Bray Wyatt wanted to join forces with released star but WWE said no, according to Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore recently recalled how Bray Wyatt wanted former WWE NXT talent Knuckles Madsen to be part of The Wyatt Family.
Madsen was an up-and-coming wrestler in WWE's developmental system in 2012 and 2013. The six-foot-three star's only televised NXT match came on May 29, 2013, when he participated in a Battle Royal.
On the Monte & The Pharaoh LI#1 Pro Wrestling Broadcast, Amore explained why NXT's decision-makers refused to let Madsen join Wyatt's legendary group:
"My buddy who I was in the WWE with who they missed the boat on, one of the best workers in the world, on the mic, in the ring, was a guy at WWE named Knuckles Madsen in NXT. Nobody ever saw him. We saw him. Bray Wyatt wanted him in The Wyatt Family so bad, fought for him, didn't get him. They thought he would take away from Bray, draw too much attention." [From 4:29 to 4:53]
WWE released Madsen on December 17, 2013. By then, Wyatt had already re-debuted on the main roster alongside his Wyatt Family stablemates Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.
Madsen is now known as Ivan Warsaw on the independent scene. He faced Amore in a series of matches in 2021.
Enzo Amore knew Bray Wyatt and NXT's other rising stars would succeed
The two-time Cruiserweight Champion saw dozens of superstars rise through the WWE ranks between 2012 and 2018.
Man I miss this guy! @KnucklesMadsen would always make me laugh. Hope all is well at NXT! #thedevilsassistant http://t.co/2BXEDZZmKL
Amore added that the likes of Bray Wyatt and current RAW Superstar Chad Gable were destined for success from their early days in NXT:
"People don't know who the best wrestlers in the world are from 2012 to 2018 unless they were in the WWE, probably in the Performance Center. You have a good feel for who can go and who can't. I knew how good Chad Gable was. Nobody needed to tell me that. That motherf****r was an Olympian." [From 4:58 to 5:17]
Amore also revealed how he feels about Liv Morgan's WWE career. The New Jersey natives dated earlier in their careers.
Do you think Bray Wyatt should have been allowed to add Knuckles Madsen to The Wyatt Family? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Monte & The Pharaoh and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.