Bray Wyatt Was Nearing WWE Return After Battling 'Life-Threatening' Illness in Months Before His Passing, Reports Said

The death of WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt is shocking for the pro wrestling world. Despite being off of television for a few months, the general thought was that Wyatt was going to return better than ever. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported shortly after Wyatt's death that he suffered a heart attack which happened after battling COVID. And earlier this month, Sapp reported Wyatt was getting "closer" to being cleared to compete after missing six months of action.

Sapp said, "Wyatt has battled and illness that we won't disclose" and WWE was being extra careful with him to make sure that his "long-term health is accounted for." He also said that creative ideas for Wyatt were presented despite not being cleared. There were ideas for Wyatt to be integrated with Alexa Bliss, Eric Young and Uncle/Howdy Bo Dallas. However, after Wyatt was sidelined, Bliss was placed on maternity leave and Young asked for his release. 

Sapp also debunked the report that Wyatt was taking a mental health break and the illness Wyatt was battling was both career and life-threatening. However, since Sapp came out with the report, Wyatt's health improved significantly. That changed when Triple H announced the news on Thursday that Wyatt died. 

"Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda – also known as Bray Wyatt – unexpectedly passed earlier today," Triple H wrote on X. "Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time."

Wyatt was one of WWE's most talented Superstars. His in-ring performances led to him winning the WWE Universal Championship twice and the WWE Championship once. Wyatt was released from WWE in July 2021 only to return a little over a year later. Earlier this year, Wyatt talked to Ryan Satin on Out of Character and asked about returning to WWE after his release. 

"I think there's a part of any athlete when you're away from something for so long," Wyatt said, per Cageside Seats. "There's something in the back of your head that's like, 'Am I still it? Am I what I am, what I should be?' I think that for the majority since I've been back, I was kind of there in a sense, and as the weeks progressed, I've really started to kind of come into my own again and start to remember why I do this and how much it means to me to be out there and perform at things like the Royal Rumble. So the closer I've gotten, I've really started to sink my teeth into being what I should be."