BROOKSVILLE, FLORIDA: Windham Rotunda, better known to WWE fans as Bray Wyatt since 2012, has passed away. Windham's boss, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, announced the news on Twitter, claiming to have gotten it from Windham's father.
Bray was 36 years old at the time. He had been suffering from an undisclosed health condition that had kept him out of the ring and off television for some time, but his death today has been described by relatives as unexpected and abrupt.
"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," Triple H said on Twitter/X on August 24. "Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time."
Why did Brya Wyatt miss WrestleMania 39?
Despite being in the midst of a high-profile rivalry with Bobby Lashley, Bray was unable to appear at WrestleMania 39 and was pulled from television weeks before the event. Though Bray had been away for months, the outlook for his comeback appeared positive as recently as early August. Bray was said to be on the verge of making a comeback after reportedly surviving a life-threatening medical absence.
Why was Bray Wyatt released from WWE?
Bray worked for WWE from 2009 to 2021, when he was let go. He returned to the organization a year later, to much excitement, at the Extreme Rules premium live event, where he began executing a complex storyline involving Uncle Howdy (played by his brother, former WWE star Bo Dallas) and Alexa Bliss.
However, the story was supposedly put on hold following Bray's encounter with LA Knight at the 2023 Royal Rumble. Following that, Bray developed a feud with Bobby Lashley ahead of WrestleMania 39, but was pulled from the show due to a mysterious illness that was subsequently reported to have jeopardized both his career and his life. Until this announcement, it appeared like the worst had gone; as recently as August 10, wrestling media sources were claiming that Wyatt was recuperating and on his way to being medically cleared to return.
There was little doubt that Bray was one of the company's most overpaid stars, earning $4 million a year and selling a lot of products. However, the cause of his release remains unknown, and there are several conspiracy theories. According to some sources, Bray had serious creative issues with backstage management, particularly with the boss, Vince McMahon, who stated that he was exceedingly tough to work with.
Another theory held that Bray was uncommunicative and obstructive about his health problems. He was dissatisfied with the manner in which WWE handled them under the supervision of its highly skilled doctors. Despite his return to WWE in February, Bray had not publicly addressed the cause of his initial dismissal.
Who was Bray Wyatt?
Bray, the son of Mike Rotunda and the grandson of Blackjack Mulligan, was a third-generation wrestler. With the alter-ego Fiend, he was best known as the leader of the Wyatt Family group and the creative genius behind The Firefly Funhouse.
During his heyday, he competed in major events for WWE and was seen as an important part of the company's future. He held the top singles and tag team titles in WWE. Bray made his WWE TV debut as part of The Nexxus under the alias Husky Harris.
Who is Triple H?
Paul Michael Levesque, called Triple H, was born in New Hampshire on July 27, 1969. He is a former professional wrestler, corporate executive, and actor from the United States. He is presently employed by WWE as the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Global Talent Development. Furthermore, he is also the NXT brand's originator and executive producer.
