Bray's first promo after returning to WWE in October of 2022 took a serious turn for the emotional, much to the surprise of just about everyone. Already on the verge of tears, he begins by telling the audience that he wants to speak as the real him, showing a side that he's never been able to before. He thanks his fans for never giving up on him, continuing to support him even at the lowest points of his life. He reflects upon the passing of two people close to him, Luke Harper, and his childhood friend in real life. He speaks about how the infamously poor booking of his past characters destroyed not only his own confidence as a performer but his faith in the merit of his creative ideas. But above all, he makes it clear that he missed putting on a show for the WWE Universe, and when the chants of "Thank You Bray!" start up, it's equally clear that the feeling was mutual. Of course, this being Bray Wyatt, things would take a VERY spooky turn towards the end. But it's safe to say that his fans wouldn't have it any other way.
The Raw is XXX promo where he and The Undertaker share a ring, to which Undertaker decides to pass on the legacy of the Wrestling Monster to Bray before his match with LA Knight at Royal Rumble 2023. Unfortunately, Bray would never be able to light that torch and show what he could do because...
August 24th, 2023: Theextremelyunexpected death of Windham Rotunda. The man caught COVID-19 the previous year and would suffer lasting heart problems that would culminate in a heart attack claiming his life just when it seemed he was finally on his way to return to the spotlight. And this came the day after Terry Funk's death too. His fellow wrestlers and fans around the world wasted no time in mourning the loss of one of the most brilliant minds in the industry.
Booker T:(in denial as the news sinks in) Ah, man... Man man man...
Bonus sadness points for the one having to break the bad news to Triple H being Bray's own father, Mike Rotunda. One can only imagine how he must have felt to hear his son was gone.
The Empty Chair Memorial for Bray with his signature rocking chair on the following SmackDown, where the entire arena is awash with "fireflies" and everyone singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands". Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman are also in attendance, already grieving another member of The Wyatt Family who left far too soon.
The accompanying tribute package may well be one of the most beautiful, emotionally cathartic eulogies WWE has ever given one of its fallen family, especially given the context that they put it together with only a day's notice. In the wake of its loss, WWE offered the wrestling world a release for its tears of grief, and - judging by the sheer number of wrestling YouTubers the video reduced to sobbing on their weekly streams - it was just what we all needed.
The finale of that same SmackDown is the source of the page image. After LA Knight defeats Finn Bálor, the lights in the arena slowly turn off until all that's left is Bray's silhouette juxtaposed with firefly wings on the screen, and his lantern left in the ring, lighting the way for his fireflies to follow into the fog.
Bray's death was mourned by everyone in the world with both AEW and Impact Wrestling paying tribute to him at All-In and Emergence respectively despite Bray never working for them before. Even other sport events paid their respects; during a Premier League match between Arsenal and Fulham, Broken Out In Love was played during half-time.
At the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame, Bray's father, Mike Rotunda ends his speech wishing his son could've been on stage. In tribute, he raises a cellphone with its light on, one of many fireflies lighting Bray's path to the afterlife.
, with Brad interrupting their current discussion of Terry Funk's decision to do a moonsault to break the news on-air. One can see in real time that Booker T is just so caught up in the moment of that memory as Brad's face goes from "What's going on?" to "Oh god..." in seconds. What this means is viewers end up witnessing their reactions to Bray's premature death right as the news first hits them, and you can tell from their facial expressions and tones of voice that they're devastated.Booker T: (in denial as the news sinks in) Ah, man... Man man man...