WWE superstar Bray Wyatt, who was known for his creative genius in the world of professional wrestling and his boundary-pushing character innovations, sadly passed away at the age of 36 on Thursday. The announcement came from WWE’s chief content officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who shared the news on social media. The cause of his death was a heart attack.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Bray Wyatt, whose real name was Windham Rotunda, had been away from the WWE spotlight for several months due to a health issue that wasn’t disclosed publicly. He had been associated with WWE since 2009, except for a surprising period in 2021 and 2022 when he was unexpectedly let go. Rotunda made a comeback to WWE in September of the previous year, greeted by enthusiastic fans and a mysterious storyline. This storyline included cryptic video clips, which added to the excitement and led to higher TV ratings.
On X, previously known as Twitter, Paul Levesque shared, “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.”
Windham Rotunda, known to wrestling fans as Bray Wyatt, has left us at the age of 36. He had been away from the WWE scene in recent months due to a health problem that was not revealed. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Rotunda hailed from a family with a strong wrestling background. His father, Mike, gained recognition in WWE as Irwin R. Schyster and also wrestled under his real name and the name Michael Wallstreet in other promotions. Rotunda’s uncle, Barry Windham, was a highly respected wrestler in the 1980s and early 1990s, even being part of the prestigious Four Horsemen group. Rotunda’s brother, Taylor, is also a WWE wrestler known as Bo Dallas.
Windham Rotunda was married to JoJo Offerman, a former WWE ring announcer. They had two children, and Rotunda had two other children from a previous marriage. He held the WWE Universal Championship twice and also was a former WWE Champion.
Beginning his WWE journey as Husky Harris, Rotunda transformed into Bray Wyatt, a charismatic cult leader with an eerie charm who built a following in the swamplands. Alongside his Wyatt Family members, Erick Rowan and the late Luke Harper (whose real name was Jonathan Huber), he gained popularity in NXT, WWE’s developmental brand, and transitioned to the main WWE roster with much fan excitement in 2014.
At that point, Rotunda was recognized as one of the most talented performers, especially in storytelling through his microphone skills. He introduced catchphrases like “follow the buzzards” and incorporated lyrics like “he’s got the whole world in his hands.” During his entrances, the arena would darken before his lantern-lit appearance, and fans would light up the arena with their cellphone lights as his haunting music played.
In 2019, Rotunda reinvented himself as The Fiend, a supernatural character adorned with a horrifying clown-like mask. While Bray Wyatt still appeared in family-friendly skits called Firefly Funhouse, The Fiend, his darker persona, took center stage in wrestling matches. These creative concepts mostly sprang from Rotunda’s own imagination. The Fiend’s dominance in the ring garnered mixed reactions due to its near invincibility, yet it was an imaginative leap that captivated WWE audiences during that period.
After his release in 2021, Rotunda returned to WWE the following year, portraying his former Bray Wyatt character who struggled with haunting memories, including The Fiend and Uncle Howdy. The storyline was unfolding until February, when Rotunda vanished from TV screens due to health concerns.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson paid his respects 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.”