History Wrestling / BrayWyatt

Windham Rotunda would unexpectedly pass away on August 24, 2023 following a heart attack. He had fallen ill with COVID-19 in February of that year, which left him with a heart condition that would take him off television for the remainder of 2023 and, ultimately, take his life.

Windham Rotunda would unexpectedly pass away on August 24, 2023 following a heart attack. He had fallen ill with COVID in February of that year, which left him with the heart condition that would ultimately take his life.

Windham Rotunda would unexpectly pass away on August 24, 2023 following a battle with an currently unspecified illness that has kept him off of television since April 2023.

Windham Lawrence Rotunda (born May 23, 1987) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]]. He debuted in Wrestling/{{WWE}} in 2010 under the ring name Husky Harris on the second season of [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] and later as a part of Wrestling/TheNexus. After a punt kick from Wrestling/RandyOrton and a trip back down to developmental, he re-debuted in 2013 as ''Bray Wyatt'', a creepy backwoods cult leader and the "patriarch" of Wrestling/TheWyattFamily along with Wrestling/LukeHarper, Wrestling/ErickRowan and Wrestling/BraunStrowman. He became known for his creepy, enigmatic promos, terrorizing others like Wrestling/TheNewDay. Unfortunately, he never truly got that signature win that would put him over the top, which began to affect his ability to remain a credible threat, and he went on hiatus for much of 2018.

On July 31, 2021, he was released from his WWE contract, becoming one of the more surprising releases that year due to his high profile and was speculated to be part of a massive cost cutting measure. Most of his time away from the ring would be spent teasing a transition to film work, which never materialized, instead returning at ''Extreme Rules'' on October 8, 2022, nearly three months after Wrestling/VinceMcMahon stepped down as CEO and retired from the industry.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: His main roster character has always given off hints of this, but "The Fiend" takes it up to eleven. Even if you go with the most recent WordOfGod explanation of a supernatural entity possessing and empowering Bray Wyatt's body, a human body is still a human body and should therefore, one would think, be subject to humanlike limits in terms of how much damage it can take before giving out. [[ImplacableMan Not the case for the Fiend.]] Wrestling/SethRollins has done a number things to the Fiend that should kill a normal person outright but have only managed to stun The Fiend ''very'' temporarily. It's been discussed by both Rollins and commentators that they don't even think Wyatt is human anymore.

* FriendToAllChildren: Bray played with this trope for NightmareFuel - '''''very effectively''''' - in his feud with Wrestling/JohnCena. When you consider Cena's main target demographic, it's probable that Bray did this just because he knew it would mess with Cena's head.

** A Wrestling/VinceMcMahon puppet appears on Firefly Fun House, with devil horns and always yelling at Wyatt, most likely a reference to Vince's tendency to [[ExecutiveMeddling micromanaging wrestlers' promos]]. After it was announced that Wyatt would challenge either Wrestling/SethRollins or Wrestling/BraunStrowman for the Universal title at ''Hell in a Cell 2019'' and the Vince puppet appears to chew him out for it (claiming that they're very important to the company), Wyatt shuts him up by pulling out a stack of cash and ''feeding it'' to him, referencing how the success of the gimmick most certainly is making Vince money.

* ShutUpHannibal: Averted. He has a tendency to interrupt the promos of others and start rambling in riddles and mysterious speech, yet everyone he interrupts simply stands there and listens rather than cutting him off mid-sermon. Perhaps FridgeLogic in that part of Bray Wyatt's character is his hypnotic charisma, which can possibly make even his enemies unable to resist listening to his words.

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** He becomes WWE's resident [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane "paranormal wrestler"]] starting in TheNewTens after Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/{{Kane}} are becoming less and less active. By TheNewTwenties, with Taker's retirement and Kane being busy with his political career, it's safe to assume he is officially ''the'' resident supernatural wrestler of the company.
** Wrestling/MickFoley outright called Wyatt a SuperiorSuccessor to his Mankind gimmick. Wyatt even eventually takes a page on Foley's book by showing he is also able to freely switch around his three most prominent personas.

