Bray Wyatt’s Strange Disappearance Leads To Speculation Of WrestleMania 39 Status

The last time Bobby Lashley took part in an in-ring storyline to promote his WrestleMania feud against Bray Wyatt, the segment ended with Uncle Howdy mysteriously disappearing after being manhandled by Lashley.

Life is now imitating art as Wyatt has seemingly done the same amid an absence from WWE television.

Wyatt has not appeared on WWE programming since the February 24 broadcast of SmackDown. Wyatt aired a cryptic series of vignettes highlighted by the phrase “can you keep a secret?” Wyatt’s subsequent disappearance from WWE programming appears to be a secret only he knows the answer to.

Wyatt was absent from Sunday’s WWE live event at Madison Square Garden despite being advertised to appear.

“Braun Strowman replaced him,” noted Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“He was also in the battle royal. They had the MSG show. I do not know more about it, other than he wasn’t there and he wasn’t on SmackDown either.”

WWE sold over 10,000 tickets for its latest live event at The Garden, a far cry from just over 5,000 tickets sold during a lackluster outing in December of 2021. WWE’s live event business has since caught fire on the strength of a compelling Bloodline storyline, the return of Cody Rhodes and a regime change following Vince McMahon’s retirement/resignation.

Wyatt’s absence suddenly casts doubt over his status for WrestleMania 39. Currently slated to take on Lashley, Wyatt has only competed twice since returning to WWE in October of last year. Wyatt scored a quick win over Jinder Mahal last year during a December live event in Miami. Wyatt reportedly suffered a broken finger during the match. Wyatt then prevailed over LA Knight at this year’s WWE Royal Rumble in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black match, which was met with lukewarm reviews at best.

Wyatt’s return has faced criticism from fans and media due to the excessive supernatural themes. Legendary wrestler and manager Dutch Mantel didn’t mince words with his criticisms of the Bray Wyatt character during a recent appearance on “Smack Talk.”

“We’ve talked about Bray [Wyatt]. To me right now, he’s hitting a zero,” said Mantel. He started out with a lot of promise and a lot of thoughts about him and where he could go. Now you’re watching them thinking, ‘What the hell are they doing?’”

“That Firefly Funhouse, it’s almost embarrassing to watch it, I don’t know how that has anything to do with wrestling. Kids might like it, and Bray may even be good at selling merchandise.”

“But as far as selling tickets, if that was your main event, you’d have half a house. I don’t think anybody would be interested in seeing Bray and Brock.”

Though Wyatt’s return has become polarizing all over again, hype for his comeback translated to strong television numbers, as suggested by Mantel. “White Rabbit” teases led many to believe he would return on the September 23 broadcast of SmackDown. Though Wyatt did not appear on that show, it was WWE’s highest-rated SmackDown since Christmas of 2020. Wyatt’s merchandise also continues to sell well.

Wyatt was a mercurial presence during the Vince McMahon era, where the two sides struggled with cohesivity. With Wyatt suddenly M.I.A., it’s fair to wonder whether similar issues now exist in the Triple H Era. During an interview with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport earlier this year, Triple H praised Wyatt while also admitting his creativity can be a bit much.

“One of the most… I mean this in the best way possible… crazy, creative people I’ve ever been around,” said Triple H. “(His) mind just never stops thinking of creative. But it’s like being in a whirlwind of stuff, so without the harness and without somebody to point the tornado, it’s just all over the place (laughs). He’s a victim of his own mind and his creative, and it’s just everywhere.”

Whether or not Wyatt appears tonight on WWE Raw will be telling as WWE enters the home stretch of WrestleMania.