Photo: Bray Wyatt looks in great shape at a recent public appearance

Arguably the most shocking WWE release of last year was Bray Wyatt. The two-time Universal Champion was released on July 31, 2021, and has since been away from the limelight.

We now have the latest picture of Wyatt, who looks in great shape. The picture also has actor Skylar Astin and AEW's ring announcer Justin Roberts.

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Bray Wyatt reportedly wanted to leave WWE

The Eater of Worlds was one of WWE's biggest stars and top merchandise sellers ahead of his shocking release last year. He took his popularity to the next level by introducing The Fiend gimmick in WWE along with amazing storytelling. However, what once seemed to be an unstoppable supernatural force lost credibility due to poor booking.

The reason initially reported for Bray Wyatt's WWE release was "budget cuts." However, Dave Meltzer later reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE released a major star like him because he wanted out and made a lot of noise:

"Bray Wyatt is a completely different situation. Wyatt scared a lot of people because if someone like Wyatt gets fired, then only guys like Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar are safe. I think that’s not really the case when you are at that level. The only reason someone would want to cut someone like that would be if they wanted out and made a lot of noise about it."

Ever since his WWE release, fans have been wanting to see Wyatt debut in AEW. His non-compete clause with WWE has been over for months now, but the former Universal Champion hasn't shown up on AEW or any other wrestling promotion. Meanwhile, he's been announced to appear at WrestleCon 2022 alongside several former WWE Superstars.