Jericho had big reason to celebrate this weekend and it had nothing really to do with his recent win over Nick Gage after their epically violent encounter at Fight For The Fallen. Unofficial Dark Order leader, Evil Uno makes an unlikely invitation to join the faction to a man that suddenly finds himself without a place to wreak his most terrible of havocs.
Bray Wyatt released from WWE for budgetary cuts
Wrestling Observer journalist, Dave Meltzer stated that although Bray Wyatt was off from active in-ring duty at WWE for medical reasons, he was still released because of budget cuts at WWE.
They seem to have hit a pretty terrible period of financial peril over there, as this has been the reason for their many releases since the massive lay off they announced in the Spring of 2020, when businesses the world over were feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, financial peril is a reason often given by WWE to long-time stars that they release. This was the exact reason given to Bret Hart when Vince McMahon asked to be let out of the contract he and Bret had come to terms with, which would have seen Bret stay with the company for another 20 years, as was well documented in Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows, the documentary film.
Of the release of Wyatt, Meltzer said:
“…He had been out for medical reasons, and he had just gotten cleared. Then when he got cleared, they evaluated the situation, and he was told that due to budgetary reasons that he’s being cut. The basic gist is that he’s another high contract guy, whether it’s because it’s concerned over the medical reasons is the real reason or they could not come up with an idea to justify his salary, I don’t know which of that it is, but that’s the basic deal with him…”
via Wrestling Observer /Dave Meltzer
A possible place for him in the faction that embodies the darkness he himself personifies
To say that Wyatt has ties to the Dark Order maybe needs no mention, as he and Brodie Lee go way back, and perhaps to a time when horror-based characters were first making a return to the world of professional wrestling. The Undertaker and Kane being the forerunners in that department, ushering in characters like Wyatt and company for sure.
Lee, a member of the Wyatt Family, when Bray made the scene of the main roster in WWE, it would make total sense for Wyatt to go to AEW right now and join in with a faction that delights AEW fans every week.
Evil Uno sent out an appropriate tweet this week once hearing of the dismissal:
With an influx of stars coming to AEW, as we’ve been reporting extensively, the AEW roster is getting nothing but meatier and meatier.
Jericho and wife celebrate 21 years of marriage
On a Twitter feed interspersed with promotions for his podcast, his recent book, The Complete List of Jericho and references to his trials and tribulations during the 5 Labors Of Jericho set upon him by MJF, was a tweet celebrating 21 years of marriage to his wife, Jessica Lockhart. They were married in 2000; the couple has 3 children.