Bray Wyatt speaks for first time since WWE return, cuts emotional promo on SmackDown

Bray Wyatt made an emotional return to SmackDown on Friday night nearly a week after cryptic promos featuring white rabbits pointed to his big comeback at Extreme Rules last weekend.

Wyatt carried his signature lantern to the ring while fans shined lights from their cellphones in a pitch-black Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. But when he stepped through the ropes, fans got to witness a different side of the pro wrestler. Instead of "The Fiend" character, he poured his heart out.

"I am incredibly grateful. I’m really, really nervous to be here. I never thought this would happen," Wyatt said. "This right here, this is just me OK? This is a version of me I never got to introduce to you guys before. This is just me being me – genuine me – for the first time."

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Wyatt explained over the last year he’s lost a lot of friends and things in his life.

"I lost my career. I lost my self-confidence. I lost two people who were very, very close to me. I lost my way," he said. "And I got to a point where I thought that everything that I’ve ever done here or otherwise, it was all meaningless. Nothing I’ve ever did has ever mattered to anyone. And I was wrong.

"Once I was done feeling sorry for myself, I decided to go out in the world again and see … people everywhere that would say, ‘Thank you Bray, man. When you coming back home?’ And then every once in a while there would be someone I would meet that would be truly remarkable, and you know who you are. But these people they would come to me. They would come to me, and they would say, ‘Bray, I just wanted to thank you, man, because I was in a time of need, and I lost people that were close to me, and I lost my self-confidence, and I felt weak, and I felt vulnerable, and in this weakened state I found your words, Bray. I found your words, and I just wanted to thank you, man. You saved my life, Bray.’

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"The truth is, I don’t think about stuff like that. And the thing about that is, is that I can sit here right now today, and I can look all of you in the eyes, and I can say you were there when I was weak, when I was vulnerable, when I was down, and I just wanted to say, ‘Thank you, you all saved my life.’"

As Wyatt’s speech ended, the lights turned off again and a creepy mask appeared on the video board with a message.

Wyatt returned at Extreme Rules after the Matt Riddle-Seth Rollins match. WWE had teased the potential return of Wyatt since last month. The hints pointed toward Wyatt returning about 15 months since he had been released from the company but it was never really 100% certain. The company would also play Jefferson Airplane’s "White Rabbit" during live events and house shows.

Wyatt’s "Fiend" character was among the favorite programs that WWE ran in recent years. WWE was able to make the character thrive through the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and he was put into epic feuds with John Cena and Randy Orton.

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Wyatt’s cult leader character was also well received when it began in 2013. However, Wyatt was released on July 31, 2021. His release marked the end of a 12-year run at WWE.