Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have been doing a great job since they took over WWE as Chief Creative Officer and co-CEO, respectively, after Vince McMahon’s retirement. They have brought back several released WWE Superstars including Bray Wyatt with a interesting White Rabbit and QR Code teasers. The husband-wife duo are said to be very happy with Bray Wyatt’s White Rabbit story and credit it as the reason for the high Friday Night SmackDown ratings and the success of Extreme Rules.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also stated that both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have pushed the White Rabbit strategy as a major catalyst for the success of Friday Night SmackDown and Extreme Rules 2022 premium live event. WWE had teased fans with music and QR codes, hinting at Bray Wyatt’s return for weeks leading up to the big return.
”Both Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque pushed the White Rabbit theme as being a huge success, crediting it for the 9/23 SmackDown rating (the best for a show in more than two years except for one show that had an NFL lead-in) , the 10/10 Raw rating and the success of the Extreme Rules show, which was up 38 percent in viewers from the same show last year,” noted Meltzer.
The Wrestling Observer and PWInsider have reported that Bray Wyatt has become the top merchandise seller since his return to WWE and is positioned as the number one babyface on Friday Night SmackDown. It interesting to be seen where his current story involving Uncle Howdy will lead.