Major WWE villain breaks character to praise Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt is one of the biggest stars in WWE, and it is no surprise when his colleagues praise him. However, it was a little surprising to see LA Knight, who is a heel, praise his upcoming opponent.

The Eater of the Worlds returned to WWE in October 2022 at the end of the Extreme Rules 2022 Premium Live Event. A few weeks later, he interrupted LA Knight during a backstage interview and headbutted him to ignite his first rivalry since his return.

Oh come on...you can't seriously think I was talking about Bray Wyatt! @mountaindew Pitch Black is back!! #ad #Laknight #RoyalRumble https://t.co/9WyU6CISGO

The two are now set to square off in the first-ever Mountain Dew Pitch Black match at the Royal Rumble 2023 premium live event. Ahead of the bout, LA Knight appeared on Corey Graves' After The Bell podcast.

The former IMPACT World Champion recently broke his heel character to give his respect to the former world champion.

"All credit and respect due to the guy [Bray Wyatt]. He's a huge name. He's done a lot of things. He's been around and been a mainstay in the WWE. So you know it's amazing that he's coming in on my turf essentially because here I was talking and he comes in on my thing. So I've obviously, made some noise, ruffled some feathers in a short amount of time to make that happen," said LA Knight.

The 40-year-old continued:

"But at the same time I can recognize that it's a hell of a spot to be in, again, just to get to be in such a high profile thing with Bray Wyatt like that and you can tell that I'm going to make the best of it." [From 19:23 to 20:11]

Bray Wyatt teased the return of his old characters on WWE SmackDown

Bray Wyatt was scheduled to have a promo segment on the latest episode of SmackDown. Before his promo, a QR code flashed on the screen. It led viewers to a link on the company's website containing a video of the former Wyatt Family leader in the Firefly Funhouse. The Fiend showed up momentarily as well.

THIS WAS THE QR CODE OMFG THE FIEND COMING BACK LETS GOOO!!!!! #Smackdown https://t.co/qimJd7kmAl

This was a major tease regarding the possible return of the Fiend. But that wasn't the only tease. Once inside the ring, the former RAW Tag Team Champion made several references to his former Eater of the Worlds gimmick, including sitting in his old rocking chair.

Fans are understandably excited about what the future holds for the three-time world champion.