Bray Wyatt's first WWE opponent after his return could be hard to find, veteran warns (Exclusive)

WWE might struggle to find credible opponents to face Bray Wyatt, according to wrestling legend Dutch Mantell.

Wyatt's Extreme Rules 2022 return was widely praised by fans. The three-time world champion also appeared on Friday's SmackDown in New Orleans, where he cut an emotional promo about his recent real-life struggles. The segment ended with a masked figure sending an ominous warning to the popular superstar.

On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk show with Sid Pullar III, Mantell questioned which talents WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H might book Wyatt against:

"The Bray Wyatt thing, it remains to be seen how he is going to get over. But let's put ourselves in the spot of creative, what's his first match? Who they gonna work him with? Remember we talked about how shallow the bench [WWE roster] was. It's still just as shallow." [4:45 – 5:03]

In the video above, Mantell explained why Triple H should present Wyatt in a similar way to how Vince McMahon booked Hulk Hogan. He also compared the former Wyatt Family leader's return to Cody Rhodes' WWE comeback at WrestleMania 38.

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Bray Wyatt's WWE opponents before his release

The 35-year-old competed in 17 televised matches after reinventing himself as two different personas in 2019: "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and "Firefly Fun House" Bray Wyatt.

Following his character transformation, the former Universal Champion's most notable feuds came against Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Seth Rollins. He also controversially lost to Goldberg at Super ShowDown 2020 in Saudi Arabia.

Wyatt was handed his release by WWE in July 2021, almost four months after his loss to Orton at WrestleMania 37.

The returning star is currently assigned to the SmackDown brand. It is unclear if he will also be allowed to appear on RAW.

Who do you think Wyatt should face? Let us know in the comments section below.

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