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Bray Wyatt has been released from WWE. The three-time world champion had been off TV, with his last appearance coming on the RAW after WrestleMania 37.
This comes as a major shock, as he was constantly one of the top stars in the company. Wyatt became a fan favorite through his creativity and supreme storytelling ability, with several promising moments throughout his WWE career. Unfortunately, the company dropped the ball on him multiple times over the years.
Almost every time Bray Wyatt would garner some momentum, he would lose it just as quickly. He was a special talent, but a few head-scratching mistakes from WWE would prove costly. The three-time world champion created one of the greatest characters in modern history - not once, but twice. It's a crying shame.
Let's take a look at the five biggest mistakes WWE made with Bray Wyatt. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
#5 Bray Wyatt's streak of WWE WrestleMania losses
The Wyatt Family started well enough, as Bray Wyatt crept up the card with big wins over Kane and Daniel Bryan. His feud with the latter was particularly special. Bryan joined the faction, only to betray Wyatt at an opportune time. The two had an excellent match at Royal Rumble 2014.
Following a classic against The Shield a month later, The Wyatt Family met John Cena. This did not go well, as Bray Wyatt's momentum was rocked by a defeat to the 16-time world champion at WrestleMania 30. It would take six years for him to avenge Cena, doing so in the memorable Firefly Fun House Match.
No such thing happened with The Undertaker, though. Wyatt was fed to The Deadman in his return match at WrestleMania 31. The Wyatt Family lost to The Brothers of Destruction at Survivor Series that year. These defeats represented the cult leader's position on the card - a level below WWE's biggest stars.
Bray Wyatt would not have much luck at WrestleMania 32 either, as The Rock embarrassed him and his 'family' in front of 100,000 WWE fans. He lost to Randy Orton one year later at WrestleMania 33. That may have been the most damaging defeat of the lot, as we will get to.
#4 A lackluster aftermath to Bray Wyatt's WWE Championship reign
Bray Wyatt's aforementioned defeat to Randy Orton at WrestleMania 33 saw him lose the WWE Championship in the process. He had won the title inside the Elimination Chamber and was booked like the megastar he remains destined to be. Wyatt even pinned John Cena twice in three days with the gold on the line.
The idea of Orton infiltrating The Wyatt Family and turning on The Eater of Worlds had potential, especially when he burned down the Wyatt Compound. This should have led to a face turn for Bray Wyatt, who was incredibly over with the fans.
However, after a straightforward defeat to The Viper, he carried on as if nothing ever happened. Wyatt fought Orton in a House of Horrors Match, which was a lackluster ending to a feud that had enormous potential. He moved to RAW without the WWE Title or his 'family.'
Having dangled the carrot in front of Bray Wyatt and his fans, WWE should have booked him much better after his feud with Randy Orton ended. However, his character would soon get stale to the point where reinvention became a necessity.
#3 WWE Hell in a Cell 2019: 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt vs. Seth Rollins
Bray Wyatt returned to WWE in 2019, after nearly a year away. He created an entire universe of well-thought-out characters. The Firefly Fun House was born and with it, came The Fiend. Wyatt's monstrous alter-ego gave him a new lease on life in WWE. A fresh start.
The Fiend's debut against Finn Balor at SummerSlam 2019 was perfect, right from his entrance to his terrifying in-ring presence. However, it took WWE just one more match to mishandle Bray Wyatt's new creation.
A monster-like figure like The Fiend should not challenge for a world title. But once he did, it would be a no-brainer to put the belt on him. But that's not what happened at Hell in a Cell, where Wyatt took on Universal Champion Seth Rollins.
The idea for the match was for Rollins to continuously hit a seemingly lifeless Fiend with weapons, resulting in a no contest. While the horror elements to this could have worked in a normal match, the fact that a Hell in a Cell Match ended like that was borderline unforgivable.
WWE should have just given The Fiend a dominant victory inside the cell, especially since he won the Universal Title a few weeks later anyway.
#2 WWE Super ShowDown 2020: 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg
WWE rectified its error at Hell in a Cell by making Bray Wyatt the Universal Champion at Crown Jewel, where he won a Falls Count Anywhere Match against Seth Rollins. He went on to have a decent reign, with his primary rival being Daniel Bryan.
The Fiend defeated Bryan twice and looked to be heading into WrestleMania 36 with the Universal Championship. And then, Goldberg happened.
The WWE Hall of Famer returned to challenge Wyatt at Super ShowDown. This spelled disaster for The Fiend, who was unable to withstand his quick bursts of power. The seemingly indestructible monster was put down by a Jackhammer, that did not even look like one.
Goldberg had squashed WWE's hottest character in years. Just when it seemed like Bray Wyatt had become immune to losing against bigger names through becoming The Fiend, his Universal Title run was cut short at the hands of the 54-year-old.
One could argue that he never truly recovered from this setback, despite the brilliance of the Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania 36. This harkens back to the point that The Fiend should not have been near the Universal Championship, in the first place.
#1 Giving all of Bray Wyatt's powers to Alexa Bliss after WWE WrestleMania 37
Bray Wyatt's run during the 'Pandemic Era' was not the greatest. He seemed to regain his momentum through the Firefly Fun House Match against John Cena, but it fizzled out through the year.
Wyatt did enter into a promising partnership with Alexa Bliss but did not have any engaging storylines for a while. At least until he began targeting Randy Orton. The feud started badly for The Fiend, as he was burned alive by The Viper at TLC. In his absence, Bliss had gained more and more supernatural powers.
This naturally culminated in his return to WWE in time for WrestleMania 37, where he faced Orton once more. However, anticlimactically, Alexa Bliss cost The Fiend at the event after distracting him. The following night, she revealed that she now has all of Wyatt's superpowers and does not need him anymore.
The five-time Women's Champion proceeded to introduce "Lilly the Doll" to the world. She has played her part well, but the storyline doesn't feel authentic or exciting. Bray Wyatt was the one who made them work.
If he isn't around anymore, WWE would be better off without such spooky shenanigans on the show. The fact that he was preparing to return soon makes it even more baffling.
Check out Sportskeeda Wrestling's reaction and coverage of Bray Wyatt's WWE release in this video below.
