reimagined 'The Fiend' as a neon-drenched nightmare during his feud with LA Knight heading into the 2023 Royal Rumble. A rivalry with Bobby Lashley heading into WrestleMania 39 was then squashed due to Wyatt's aforementioned time off and illness.

God only knows what Bray in AEW would've looked like. Would he have made a difference to TV ratings on Dynamite? Did he ever fit Khan's in-ring first style? Was Wyatt only using Tony to land a better figure during negotiations with Hunter and WWE? That's another question.

Nobody has the answers to any of them.