"The genius" - Top WWE Superstar on losing his job and return under Triple H's creative
Triple H took over creative in WWE back in July 2022, and has drastically changed the product for the better. Fans will collectively agree that he made it more watchable and beyond that, exceptionally exciting with a need-to-know storyline progression on television.
The Royal Rumble premium live event this year has had perhaps one of the best builds overall from top to bottom. One of the show's most anticipated matches is the first-ever Pitch Black contest pitting SmackDown stars LA Knight and Bray Wyatt. This also marks the latter's return to in-ring competition on television since WWE WrestleMania 37 in 2021.
Joining Ryan Satin for an interview ahead of the Rumble event, Bray touched on a variety of topics, including losing his job post-Mania 37, returning to the global juggernaut in October 2022 and cutting his first promo on the blue brand.
"It was literally people telling me and just keeping me alive and dragging me back, telling me 'You should still do this, we miss you' because, I didn't feel that way first. I felt damaged. It was that that kind of gave me the strength to kind of, build back out and explode, you know so, it was geared for them." [2:19-2:40]
Amid losing his job, he also lost some near and dear ones, including his childhood mate, his best friend from college, and fellow wrestler Brodie Lee (fka Luke Harper), whom he also considers one of his best friends.
"It was out of nowhere, you know. I wasn't prepared for any of that. I lost my childhood best friend, I lost Brodie, I lost my best friend from college, Mark, it was something I think I didn't deal with very well. I think Brodie's wife Amanda, and the kids, dealt with it better, and Rowan did [...] I think that time period was a conundrum for me. I wasn't myself." [4:45-5:25]
As for his return to the main event segment of WWE Extreme Rules in October 2022 and his approach to pro-wrestling and his work, he had this to say:
"Well, to me, like I said, this kind of, this is different now man. This is different. It's more of a free flow. Everything that happens now is organic. I don't know if we can tell, you know, from a television stand point as much, and I think you can, I really do. But now it's kind of like, when things happen, they happen in the moment. [...] Things are just happening, and that is the genius of Triple H." [18:52-19:27]
WELCOME BACK BRAY WYATT 🔥 https://t.co/CmN5V1iRyP
You can watch the entire interview here.
The former WWE Universal Champion's Fiend persona is dead forever
Bray Wyatt says Wrestlemania 37 was the end for The Fiend https://t.co/fpjtlOe9ga
In Tampa, Florida, WWE WrestleMania 37, The Fiend suffered a damaging loss to Randy Orton in just shy of six minutes. The end of the bout saw Alexa Bliss turn on Wyatt, a moment that may have serious repercussions, perhaps as soon as the WWE Royal Rumble premium live event on January 28, 2023.
As for his character The Fiend, Wyatt mentioned that it was more than a "goof in a mask," but is no longer there in his head, claiming "it can never be again."
"The Fiend died that day in Tampa, Florida at WrestleMania to me. And again, The Fiend is not just a goof in a mask like people think. That's just ridiculous." Bray chuckles. "But he died that day to me. And it can never be again. It's gone. Again, I don't know how people will react to that, but in my head, it's gone forever." [17:41-18:15]
Both Wyatt and Alexa Bliss are scheduled for the premium live event on Saturday night, with the latter challenging WWE RAW Women's Champion Bianca Belair. We are going to have to wait to find out what happens at the premium live event.