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Bray Wyatt and AEW came very close to working together, according to recent reports.
WWE fans were in for a treat at the end of Extreme Rules, where Wyatt re-emerged for the first time since his 2021 release. The reveal enraptured fans, unveiling each of Wyatt's Firefly Funhouse characters before the man himself emerged from the darkness.
Things could have gone very differently, however, with it being reported previously that there was at least some interest from AEW towards the former WWE Champion.
Dave Meltzer provided an update on the matter recently, taking to Twitter to provide clarity on Wyatt's AEW talks. He noted that there was even a date set for the debut, but that vanished when they couldn't agree on terms.
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"Actually negotiations got to the point there was a date but like all talks they didn't come to terms," Meltzer tweeted.
Wyatt would have joined an AEW locker room full of familiar faces if that had come to pass. Top talent in the company such as Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho have all feuded with The Eater of Worlds when they were in WWE. Matt Hardy has stood both with and against him as well.
Bray Wyatt paid tribute to late AEW star Brodie Lee during his return
As can be expected from someone as creative as Bray Wyatt, fans spotted numerous little Easter eggs in his WWE return. Perhaps best of all his nods was the seeming tribute towards his former stablemate and friend Brodie Lee, who passed away in 2020.
The Eater of Worlds' lighting for his emergence very much emulated that of Brodie's first arrival in All Elite Wrestling. More to the point, one of the Firefly Funhouse characters, Abby the Witch, donned the same mask Lee wore during his run as one half of the Bludgeon Brothers.
Wyatt and Lee held the SmackDown tag titles once during their time together within the Wyatt Family. They held the belts under the Freebird rule alongside Randy Orton in 2017.
What did you make of Bray Wyatt's return? Let us know in the comments below.
