History Wrestling / BrayWyatt

* WorthyOpponent: He seemed to have considered Wrestling/RomanReigns to have been this; while he viciously mocked Wrestling/DeanAmbrose, and denounced the likes of Wrestling/JohnCena, [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]], and Wrestling/CMPunk, he treated Reigns with the closest we've seen him come to respect, and described him as an "interesting creature." However, this all went to hell after Wyatt started to feud with Reigns after Money in the Bank 2015, with Wyatt outright bringing Reigns' push as the reason, telling Reigns that he wishes "anyone but you" to have that opportunity.

** Adding onto this, Bray is in a relationship with former wrestler-turned-ring announcer Jojo Offerman, with whom he has two children, Knash and Hyrie. And on top of ''that'', Knash's godfather is Wrestling/BraunStrowman.

He debuted in 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 and terrorizing others like Wrestling/TheNewDay. Unfortunately, he never truly got that signature win that would put him over the top, which began to [[VillainDecay affect his ability to remain a credible threat]], and he went on hiatus for much of 2018.

He debuted in 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 [[VillainDecay affect his ability to remain a credible threat]], and he went on hiatus for much of 2018.

Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023) was an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]]. He was best known for his tenures in Wrestling/{{WWE}} from 2010 to 2021, and then from 2022 until his death in 2023, where he most famously performed under the ring name Bray Wyatt.

[[quoteright:339:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bray_6.png]]
[[caption-width-right:339: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. Other notable wrestling members of his family include Kendall and Wrestling/BarryWindham (maternal uncles) and [[Wrestling/TheBlackjacks Blackjack Mulligan]] (maternal grandfather). 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.

* CompositeCharacter: Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield described Wyatt as "Series/DuckDynasty meets UsefulNotes/CharlesManson." A more accurate description would probably be "[[AxCrazy Max Cady]] from ''Film/CapeFear'' meets [[DemonicPossession Azazel]] from ''Film/{{Fallen}}''." Either way, combine the fact that it's [[{{Acrofatic}} Husky Harris]]'s body doing this, and it's freaking scary.

Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023) was 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.

He returned in April 2019, where he was repackaged as the unsettling host of the SubvertedKidsShow ''Firefly Fun House'', where he'd help talk to eerily sedate children about issues like bottled-up emotions and psychopathy through his lovable cast of characters like Abby the Witch, Mercy the Buzzard, Ramblin' Rabbit, and Huskus the Pig. He revealed to the world in subtle ways that he had found a way to suppress the darkness within him, and it only manifested as a way to protect the Funhouse from danger. Said manifestation was '''The Fiend''', a masked alter-ego who is ''much'' more aggressive than the original Wyatt ever was. He made his pay-per-view debut at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2019'', where he beat [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Finn Balor]] in decisive fashion.

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. Other notable wrestling members of his family include Kendall and Wrestling/BarryWindham (maternal uncles) and [[Wrestling/TheBlackjacks Blackjack Mulligan]] (maternal grandfather). 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, 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 temporarily.

Rotunda unexpectedly passed away on August 24, 2023, following a heart attack. He had fallen ill with what was initially reported as a "life-threatening illness", later revealed to be 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 at the age of 36.

* {{Acrofatic}}: While Bray was more heavyset than he was obese (especially during his most recent Firefly Funhouse run, for which he seemingly packed on a ''lot'' of muscle), he still was a ''big'' man. This does not stop him from being a very agile wrestler and flexible enough to do the reverse spider crawl from ''Film/TheExorcist'' for real in the middle of the ring -- on live television, no less.

* ButtMonkey: Ramblin' Rabbit is often the butt of Bray's cruelty during the "Firefly Fun House" segments and has been killed at least three times, he was eaten by Mercy the Buzzard twice and also was crushed by Bray with a mallet.

** The Fiend only appears if Bray is feuding with someone he already dealt with in the past. Notably, he wrestled "normally" against Wrestling/TheMiz in ''TLC 2019'' because they haven't feuded yet.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bray.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[https://youtu.be/h7Na5OJQLkQ?si=jB3haYPhR9T-5WcU You never give in\\
You know who you are, you are the everknown\\
You shine on, you shimmer\\
We'll follow you on to wherever you go\\
You live life, you're livin'\\
Your currency moves from every inch of your bones\\
You never give in\\
You are the everknown]]'']]

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Believe it or not, he was the youngest male wrestler on the WWE main roster at the time of his debut at only 26 years of age. He's been a fixture of WWE for so long since then that it's very difficult to believe that, by 2019, he's still only all of 32.

-> [[TheStinger "And remember my fireflies, I will always light the way. All you have to do... is to]] '''[[DarkReprise LET ME IN!]]''' [[TheStinger Bye!]]
->'''... Run!'''
->'''''DEA-!'''''

