Bray Wyatt, Former WWE Champion, Passes Away at 36 Years Old

Reknowned WWE superstar Bray Wyatt, acclaimed for his groundbreaking creativity and ability to push the boundaries of professional wrestling through his innovative characters, passed away on Thursday at the age of 36. The somber announcement was made by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s chief content officer, through social media.

Known as Windham Rotunda in real life, Wyatt had been on a hiatus from WWE over the past few months, battling an undisclosed health issue. He had been associated with WWE since 2009, apart from a surprising release in 2021 and 2022. Rotunda made a grand return to WWE in September of last year, accompanied by a mysterious storyline featuring cryptic vignettes that succeeded in boosting television ratings.

Levesque expressed the tragic news through X, previously known as Twitter, as he wrote, “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. Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time.”

Rotunda hailed from a family deeply rooted in wrestling. His father, Mike, achieved fame in WWE under various names such as Irwin R. Schyster and Michael Wallstreet, as well as in other promotions. Rotunda’s uncle, Barry Windham, was highly regarded during the 1980s and early 1990s, being a former member of the prestigious Four Horsemen stable. Rotunda’s brother, Taylor, also competes in WWE under the alias Bo Dallas.

Windham Rotunda was married to former WWE ring announcer JoJo Offerman and they had two children. Additionally, Rotunda had two other children from a previous marriage. He held the esteemed title of WWE Universal champion twice and also attained the status of WWE champion.

Initially starting his journey in WWE’s developmental program as the character Husky Harris, Rotunda later transformed into Bray Wyatt, a mesmerizing cult leader from a swampy domain who captivated audiences with his charismatic allure. Alongside his Wyatt Family members, Erick Rowan and the late Luke Harper (real name Jonathan Huber), Wyatt gained immense popularity in NXT, WWE’s developmental brand, before making a triumphant arrival on the main roster in 2014.

By that time, Rotunda had established himself as one of the most captivating performers on WWE’s roster, particularly renowned for his storytelling abilities on the microphone. His catchphrase, “follow the buzzards,” and the haunting lyrics “he’s got the whole world in his hands” became synonymous with his character. During his entrances, as the arena plunged into darkness, fans would raise their cellphone lights while his eerie music played, creating a spine-chilling atmosphere.

In 2019, Rotunda reinvented himself as The Fiend, a supernatural entity donning a terrifying clown-like mask. While Bray Wyatt still appeared in kid-friendly skits known as Firefly Funhouse, The Fiend took over in the wrestling ring. These creative and intricate concepts were primarily the brainchild of Rotunda himself. The Fiend’s invulnerability in the ring divided opinions, but it undeniably showcased the innovative leap that made it one of the most captivating elements on WWE television at the time.

After being released in 2021 as Bray Wyatt, Rotunda made a surprising return to WWE last year, portraying a good-guy character who seemed haunted by past demons like The Fiend and Uncle Howdy. The storyline was still unfolding when Rotunda disappeared from television in February due to health concerns.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson expressed his sentiments on X, saying, “Always had tremendous respect and love for him and the Rotunda family. Loved his presence, promos, in-ring work, and connection with the WWE universe. Very unique, cool, and rare character, which is hard to create in our crazy world of pro wrestling.”

Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.