WWE fans furious over controversial decision to keep Bray Wyatt's in-ring return off television
WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt made his highly anticipated in-ring return this weekend at the MSG Live Event. However, fans are not happy that the match did not air on the company's programming.
Bray Wyatt last competed in a WWE match at WrestleMania 37, where he faced Randy Orton before his release later that year. He returned to the company in October 2022 at Extreme Rules and has been active as a mysterious character on SmackDown.
He was advertised to appear on the show, but fans were shocked to see what unfolded next. Jinder Mahal issued an open challenge which Bray Wyatt answered, leading to their singles match.
They locked horns in a decent match that eventually ended with Wyatt picking up a victory. While it was a big night for the SmackDown star, fans who weren't in the audience were furious over the decision.
Regular viewers took to Twitter to voice their anger as The Eater of Worlds' much-awaited return happened off-air. Many argued that it should have been reserved for a premium live event or at least for RAW or SmackDown.
Here's what fans had to say about Bray Wyatt's first match since his return being booked off-screen:
Bray Wyatt hasnt wrestled in 600 days and his first wrestling match is at MSG? Well, screw the wrestling fans that werent there to see it🤷 twitter.com/reigns_era/sta…
First time Bray Wyatt has wrestled since Wrestlemania 37 and they did on a house show at MSG #WWEMSG #SmackDown #WWERaw #wrestlemania #RoyalRumble
Bray Wyatt’s 1st match back being @ a house show is disrespectful
Bray Wyatt wrestling in MSG #WWEMSG https://t.co/Ju9GxWUOeg
Bray Wyatt gets his 1st victory at #WWEMSG #WWERaw https://t.co/zzU6dfMbs2
The finish to Bray Wyatt vs Jinder Mahal It's Bray first match since coming back! #WWEMSG https://t.co/kOxmoneQx4
vid credit to @abigailwritesI love this for Brodie Lee. I kinda wish the #WWEMSG show was shown on TV tonight instead of a Best Of 2022 #WWERaw So kind of Bray Wyatt to pay tribute to his friend tho twitter.com/WrestlingCover…
Bray Wyatt wrestled and the ladder Match happened on the MSG show...
@TripleH @WWE this is a travesty.
Bray Wyatt just wrestled his first match in WWE since WrestleMania 37… and it wasn’t televised. 😬 https://t.co/NQMBLw38WY
MSG getting Bray Wyatt’s first match back tonight. At a live show….
Wtf is this???? 🤦♂️ #WWE https://t.co/KwDnuoQeMP
Although many were upset about missing Bray Wyatt's first match since his return, WWE fans in the live audience at MSG Live Event were thrilled to see him in action.
Bray Wyatt introduces a new ally on WWE SmackDown
The former Universal Champion spent the first few weeks on SmackDown trying to bind with fans as he thanked them for supporting him through the most challenging times.
However, The Fiend soon crossed paths with LA Knight on the blue brand.
The two superstars were involved in hilarious exchanges, which often led to Knight being attacked brutally off camera. He kept trying to blame Wyatt. Still, the latter pled his innocence, often blaming his alter-ego.
Why is LA Knight’s impression of Bray Wyatt so good? 😂https://t.co/3uiIUzyfcX
It was only recently when Bray Wyatt introduced fans to Uncle Howdy, who made an appearance, leaving both LA Knight and fans in utter shock. The following week, the former Universal Champion attacked a cameraman on SmackDown, leaving room for speculation about the real nature of his on-screen persona.
How do you feel about Bray Wyatt's first match since his WWE return being kept off-screen? Let us know in the comments section below.