WWE Rumors: Bray Wyatt's Future; R-Truth and Shelton Tag Team; New NXT Initiative

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Wyatt Reportedly Set to Be Exclusive to SmackDown

WWE's decision to not include a live appearance by Bray Wyatt on Monday's episode of Raw was reportedly the company's way of establishing brand exclusivity for the returning star.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), WWE's plan is for Wyatt to appear only on SmackDown.

More than one year after his shocking release from the company, Wyatt returned to WWE at the Extreme Rules premium live event Saturday, seemingly revealing himself to be the White Rabbit.

The return left fans buzzing, as it featured nods to the Firefly Funhouse with puppets come to life before Wyatt showed up with his lantern and announced his arrival in WWE.

Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of Wyatt on Raw, but WWE instead replayed his return and aired a short teaser video. Wyatt's next appearance was then advertised for Friday's SmackDown.

WWE has loosened the reins on the brand split as of late, so it may be possible for Wyatt to appear on Raw in the future, but WWE's actions so far suggest SmackDown will indeed be his home base.

That is also the case for Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey, so it is clear that WWE is loading up the blue brand with as much star power as possible to ensure its highest-rated show continues to thrive.

Nobody has the wrestling world buzzing as much as Wyatt, and his advertised appearance figures to deliver a huge number for Fox on Friday night.

WWE Using Benjamin, Truth as Tag Team

There is reportedly a new tag team in the mix for WWE, and it features two of the most well-respected veterans on the roster.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Manik Aftab of Ringside News), WWE is listing Shelton Benjamin and R-Truth as a tag team on its internal roster.

After facing each other on Main Event last month, Benjamin and Truth teamed up on the following episode of Main Event in a losing effort against the NXT duo of Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen.

Neither Benjamin nor Truth have been seen on Raw or SmackDown in quite some time, but WWE seems to be using Main Event as an avenue to test them out as a team.

If all goes well, it is possible Benjamin and Truth could start to receive some television time again, even if it is only as an enhancement team with the goal of getting other tag teams over.

Benjamin hasn't been utilized much since the Hurt Business broke up, while Truth has been absent from Raw primarily because the 24/7 Championship disappeared once Triple H took over as head of creative in July.

While Benjamin and Truth are no longer in their prime, they can still be valuable assets to WWE, and finding a way to get both of them back on TV would likely behoove the company.

NXT Stars to Appear Regularly on Main Event

WWE is reportedly planning to use Main Event as a barometer for how ready NXT Superstars are for the main roster.

According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Robert Gunier), WWE is planning to have more crossover between NXT and the main roster, especially when it comes to Main Event.

The idea is for NXT stars to work matches on Main Event regularly in order to see where they stand in their development and what types of reaction they receive from a live, main roster crowd.

In recent weeks, Carmelo Hayes, Von Wagner, Fallon Henley and the team of Briggs and Jensen have all had matches on Main Event against veteran members of the main roster.

Since Main Event isn't televised and is primarily viewed on Peacock by American fans, it is a separate entity from Raw, SmackDown and NXT.

Because of that, it will give NXT wrestlers a chance to prove themselves on the main roster on a much smaller scale, while still saving their official main roster debuts for further down the line.

The idea of NXT Superstars wrestling on Main Event began when Vince McMahon was still in charge, but it has carried over to the Triple H era, and it looks as though it will be a staple.

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