AEW and two more major promotions reportedly reached out to Bray Wyatt before stunning WWE return at Extreme Rules 2022

Apart from AEW, former Universal Champion Bray Wyatt reportedly had interest from AAA and IMPACT Wrestling before his eventual return to WWE.

Extreme Rules 2022 featured one of the biggest returns of the year in pro-wrestling, as Bray Wyatt surprised fans towards the end of the show. The former world champion emerged after several weeks of mysterious QR Codes and videos on RAW and SmackDown.

After his release from World Wrestling Entertainment on July 31 last year, speculation was rife on where The Fiend would end up in the world of wrestling. In that time frame, several promotions reportedly tried to recruit him. While AEW is alleged to have come close to signing the 35-year-old star, things did not work out.

A new report from Sports Illustrated claims that AAA and IMPACT had also reached out to Bray Wyatt prior to his return.

“Shortly after [Bray] Wyatt’s release, there had been feelers sent and interest from AEW, Impact and AAA in Mexico, but no deals were ever reached. Windham [Rotunda] never appeared in the ring anywhere, and then suddenly on social media he changed his name from Windham to Wyatt6, using the name that is WWE intellectual property, which was the first hint of his return.”

WELCOME BACK BRAY WYATT 🔥 https://t.co/CmN5V1iRyP

Bray Wyatt is set to appear on WWE SmackDown this week

After his highly-anticipated return at Extreme Rules, The Fiend has been announced to appear on the upcoming episode of SmackDown.

A recent tweet from the brand's official Twitter handle proclaimed his upcoming appearance.

"THIS FRIDAY on #SmackDown! 🐇#BrayWyatt makes his return to the blue brand 📺8/7c on @FOXTV"

You can check out the full tweet here:

THIS FRIDAY on #SmackDown!

🐇 #BrayWyatt makes his return to the blue brand

📺 8/7c on @FOXTV https://t.co/VY6USK1j0y

Despite being scheduled to appear on the blue brand this week, it has not been confirmed which show The Eater of Worlds will feature in, going forward. It has also been reported that WWE has not internally listed whether Wyatt will be a babyface or heel.

It remains to be seen what Bray Wyatt has in store for fans and who he will feud against in the coming weeks.

Do you think Bray Wyatt would have been a better fit in AEW? Sound off in the comments below!