WWE superstar Bray Wyatt died Thursday at the age of 36, WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque revealed on social media. Wyatt was recognised for being one of the most creative brains in professional wrestling, pushing the limits with inventive personas.
Wyatt, whose true name was Windham Rotunda, had been out of the WWE for some months due to an unexplained health condition. He has been with WWE since 2009, with the exception of a year between 2021 and 2022 when he was unexpectedly dismissed. Rotunda made a triumphant comeback to WWE in September, with great anticipation and a complex storyline that included cryptic vignettes that helped improve television ratings.
“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,” Levesque posted on X, previously known as Twitter. “Our thoughts are with his family, and we ask that everyone respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
Rotunda was born into a wrestling family. Mike Wallstreet, his father, rose to prominence in WWE as Irwin R. Schyster, as well as in other organisations under his true name. Rotunda’s uncle, Barry Windham, was a well-known wrestler in the 1980s and early 1990s and a part of the legendary Four Horsemen stable. Taylor Rotunda, Rotunda’s brother, also wrestles for WWE under the ring name Bo Dallas.
Windham Rotunda was married to JoJo Offerman, a former WWE ring announcer. They had two kids, and Rotunda had two more from a previous marriage. He was a two-time WWE Universal champion as well as a previous WWE champion.
After beginning in WWE’s developmental programme as Husky Harris, Rotunda found himself with Bray Wyatt, a crazy swampland cult leader with a diabolical charisma who gathered disciples. He and his Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan and the late Luke Harper, whose true name was Jonathan Huber) rose to prominence in WWE’s developmental brand NXT before making their way to the WWE main roster in 2014.
Rotunda was recognised at the time as one of the most talented performers on the roster, particularly when it comes to delivering stories over the microphone. He began utilising the slogan “follow the buzzards” and song lyrics such as “he’s got the whole world in his hands.” Fans would hold up their mobile lights during his entrances, with the stadium enveloped in darkness until he came with a lantern, while his creepy music played.
Rotunda remade himself as the spooky figure The Fiend in 2019, using a horrific clown mask from a horror film. Bray Wyatt appeared in kid-friendly skits dubbed Firefly Funhouse, but his evil alter ego, The Fiend, wrestled in his place. These were detailed, imaginative concepts that Rotunda came up with for the most part on his own. The Fiend was a divisive character owing to its near invulnerability in the ring, but it was a bold move and one of the most intriguing things on WWE television at the time.
Rotunda returned to WWE last year as the former Bray Wyatt, a good-guy figure who was reportedly hounded by demons like as The Fiend and Uncle Howdy. When Rotunda went missing from television in February owing to health difficulties, the tale was still evolving.
“Always had tremendous respect and love for him and the Rotunda family,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said on X on Thursday. “I really enjoyed his presence, promos, in-ring work, and connection with the WWE universe.” Very distinct, cool, and unusual persona, which is difficult to develop in our frenetic world of pro wrestling.”
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