Has Bray Wyatt’s Return Gone Off the Rails?

Raise your hand if you feel that Bray Wyatt’s WWE return has gone completely off the rails. Ok, put your hands down.

When Bray, who had previously been released in July of 2021, returned to WWE TV in October of 2022 fans were eager to see what this run would consist of. The “ Fiend” character that Wyatt portrayed in his previous run lost all momentum following some very questionable booking decisions both in a Hell in a Cell match versus Seth Rollins and the insanity that was his Super Showdown match in Saudi Arabia against Goldberg.

It has appeared as though the higher-ups in the WWE simply do not know what to do with Wyatt, no matter what character he brings to the table. His first in-ring action since returning to the WWE was a poorly received Mountain Dew Pitch Black match against LA Knight at the Royal Rumble.

Putting that confusing feud with Knight behind him, Bray announced on the February 17th episode of Smackdown that he wanted to face whoever won the Brock Lesnar v Bobby Lashley contest at the Elimination Chamber. Lashley would defeat Lesnar in this match via DQ.

If you believe the internet rumors, this is not the direction that had originally been planned for Wyatt as it has been said that the “Eater of Worlds” was scheduled to take on Lesnar at WrestleMania 39, but Brock refused to work the intended storyline.

According to Dave Meltzer “Wyatt’s supernatural gimmick and total lack of “believability,” hurts a real-life-tough-guy to have to sell the magic stuff.”

The abrupt change of directions has resulted in a rushed feud with Lashley — a feud that is now in limbo with Wyatt reportedly missing time due to an undisclosed injury — that makes so little sense that it has me intrigued to see what they can do to get the fans emotionally connected to the story before April rolls around.

It just feels like the WWE knew the fans were clamoring for Wyatt’s return so they brought him back and then threw a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what stuck.

Where are they going with the teases they had been doing with Wyatt’s logo appearing on the screens any time that Alexa Bliss would make an appearance? What is going on with the “Uncle Howdy” character as it seems like fans have already lost interest in who the man behind the mask is?

While I am never going to count Wyatt’s ability to keep the audience wrapped around his little finger during his promos, he needs the right dance partner. I just do not think Lashley is the right guy to pair with Wyatt on the grandest stage of them all. All of that being said, maybe this is just the start of a feud in which The Hurt Business bans together again to eventually face The Wyatt Family further down the line.

What are your thoughts? Are you enjoying Bray’s character since he’s returned or do you believe his story arc makes little to no sense?