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[{{Music/Needtobreathe}} You never give in\\

** After spending 4 months as a seemingly loyal member of the Wyatt Family only to betray Bray by burning down the Wyatt Family compound, knowing that the spirit of Sister Abigail laid underneath, Wrestling/RandyOrton definitely takes the cake as Bray Wyatt's most hated nemesis, considering the level of Orton's actions.

Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 - August 24, 2023) was 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.

He returned in April 2019, where he was repackaged as the unsettling host of the SubvertedKidsShow ''Firefly Fun House'', where he'd help talk to eerily sedate children about issues like bottled up emotions and psychopathy through his lovable cast of characters like Abby the Witch, Mercy the Buzzard, Ramblin' Rabbit, and Huskus the Pig. He revealed to the world in subtle ways that he had found a way to suppress the darkness within him, and it only manifested as a way to protect the Funhouse from danger. Said manifestation was '''The Fiend''', a masked alter-ego who is ''much'' more aggressive than the original Wyatt ever was. He made his pay-per-view debut at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2019'', where he beat [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Finn Balor]] in decisive fashion.

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 temporarily.

Rotunda would unexpectedly pass away on August 24, 2023 following a heart attack. He had fallen ill with what was initially reported as a "life-threatening illness", later revealed to be 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 at the age of 36.

** During his last few months in NXT, Bray Wyatt began cutting promos challenging then-NXT Champion Big E Langston, and appeared to be heading towards a showdown with him. This ended up not happening, possibly due to the Wyatt Family being called up to the main roster sooner than expected, meaning it wouldn't have been all that worth it to put the title on Bray.

[[caption-width-right:350:''Die for me brother\\
Know not what you've seen\\
Love one another\\
Know not where you've been\\
Lie for me brother\\
Know not what you've said\\
Use me for cover\\
When things break, things shatter'']]

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

* {{Acrofatic}}: While Bray is more heavyset than he is obese (especially during his most recent Firefly Funhouse run, for which he seemingly packed on a ''lot'' of muscle), he's still a ''big'' man. This does not stop him from being a very agile wrestler and flexible enough to do the reverse spider crawl from ''Film/TheExorcist'' for real in the middle of the ring -- on live television, no less.
* AffablyEvil: Sure he is a cruel, psychotic egomaniac cult leader who fancies himself some kind of primordial force of nature, but he has a good sense of humor, is incredibly polite and is highly charismatic. Plus he's got a really nice singing voice!
* AlasPoorYorick: As The Fiend, he carries the severed head of his previous Eater of Worlds gimmick as a lantern during PPV events.

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.

** He was set up to a feud with Wrestling/BobbyLashley in a build-up to Wrestling/WrestleMania 39. Unfortunately, Wyatt contracted COVID-19 around this time, leading to the program to be suddenly dropped and being taken off TV. The illness would aggravate a heart condition that sadly claimed his life months later.

* SerialEscalation: When Wyatt debuted, he was not portrayed as anything more mundane than a mildly crazy Southerner in the vein of Waylon Mercy and Max Cady. When Harper and Rowan joined, he became a less civilized, wilder hillbilly in the vein of ''Film/{{Deliverance}}'' before they started playing up the cult aspect until it completely overtook the rest of the gimmick. As of mid-2014, he's hinted to be some supernatural force of an unknown kind ([[https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/291735362601107458 He needed me, and I needed a vessel.]]), akin to Wrestling/TheUndertaker, circa late 1990s.

** The whole family reminds some of ''Film/{{Deliverance}}''. Bray himself is a CallBack to former WWE wrestler [[Wrestling/DanSpivey Waylon Mercy]], down to the Hawaiian shirts and soft-spoken demeanor. This is mostly due to sharing a mutual inspiration in Creator/RobertDeNiro's [[Film/CapeFear Max Cady]] portrayal.
** Mercy the Buzzard from the Firefly Fun-house is another reference to Waylon Mercy, complete with a snuck-in "You know what I mean?"

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 at the age of 36.

** He was set up to a feud with Wrestling/BobbyLashley in a build-up to Wrestling/WrestleMania 39. Unfortunately, Bray contracted COVID-19 around this time, leading to the program to be suddenly dropped and being taken off TV. The illness would aggravate a heart condition that sadly claimed his life months later.

** He is set up to a feud with Wrestling/BobbyLashley in a build-up to Wrestling/WrestleMania 39. Unfortunately, Bray contracted COVID-19 around this time, leading to the program to be suddenly dropped and being taken off TV. The illness would aggravate a heart condition that sadly claimed his life months later.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: During the 2014 Royal Rumble, Bray told Harper and Rowan to go in the back so he can deal with Daniel Bryan on his own, and then proceeded to do exactly that.

** He is set up to a feud with Wrestling/BobbyLashley in a build-up to Wrestling/WrestleMania 39. Unfortunately, he's has to deal with a real-life injury and this feud has been dropped.