** It seems like there's a lot of RealitySubtext within the "Firefly Fun House", with Huskus the Pig Boy, the Wrestling/VinceMcMahon devil puppet, etc.

* PeekABangs: His long, stringy hair tends to just hang in front of his face haphazardly.

On July 31, 2021, he was released from his WWE contract, becoming one of the more surprisingly releases that year due to his high profile and was speculated to be part of a massive cost cutting measure. Most of his time away from the ring would be spent teasing a transition to film work, which never materialized, instead returning at ''Extreme Rules'' on October 8, 2022, nearly three months after Wrestling/VinceMcMahon stepped down as CEO and retired from the industry.

* SubvertedKidsShow: The "Firefly Fun House", the platform for Bray's new DepravedKidsShowHost gimmick when he returned to ''RAW'' on April 22, 2019. It featured Bray's friend Mercy the Buzzard, a creepy HandPuppet and an [[CreepyDoll eerie doll]] called Abby the Witch, as well as Bray using a chainsaw to cut up a cardboard standee of his old gimmick while laughing like a loon ''in the first episode''. All set to TheJimmyHartVersion of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

Windham Lawrence Rotunda (born May 23, 1987) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]]. He debuted in Wrestling/{{WWE}} in 2010 under the ring name Husky Harris as a part of Wrestling/TheNexus. After a punt kick from Wrestling/RandyOrton and a trip back down to developmental, he re-debuted in 2013 as ''Bray Wyatt'', a creepy backwoods cult leader and the "patriarch" of Wrestling/TheWyattFamily along with Wrestling/LukeHarper, Wrestling/ErickRowan and Wrestling/BraunStrowman. He became known for his creepy, enigmatic promos, terrorizing others like Wrestling/TheNewDay. Unfortunately, he never truly got that signature win that would put him over the top, which began to affect his ability to remain a credible threat, and he went on hiatus for much of 2018.

-->'''Wyatt:''' We are war! Famine! Pestilence! Death! WE ARE THE RIDERS! And I say you better make your pleas while you still can, BECAUSE AT THE [[Wrestling/RoyalRumble ROYAL RUMBLE]], THERE WILL BE NO SALVATION! The apocalypse... is here.

!! YOWIE WOWIE! WE GOT OURSELVES SOME TROPES!

[[caption-width-right:350:The Eater of Worlds.\\
The Fiend.\\
The White Rabbit.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see him as The Fiend]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/309_ss_08112019cm_3849_e0a495d2cb80bcfc47f3703a4e119f74_6.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]

** He seemed to be on the cusp of a HeelFaceTurn in April 2016 when he began feuding with the League of Nations and even teamed with Roman Reigns against them in the main event of Raw. However, Bray went down with an injury just a couple weeks later, and the League of Nations only lasted for two more weeks after that. When Bray returned, he remained a heel and hasn't shown any signs of turning again anytime soon.

->''"He won't see the sun again, for years to come...''

->''[[BlatantLies "We're really glad that you're our friend,]]\\
[[SubvertedKidsShow and this is a friendship that will never, ever end."]]''

[[caption-width-right:350:The Eater of Worlds.]]

He is the son of Wrestling/MikeRotunda and the older brother of Taylor Rotunda, who is best known to wrestle for WWE as Wrestling/BoDallas. He's a one-time [=SmackDown=] Tag Team Champion, a one-time Raw Tag Team Champion, a one-time WWE Champion, and a two-time Universal Champion. On July 31, 2021, he was released from his WWE contract.

After months away from the company, he returned at ''Extreme Rules'' on October 8, 2022.

