Backstage Update On Reported WWE Plans For A New Wyatt Family

Before Bray Wyatt was pulled from WWE TV due to an undisclosed illness, a number of cryptic hints pointed at the former WWE Universal Champion wrangling a motley crew of puppets come to life. They even appeared during Wyatt's Pitch Black match against LA Knight at January's Royal Rumble. Now we know that the idea dates back to 2019, and that we were close to having a new Wyatt Family in 2023.

According to Fightful Select, Paul Heyman pitched the idea of wrestlers such as Eric Young and Mike Bennett appearing as "Firefly Funhouse" side characters in 2019, before all both men were released in 2020 (Wyatt's own release would later follow). There's no word on who Young would've portrayed, but Bennett supposedly would have played Sister Abigail. Wyatt himself was initially supposed to be possessed by the spirit of Abigail during his 2017 feud with Finn Balor, which was also cut short due to illness.

Obviously the initial Heyman pitch was shot down, but after Wyatt returned to the company in 2020, the idea got much closer to being fully realized. WWE had reportedly locked in plans for Young, who re-signed with the company in November but didn't receive any creative plans, to join Wyatt after WrestleMania. However, Wyatt's illness threw a wrench in the gears (he still has yet to be cleared) and Young ended up requesting his release and leaving WWE again in April, around the time his new character was to debut, citing an unwillingness to work with Vince McMahon in the wake of WWE's merger with UFC. Fightful also confirms that Alexa Bliss was pitched to re-join Wyatt as well, which was fairly obvious from her booking back in January, but her involvement was also put on hold by her pregnancy and subsequent maternity leave.