Revealed: Real Reason WWE Released Bray Wyatt

Why did WWE fire The Fiend?

Bray Wyatt THE FIEND
WWE

Some new light has been shed on the reality behind Bray Wyatt's surprising 2021 WWE release.

Speaking on a recent Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer had fresh insights on the roster cut that shook swathes of Wyatt's devoted fanbase. He said;

“He was fired for reasons having nothing to do with being over or not over. He was not fired having to do with his gimmick. He was fired having to do with things that I probably shouldn’t talk about, so I’m not going to, to start a can of worms...but it’s got nothing to do with that. He had health issues, also, as far as being kept out of action and everything like that. So it was just one of those things, but the argument against him was that you know, with the exception of Daniel Bryan, pretty much everybody he worked with got destroyed by him and was left for sh*t and had to rebuild and had to turn heel.”

In terms of an internal perception, this latest take serves as a counter to the regular reminders that The Fiend shifted merch by the truckload, and that Wyatt's persona in general was considered one of the company's biggest stars.

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Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) was released in July 2021 and has yet to re-emerge in wrestling despite various spooky teases. His final WWE match took place at WrestleMania 37 where he returned from being a crispy fried version of himself only to lose to Randy Orton in 5:50 when Alexa Bliss appeared from inside a box-like-structure and leaked goo all down her face.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett