Bray Wyatt Reportedly Will Be Exclusive To WWE SmackDown After Return Draws Big

WWE won’t be overexposing Bray Wyatt on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

According to a report from PWInsider.com, “Going forward, Bray Wyatt is currently only slated for appearances on the Smackdown brand.” Although WWE teased that Wyatt would be returning to the red brand on this week’s edition of Raw, the company instead replayed his epic return at Extreme Rules in its entirety and promoted his appearance on the upcoming edition of SmackDown.

Now, Wyatt is set to join a suddenly stacked SmackDown roster that boasts Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, The New Day, Gunther and the recently returning Karrion Kross after Wyatt’s Extreme Rules return drew “massive social media numbers” for WWE. Meanwhile, anticipation of his return likely played a role in SmackDown viewership skyrocketing as well. Anyone who followed Wyatt during his first WWE stint shouldn’t be surprised by that, though. It was, after all, just in 2019 that Wyatt surpassed the likes of Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch to become WWE’s top merchandise seller, that despite the much-maligned booking of his character.

Of course, things have changed considerably since then. Wyatt, after entertaining offers with AEW and other companies about a potential return to the ring, made his triumphant comeback at Extreme Rules last Saturday, closing out the show with an unforgettable cinematic product that teased that he won’t be back alone. In fact, Wyatt’s real-life brother, fellow ex-WWE star Bo Dallas, is reportedly returning soon as well, which has only added fuel to the fire of rumors that Wyatt will be debuting a new stabled—like called “The Wyatt Six”—soon.

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Wyatt, released in July 2021 due to “budget cuts,” was unsurprisingly revealed to be the man behind WWE’s cryptic “White Rabbit” social media campaign, and after he priced himself out of potentially joining other companies, Smackown became the perfect place for the former WWE Champion, especially with Triple H now heading up WWE’s creative process.

It was only in 2020 that the downfall of Wyatt’s The Fiend character began thanks to inept booking by former WWE creative head Vince McMahon. But McMahon, as we all know, is now gone from the company, and so, Wyatt has become one of numerous top stars—including Kross, Johnny Gargano and Braun Strowman—who has returned in the three-month span since Triple H took the reigns from McMahon.

While it isn’t clear exactly how—or if—Wyatt’s gimmick will differ from his previous character The Fiend, it is evident that the latest version of Wyatt will have plenty of supernatural elements, which is why he’s better off staying away from Raw. The Judgment Day, led by Finn Balor, is a recently-reformed group with a macabre nature, and though it certainly isn’t exactly like Wyatt’s soon-to-be faction, it’s close enough that the two stable should not be on the same show because of the likelihood that Wyatt’s group will overshadow the former.

Wyatt’s band of misfits can easily slide into the SmackDown upper midcard and feud with any of numerous groups on the show, including Imperium, The Brawling Brutes, The New Day and the recently debuting Legado Del Fantasmo. That’s a strong core of stables that could add plenty of intriguing storylines to the blue brand while, as a former world champion, Wyatt obviously adds instant credibility to SmackDown’s single scene as well, should WWE choose to go that route.

After years of the opposite being true, SmackDown is obviously WWE’s No. 1 show now, which is why the show’s roster has featured Roman Reigns and other headliners like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey for the past few years. As evidenced by the substantial interest in his Extreme Rules return, Wyatt is also a top-tier star, and with Lesnar returning to Raw just this week to reincarnate his dream rivalry with Bobby Lashley, Raw is certainly not hurting for star power.

Lesnar, Lashley, Seth Rollins, Reigns (who crosses over on both shows), Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Edge (whenever he’s back) and numerous others have given Raw a stellar, deep roster that will have no problem filling Raw with three hours of entertaining programming every week. Just a matter of months into Triple H’s stint as WWE head honcho, Raw has already proven to be consistently good-to-great, but SmackDown has largely relied on Reigns and the intrigue surrounding The Bloodline to carry the show.

But with Kross being pushed strongly, Sheamus getting over like rover and Gunther steering Imperium’s shape, SmackDown is suddenly in a great place in terms of roster depth, and Wyatt is only going to improve the brand in that regard. Sure, there are questions about how Wyatt will fit in creatively after The Fiend fizzled out in 2020 and into 2021, but there should be fewer questions about that with Triple H at the helm.

Wyatt is now positioned for success, and with the buzz surrounding his character, WWE must capitalize on his popularity with solid booking—without overexposing him—that reinvigorates his uniqute gimmick and restores his aura after it was dead in the water under McMahon.