The WWE universe is in deep mourning at the news that superstar Bray Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) tragically passed away at 36 after a long battle with an undisclosed life-threatening illness.
The former leader of the Wyatt family and the mind behind ‘The Fiend’ persona was last seen on screen in February.
It was later revealed Rotunda was suffering from a serious bout of illness and was claimed to have been nearing a return to the ring before news of his tragic passing yesterday (August 24).
Sports Brief looks at six of Wyatt’s best moments in the squared circle, including a championship reign.
1. Beating John Cena at Extreme Rules
Wyatt joined the WWE roster in 2012 and was immediately thrown into feuds with A-listers. One of them was John Cena, who defeated him at Wrestlemania 30. The two met again at Extreme Rules and the match descended into a 3-on-1 handicap match after Harper and Eric Rowan interfered.
Hammy Review further noted that it turned into a steel cage match where Cena managed to fight all three members of the Wyatt stable and as he was exiting the cage, he was interrupted by a choir of singing children. This allowed Bray Wyatt to pounce and score a pinfall victory over the superstar.
2. Wyatt wins WWE title
Wyatt’s first title triumph in WWE came at the expense of Cena yet again. The 15-time world champion put his title on the line in the Elimination Chamber in 2017 against Baron Corbin, The Miz, Dean Ambrose, and AJ Styles.
Wyatt first eliminated Cena to guarantee a new champion would be crowned before finally hitting Styles with his ‘Sister Abigail’ finisher to score a pinfall victory for his first singles title in the company. According to Inside the Ropes, his reign lasted 49 days before losing it to Randy Orton.
3. Wyatt’s first Universal Title reign
He captured his first Universal title as ‘The Fiend’ against Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel in 2019. He survived an onslaught from ‘The Architect’ before locking in the mandible claw and hitting Sister Abigail for the win. Wyatt’s reign lasted 119 days before Roman Reigns claimed the belt.
Top 6 Moments of Bray Wyatt’s Career As WWE Superstar Tragically Passes Away at 36
The WWE universe is in deep mourning at the news that superstar, Bray Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) tragically passed away at 36 after a long battle with an undisclosed life-threatening illness.
The former leader of the Wyatt family and the mind behind ‘The Fiend’ persona was last seen on screen in February.
It was later revealed Rotunda was suffering from a serious bout of illness and was claimed to have been nearing a return to the ring before news of his tragic passing yesterday (August 24).
WWE Chief Content Officer, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque confirmed the news on X (formerly Twitter), and tributes began to pour in for Rotunda, who is the second member of the Wyatt family to have passed on after Jonathan Huber (better known as Luke Harper) in 2020.
- Ripping off Daniel Bryan’s hair
The Fiend defeated Daniel Bryan at the Survivor Series in 2019 in a successful defence of his Universal title. That seemed to have ended their feud but the ghoulish wrestler attacked Bryan on Smackdown days later. He tore the ring and dragged him into it before reappearing with some of Bryan’s hair.
The Aberdeen-born superstar later confirmed he pitched the idea of shaving his beard but not his hair, as reported by WrestletalkTV.
5.Confronting Vince McMahon
Continuing his gimmick as The Fiend, he confronted WWE owner, Vince McMahon, on the Smackdown episode before SummerSlam in 2020. He stopped the boss from leaving the ring multiple times before his former ally, Braun Strowman, interfered.
6. Return at Extreme Rules 2022
As part of the cutdown following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wyatt was surprisingly released by the company in July 2021. After clamour from fans to have him back, Triple H re-signed him in 2022 and he returned in the closing stages of Extreme Rules 2022, per Sports Brief
Rotunda’s cause of death revealed
Sports Brief also reported on Rotunda’s cause of death being revealed, with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp explaining he had permission from the family to provide more details.
The wrestling world was plunged into mourning once again as news broke of the death of the talented wrestler who portrayed the personas of Bray Wyatt and The Fiend.