WWE Executes One of the Greatest Reveals of All Time with Bray Wyatt Return

Sometimes pro wrestling can manage to exceed even the grandest of expectations, and that's the triumphant feat WWE pulled off with the return of Bray Wyatt on Saturday night.

Seeded creatively in a way that let fans interact with the storyline for weeks, the 35-year-old made his anticipated return at the end of an otherwise mid-feeling Extreme Rules.

And it instantly goes down as one of, if not the greatest, pro wrestling reveals ever.

That's saying something in this landscape where returns and reveals make up such a large chunk of the sport's prestigious unforgettable all-timers.

That the shocking reveal having a predictable outcome didn't detract from it at all is a testament to the impressiveness of the feat.

It was exactly what WWE fans would expect, meaning it was oh-so-Wyatt. Past members of the Firefly Fun House made (deceased?) appearances while eerie music played, brilliant camera work added to the mysticism before Wyatt emerged from behind a mask with his lantern.

WWE couldn't have asked for a better response from the live crowd, either. Fans in attendance knew the deal and immediately whipped out flashlight mode on their devices and played along.

Kudos goes to WWE, of course—that response doesn't happen without an incredible buildup. With this, the days of spoiling surprises feels long gone. The company dropped hints throughout its programming for weeks, even hiding QR codes for fans to scan in random television segments that then led them to interactive mini-games that, when completed, unearthed more clues.

In fact, Wyatt's return probably charts alongside those of CM Punk and The Rock as the loudest pops of the last 20-plus years:

On a slightly lesser note, it's this return that will make the 2022 edition of Extreme Rules memorable for a long time. Because otherwise, the event felt like a lot of filler.

Ronda Rousey trumped fan favorite Liv Morgan for the SmackDown women's title, Karrion Kross took down fan favorite Drew McIntyre (who is still reeling from a forehead-smacking loss in Wales), and Matt Riddle took down Seth Rollins in a main event that, while fun, sort of felt like it could have been on an episode of Raw.

And hey, maybe that helped the moment feel even more special as it frankly didn't have a lot to compete with on Saturday night. But we shouldn't sell it short, either, given what it means for WWE on so many levels.

It's somewhat funny in a way that while this was a reveal, there is still so much mystery surrounding what might happen next.

There was no real hint about Wyatt's character or motives. Who does he feud with? What's the angle? Where's The Fiend? The White Rabbit? Does his ripping off the mask, the dire-looking state of the puppets and the extinguishing of the flame mean supernatural Wyatt is gone?

Meaning, ratings for Raw and SmackDown will likely be through the roof as fans dial in to see what might happen next.

Consider how this opens a door for a three-word tweet to mean so, so much:

Frankly, it's just nice to potentially have some supernatural element back in WWE programming regularly, too.

The reveal was genuinely creepy in a skin-crawling sort of manner and that doesn't figure to change, provided this new-feeling WWE under Triple H doesn't suffer the booking mistakes the last regime did with The Fiend.

There's also the grander outlook to consider—this was Triple H and Co. flexing their ability to weave modern storytelling closely into the fanbase's online sensibilities with modern technology. Is this a one-off because Wyatt is just that talented, or the beginning of a special era?

Either way, in the short term, WWE just got infinitely more interesting at a time when it feels like the biggest things in the company remain in a holding pattern while the unified titles sit on Roman Reigns.

Wyatt is back, unpredictable and grossly entertaining.

His return on Saturday was an all-timer, but it could also be the beginning of something that rivals one of the great modern pro wrestling runs given this historical launching pad.

After all, he's got the whole world in his hands.