Could This Explain Why WWE Released the Wyatt Sicks?

The Wyatt Sicks were among the more than two dozen talents who were released from WWE last week, and there's a story floating around that could explain why they will all soon hit free agency.

The Wyatt Sicks | WWE

As many of you are well aware by now, WWE made a series of roster cuts this past Friday night. Over two dozen superstars were released from their contracts, or were informed that their soon-to-be expiring deals were not going to be renewed. 

Nearly half of the impacted talent used to call SmackDown home, with The Wyatt Sicks, Aleister Black and Zelina Vega among the more high-profile wrestlers to be let go. They were also among the company's darker personas, creatively speaking.

Some members of the WWE Universe noticed this apparent pattern and began to wonder whether WWE has soured on portraying spooky, or supernatural characters on television.

The Wyatt Sicks, in particular, had an incredibly memorable debut in June 2024 and were one of the hottest acts in the company for a stretch of time, but the group seemed to slowly fall out of favor with the creative team following last year's SummerSlam.

Has TKO put the kibosh on darker WWE characters?

When asked about the status of WWE and the supernatural during a Q&A session with his subscribers, Mike Johnson of PWInsider did not have any concrete confirmation from those within WWE or TKO management, but he did have this to say:

"There's been a story bouncing around among talents that someone in the TKO realm isn't a fan of the darker characters and that's been the blame placed on why The Wyatts, Aleister Black, Zelina, etc. were all cut."

Mike Johnson

The Undertaker and AJ Styles | Netflix

Johnson also heard from at least one person who suggested this is the same reason why The Undertaker revived his American Badass gimmick for televised appearances, and has seemingly stopped portraying The Deadman.

"I have no way to prove that is correct, but the story has made the rounds this past week among numerous people we've spoken with," Johnson said in his response. "Whether there is something to it, or just assumptions, I can't verify at this juncture."

This story has now surfaced as Alexa Bliss, a former evil cohort of the late Bray Wyatt, has publicly stated that her darker character has officially been retired. She recorded a cameo for a fan recently and said she chose to leave her sinister side in the past out of respect for Bray and his family.

Alexa will still pay homage to Bray from time to time, as she did with her moth-inspired gear at WrestleMania 42, and she still carries her doll Lilly down to the ring with her most nights. But she certainly appears to have zero intentions of further exploring that wonderful Wyatt universe again.

Just to be clear, we are not insinuating that all of this is connected or that Alexa is hiding the truth in any way. Whatever the reasoning behind this recent creative shift, it's an incredibly sad time for fans of these beloved characters and those performers who have lost their jobs.