Ex-WWE Star Reveals Plans For Scrapped Bray Wyatt Faction

Eric Young has revealed that there were plans for him to join a faction led by Bray Wyatt.

Eric Young originally joined WWE in 2016 and was part of the company for four years before being released in 2020 during a round of cuts after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After two years back in TNA, Young returned to WWE in November 2022. However, before he was used on TV, Vince McMahon forced his way back into the company following his short-lived retirement. Deciding he didn’t want to work under McMahon, Young asked for his release and was granted it in April 2023.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Young has revealed that during this time he was set to be part of a faction with the late, great Bray Wyatt.

“So I was employed by them for I think eight or nine months. [People don’t know this because you weren’t on TV.] Yeah, some people know, but I think the majority of the world does not understand, because I would never show up at TV. The truth is, I never left my house. So yeah, I was proposed a gimmick to work there with two guys and was super excited about it. Then that didn’t happen, and one of them was Bray, and then Bray passed away, which sucked, and is unfair in every way possible.”

When the faction didn’t come to fruition, Young planned to pitch new ideas, but McMahon’s return meant he had no interest in continuing with WWE.

“So then it’s like, well pitch some new ideas, and then the person I worked for before forced his way back in. I just kind of said, there’s a lot of reasons why I didn’t want to work there at that point, but the number one reason was I just don’t want to work for a person like that. This is long before all the other stuff would come out.

“But I was pretty convinced I knew who he was and how he was professionally, but more importantly, for me, morally, I just can’t work for a human being like that. So I asked for my release and was granted it. I’m not saying any of the stuff, because I had to sign an NDA. So yeah, it’s a whole weird thing.”

Eric Young Details Plans For Bray Wyatt Faction

Young gave more details of the planned faction with Bray Wyatt, saying it was also to include Bo Dallas, who has since gone on to become the leader of the Wyatt Sicks in homage to his late brother.

“Yeah, I think the original idea was me, Bray and Bo as a trio. That’s what was told to me from Hunter, basically. So obviously I’m gonna jump at that. I’m friends with both of those guys. It would have been creatively just an unbelievable opportunity working there, working on the main roster, wrestling all over the world with two guys that I get along with well, and obviously a huge part of the show at that point.

“The Fiend and Bray coming back was one of the most popular things at that time, one of the most viewed things. They put up those viral videos, they’d be viewed within six hours by millions of people. So being part of that was very appetizing. It’s kind of not in my wheelhouse, but close enough to my wheelhouse where I would have really enjoyed it, it would have been challenging, but in a really cool way. So I was obviously very excited, and then all the stuff happened with the sale and all this other weird stuff.

“All of a sudden I wasn’t working for the person who hired me, and I wasn’t willing to do that. I don’t regret it, not at all. I think it’s the coolest. It’s not lost on me that I was able to walk away from money like that, stability like that because of what I believe, beliefs of the kind of human being that I am.

“10 years ago, I don’t know if I would have been able to make that choice financially or personally or certainly not professionally. I’m in a position where I’ll be fine, I’ll figure it out. I hadn’t even talked to Scott [D’Amore] at the time, or TNA, we had zero conversations about it. I just knew I wasn’t going to work for the WWE anymore.

“So it’s a wild one, but the truth is it was 100% my choice. I think there’ll be a lot of people that think that’s stupid, a lot of people that won’t make that choice. But I think for me in my career, I think it’s one of the proudest things I’ve ever done to be honest.”

Following his release, Eric Young explained that he didn’t want to ‘compromise who he was as a person.’

H/T to Inside The Ropes for the above transcription.