Bray Wyatt, who, in 2017, won the World Wrestling Entertainment championship under the ring name Windham Rotunda.
Bray Wyatt, a third-generation professional wrestler who was a former World Wrestling Entertainment champion named Windham Rotunda, passed away on Thursday at the age of 36, according to the WWE.
Bray Wyatt, a professional wrestler regarded for having one of the most imaginative minds and pushing the envelope with unique characters, passed away on Thursday at the age of 36, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque confirmed on social media.
With a hidden health issue, Wyatt, whose actual name was Windham Rotunda, had been absent from the WWE for a number of months. Except for just over a year between 2021 and 2022 when he was unexpectedly let go, he had been a member of WWE since 2009. Last September, Rotunda made a triumphant comeback to WWE with a suspenseful plotline that included cryptic vignettes, which helped increase television viewership.
Windham Rotunda, also known as Bray Wyatt, abruptly passed away earlier today, Levesque announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a call he had received from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy at this time as our thoughts are with them.
Rotunda came from a line of wrestlers. His father Mike achieved prominence in the WWE as Irwin R. Schyster and in other promotions as Michael Wallstreet or by using his true name. Barry Windham, Rotunda’s uncle, was a former wrestler who belonged to the illustrious Four Horsemen stable and was one of the most well-known athletes of the 1980s and early 1990s. Taylor, Rotunda’s brother, is a WWE wrestler who has previously gone by the ring name Bo Dallas.
JoJo Offerman, a former WWE ring announcer, was married to Windham Rotunda. They had two children together, and Rotunda also had two children from a prior union. He was a former WWE champion and two-time former WWE Universal champion.
Rotunda met Bray Wyatt, a psychotic swampland cult leader who attracted followers with a diabolical charisma, after beginning in WWE’s developmental program as the persona Husky Harris. He gained popularity in NXT, WWE’s developmental brand, together with his Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan and the late Luke Harper, whose real name was Jonathan Huber), and in 2014, they made a big entrance onto the WWE main roster.
At that time, Rotunda was regarded as one of the most talented actors on the cast, particularly when it comes to sharing a narrative aloud. He began employing the expression “follow the buzzards” and the song line “he’s got the whole world in his hands.” Fans would hold up their cellphone lights during his entrances as his creepy music played, with the arena completely dark before he came with a lantern.
In 2019, Rotunda took on a new identity as the otherworldly figure The Fiend and disguised himself as a scary clown in a mask from a horror film. In kid-friendly skits titled Firefly Funhouse, Bray Wyatt continued to appear, but a sinister alter ego known as The Fiend wrestled in his stead. For the most part, Rotunda came up with these complex, original concepts by himself. Due to its near invulnerability in the ring, The Fiend was unpopular as a character, but it was a creative leap and one of the most intriguing things on WWE television at the time.
After being dismissed from WWE in 2021, Rotunda made a comeback in 2018 as the former Bray Wyatt, a decent guy who was rumored to be plagued by former monsters like The Fiend and Uncle Howdy. When Rotunda stopped appearing on television in February because to health problems, the plot was still being developed.
He and the Rotunda family have my undying respect and love, said Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Thursday in an X post. Loved his presence, his in-ring work, his promos, and his connection to the WWE community. Character that is very uncommon, cool, and difficult to produce in the wild world of professional wrestling.