There are plenty of rumors swirling around the (inevitable?) return of Bray Wyatt to the squared circle. Ever since his departure of the sports entertainment juggernaut WWE - thanks to budget cuts or creative differences (depending upon who you believe), wrasslin' fans have spent their time speculating in forums and social media platforms guess when - and where - the Eater of Worlds might show up next.
While Wyatt - aka Wyndham Rotunda - seemed to quell the rumors with news that he was in the midst of filming a movie, it did not take long for the dirt sheets and wrestling aficionados to claim that the creative genius would be returning to companies like All Elite Wrestling (AEW) or, lord forbid, the doomed-before-it-began Control Your Narrative (CYN). These claims were not entirely baseless mind you; the promise of greater creative freedom and oodles of cash from the everfull pockets of Tony Kahn made AEW a real possibility. Meanwhile, CYN did also offer a different type of creative freedom, and fellow Wyatt Family alum Bran Strowman also held a brief stint there, making that, too, seem like a possibility.
Meanwhile, Impact Wrestling, well - was Impact Wrestling.
Whatever the reason for Bray Wyatt's departure from WWE, the retirement of Vince McMahon and the rise of "The Game" Triple H (aka Paul Levesque) - son-in-law to Mr. McMahon and now Head of Creative - opened up the door for many released wrestlers to consider returning to WWE. Is Bray Wyatt one of those considering a return under the new, perhaps talent friendlier, management? Triple H certainly seems open to the idea, having made statements lately about Wyatt's creative genius and in-ring abilities.
Plus, let us not forget those merchandising dollars the Fiend generated.
Bray Wyatt Returning to Defeat Roman Reigns
Over the past few weeks, Wyatt's return rumors have hit a fever pitch. Vignettes, ominous technical errors, the playing of "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, and hidden QR Codes leading down a virtual "rabbit hole" have all fueled the fire. Are those hints all alluding to a new persona for Karion Kross (who used to be known as The White Rabbit)? Do they, instead, point to a recently released Aliester Black making a return? Or could these really all be alluding to the return of Wyatt in some new form?
Of the options, the return of Aliester Black seems the least likely, as there is no doubt a no-compete clause associated with his AEW release. The Karion Kross angle seems far-fetched too, as the wrestler has just recently made a gimmick switch and is set to battle Drew McIntyre.
That leaves us with Bray returning. And if so, there is little doubt that he will do so in a big way - by returning to the main event picture.
When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE, I was certain he would be the one to dethrone Roman Reigns. I'm still not certain that is not the case, even though the former Rhodes Scholar is out for an undetermined amount of time with a Triceps injury. With that being said, network pressure from the higher-ups - who each want a separate champion representing their unique brands (Smackdown and RAW), seem to make it clear that Roman Reigns historic two-yearish "reign" as dual champion will come to an end before Rhodes has a chance to "make his daddy proud".
Now for the meat of my theory: along with the hints that Wyatt will return is speculation that returning superstars Karion Kross, Braun Strowman, and Dexter Lumis (in all his mustachio-serial killer glory) are primed to join the ever-evolving "Funhouse" and Wyatt stable. IF so, this make sense, because, if Wyatt decides to strip a title from Reigns, he will not just have to face "The Head of the Table", but the rest of the Bloodline, including the Usos, Solo, and - maybe - the Honorary UCE himself, Sammi Zayne. Having the backup of the recently returned trio, who could well represent the real-life puppets displayed in Wyatt's Funhouse, would only make sense.
Who Dethrones Roman Reigns?
Of course, there is a much simpler, less appealing way for Roman Reigns to lose one of his titles, instead of both. First, Austin Theory (or Kevin Owens if he is able to steal Austin's Money in the Bank briefcase) could cash in and take both of the titles from Reigns. However, that still leaves the problem of someone wielding both titles, which we know the television networks do not want.
The simple approach, if I wrote for WWE creative, would be to have Roman perform some act on either RAW or Smackdown that would cause him to be stripped of one of the titles. Perhaps he attacks an official or ruins the celebratory 25th Anniversary of DX. While it is unsatisfactory, it would accomplish one thing WWE officials want to achieve: removing a title from Reigns without him actually losing.
Another option would be to have a Fatal Threeway with only one belt on the line, and have Reigns lose the match without actually getting pinned.
Whatever the approach, one thing seems certain: Wyatt will be returning. And when he does, I am sure he will have one message for "The Big Dog": Run.
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