As a wrestling fan, there have been several times when you get that feeling like you’ve been punched in the gut. Sadly, that feeling has returned as WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt, whose real name was Windham Rotunda, passed away today.
WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque made the announcement through a tweet on Twitter.
After the loss of Terry Funk yesterday, Bray Wyatt was even more shocking. He was just 36 years old. He had been on the injured list since before this year’s Wrestlemania with an unknown ailment, but the buzz around the world of wrestling was that he would be making his return soon.
Windham Rotunda had been the man behind a series of awesome characters, including Husky Harris, the Eater of Worlds, the Fiend, and the head of the Wyatt Family. His stretch of time portraying Bray Wyatt as a Mr. Rogers-like kiddie show host of the Firefly Funhouse was some of the most compelling television the WWE had created in a long time. Rotunda, one of the sons of wrestling legend Mike Rotunda (aka I.R.S.), brought such a level of acting and character development that you did not always see in wrestling.
Sometimes it seemed that his creativity conflicted with the scripted world of the WWE, but when things were working, the character of Bray Wyatt was epic. His work on the mike was some of the best you would ever find. His promos created emotions among the audience.
The recent death of his friend and fellow wrestler, Jon Huber aka Brodie Lee (or Luke Harper in WWE), caused a lot of sorrow in Rotunda’s life.
Windham Rotunda was a beloved figure in the world of professional wrestling and his loss will be felt for years to come. I am shocked and saddened by this loss. RIP Bray Wyatt.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 