Windham Lawrence Rotunda (born May 23, 1987) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]]. He debuted in Wrestling/{{WWE}} in 2010 under the ring name Husky Harris as a part of Wrestling/TheNexus. After a punt kick from Wrestling/RandyOrton and a trip back down to developmental, he re-debuted in 2013 as ''Bray Wyatt'', a creepy backwoods cult leader and the "patriarch" of Wrestling/TheWyattFamily along with Wrestling/LukeHarper, Wrestling/ErickRowan and Wrestling/BraunStrowman. He became known for his creepy, enigmatic promos, terrorizing groups like the Wrestling/TheNewDay and others. Unfortunately, he never truly got that signature win that would put him over the top, which began to affect his ability to remain a credible threat, and he went on hiatus for much of 2018.

* HappilyAdopted: According to Bray, Sister Abigail took him and several other children into her care in a cabin in the woods.
* HawaiianShirtedTourist: Wyatt wears a Hawaiian shirt, but he is far from a harmless tourist...

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bray_wyatt.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[SchmuckBait Won't you let me in?]]]]

* ActionDad: He has two daughters with ex wife Samantha Rotunda and one son and one daughter with Jojo Offerman.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: His main roster character has always given off hints of this, but "The Fiend" takes it UpToEleven. Even if you go with the most recent WordOfGod explanation of a supernatural entity possessing and empowering Bray Wyatt's body, a human body is still a human body and should therefore, one would think, be subject to humanlike limits in terms of how much damage it can take before giving out. [[ImplacableMan Not the case for the Fiend.]] Wrestling/SethRollins has done a number things to the Fiend that should kill a normal person outright but have only managed to stun The Fiend ''very'' temporarily. It's been discussed by both Rollins and commentators that they don't even think Wyatt is human anymore.

** [[UpToEleven Taken even further]] at Extreme Rules 2014.

** Holds true UpToEleven as The Fiend. As with his previous gimmick, the stadium lights going dark often precedes something bad happening to whoever happens to be in the ring at the time. On top of that, The Fiend's matches have taken place under a filter of blood red light, as if he wasn't terrifying enough under normal circumstances.

* KnightOfCerebus: With the WWE's current LighterAndSofter atmosphere of PG-rated family friendly fun, it's really jarring to see a gimmick like this one, especially considering it may be one of the most disturbing and genuinely unnerving characters in the history of the company. Taken UpToEleven with The Fiend. How so? When he debuted at [=SummerSlam=] 2019, the show was given a TV-14 rating simply because of his presence.

** At this point, you have to wonder whether every new gimmick Bray takes on is a response to the question, "How can we make Bray's new persona [[UpToEleven even creepier than the last one?]] [[SinisterMinister Creepy bayou preacher?]] Frighteningly charismatic [[DarkMessiah cult leader]] with an army of brainwashed followers? [[SubvertedKidsShow Psychotic Mr. Rogers parody?]] [[HumanoidAbomination Demon in human form]] the likes of which hasn't been seen since Wrestling/{{Kane}}? You have to wonder how he's possibly going to top himself next time, but no doubt he's certainly going to figure out a way.

* BookEnds: In his farewell promo (as a regular member of the NXT roster that is) to the NXT crowd in July 2013, Bray ends his speech with his creepy rendition of [[Music/TheRollingStones "Time Is On My Side"]], as he did in the early days of the gimmick on FCW/NXT.

** Back on NXT, Wyatt would often break out into a creepy rendition of Music/TheRollingStones's "Time Is On My Side" as a punctuation to end his promos. He doesn't do this anymore, but he did treat us to a similar rendition of "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

* NiceHat: Wyatt wears a Panama hat/fedora hybrid when not wrestling.

* {{Anticlimax}}: His confrontation with Wrestling/{{Boogeyman}} at the 2015 Royal Rumble

** And his ECM as the Fiend might be his entrance at Wrestling/SummerSlam 2019: The metal remix of "Broken Out in Love" and carrying ''his own severed head with a lantern in it'' tells you everything you need to know about how much darker The Fiend is compared to the old Bray. Which is saying ''a lot.''