Report: Bray Wyatt's WWE Release "Scared" A Lot Of People
In modern-day WWE, only Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and co. are safe from the axe.
Although 2021 has delivered no shortage of major pro wrestling headlines, from the effective death of Triple H's NXT to CM Punk's sensational return to the sport, Bray Wyatt's WWE release will go down amongst the biggest.
Cut loose by the company on 31 July, Wyatt's departure was shocking not only because he was a strongly pushed commodity for many of his 12 years in the promotion, but also for his status as a proven money-maker in an era largely devoid of such things. The former WWE and Universal Champion's merch-shifting prowess had been well-known by this point.
That the 34-year-old was cut despite this sparked immediate talk of next to nobody being safe in the promotion. Dave Meltzer was therefore revisiting familiar territory when he discussed this on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. Nonetheless, he explicitly stated that only WWE's absolute top names are safe these days.
Naming stars the level of Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar, as the only wrestlers who are truly secure, Meltzer said that the only way WWE would let people like this go would be if they "made a lot of noise" about wanting to be released.
Whether or not this was the case with Wyatt remains to be seen, though it was reported in the aftermath of his release that endured a bristly relationship with Vince McMahon, whom he butted heads with on creative matters more than once.
Wyatt is currently working on his first feature film with Callosum Studios' Jason Baker.