Former Universal Champion Bray Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) has landed his first major non-WWE project.
Wyatt was surprisingly released from his WWE contract back on July 31. His 90-day non-compete clause recently expired, meaning he's now free to sign with another promotion. It remains to be seen where he'll wrestle next, but in the meantime, fans can look forward to seeing Wyatt in the spotlight again.
Jason Baker, a close friend of Wyatt's, revealed in an interview with Metro. that they'll commence work on a film "at the end of the month." Baker is the owner of Callosum Studios and worked with Wyatt during the latter's tenure in WWE.
"He’s a phenomenal collaborator, he’s become a really good friend, and we’re actually – you’re the first person that we’re publicly telling about. We’re starting a film at the end of the month," Baker explained.
Baker revealed that in two weeks, they'll begin filming in Tennessee. He also stated that the movie will be "a whole new thing", and it won't feature anything related to Wyatt's WWE personas.
"We had some meetings out there and things happened and things got moving forward, and now we’re going and shooting this feature film with him and the end of the month," Baker said.
Wyatt's release from WWE was stunning for a variety of reasons. He was among the company's top merchandise sellers, and the 34-year-old had spent valuable time in the company's main event scene. Budget cuts, attitude issues and a difficult working relationship with Vince McMahon were reportedly factors in the company's decision to move on from him.
Apparently, Wyatt was outspoken about his disagreements with WWE creative, which supposedly caused McMahon to stop liking him.
Wyatt has been mostly quiet regarding his WWE release, although he recently hinted on Twitter that he'll give his side of the story soon.
The Sky's The Limit For Wyatt
Wyatt is one of the world's most creative, innovative and popular wrestlers of this era. It's hard to comprehend how WWE found countless ways to underuse his character, and that's why his release from the company may actually be a blessing in disguise.
Wyatt has displayed a special ability of reinventing his wrestling persona, and that should bode well for any Hollywood-related projects. Simply put, he won't be lacking in major projects (wrestling or non-wrestling) in his post-WWE endeavors.