Highlights
- The wrestling world was shocked last week with the tragic passing of Bray Wyatt, who died at the age of just 36.
- As well as being a tremendous person, by all accounts, Wyatt is widely regarded as one of the most creative individuals in wrestling history.
- Following his passing, GIVEMESPORT looks back at ten times Bray proved that he was a true 'creative genius'
The entire world of professional wrestling is in mourning as one of the greatest storytellers of a generation, WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt, has tragically passed away last week at the age of 36.
Bray Wyatt will be remembered as one of the most innovative and creative superstars to ever set foot in a WWE ring.
Here at GIVEMESPORT, we would like to take some time to celebrate the life and career of Bray Wyatt. While there are countless standout moments in this man's career, here are ten truly memorable moments where the late WWE star proved to the world that he was a one-of-a-kind creative genius.
10 Becoming Bray Wyatt
During the very beginning of his WWE career, Windham Rotunda wasn't known by the name of Bray Wyatt, originally debuting as Husky Harris, a third-generation superstar determined to step out of his iconic family's shadow and make a name for himself in his own way.
After a stint in development, Harris joined NXT back when it was a television series rather than an actual developmental brand under the tutelage of Cody Rhodes. He then became a member of a faction known as "The Nexus" on the WWE's main roster, a group of invading "rookies" looking to make a big impact against the veteran roster members.
After the Nexus storyline came to a conclusion, Harris returned to development to middling success, teaming with his brother Bo Dallas. But in the beginning of 2012, when NXT was launched into a full-blown developmental brand, Windham Rotunda would pull off the unthinkable and completely reinvent his character.
Vignettes began airing for an enigmatic character wearing bright colours with a natural talent for talking. The creepy, cult-leader personality was revealed to be Bray Wyatt, and he wasn't coming to NXT alone.The future WWE Champion would bring his family with him two, in the form of two up-and-coming stars Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.
The Wyatt Family went on to take NXT by storm and became a hugely popular faction among the fans and Superstars alike, with Mick Foley vocally declaring that the WWE needed to bring the faction to the main roster as soon as possible.
In the blink of an eye, Windham Rotunda had gone from being a cookie-cutter rookie as Husky Harris to one of the most enigmatic and talked-about superstars in the world, Bray Wyatt, and he did it with his insane creativity.
9 Developing a "cult" following with ease
Impressed with his ability to reinvent himself and seeing amazing potential for the man now known as Bray Wyatt, his stint with the character in NXT was short-lived.
Stories about Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family were popping up all over the Internet. He received endless praise for the character from the get-go, and he was quickly becoming one of the most talked about superstars in the world despite being in development.
Within mere months, WWE Creative pulled the trigger on bringing the character to the main roster. On the May 27, 2013, edition of WWE Raw, a promotional vignette was aired featuring The Wyatt Family.
"Hey, you want to see something really scary?", Bray said as the video opened. The creepy video, featuring so many things that became some of his recognizable trademarks, including the rocking chair, dolls, and masks, was unlike anything that had been shown on WWE television for a very long time, and the WWE Universe was left wanting more.
Bray Wyatt, under his cult leader persona, had created a cult-like following of fans which included the WWE Universe and WWE Superstars alike, and all of this was before he even made his main roster debut with the character.
8 Making an impact in his WWE debut
"I have no followers, I have only brothers and sisters all in the name of cause." These were the words uttered by Bray Wyatt when the time was right for him to finally bring his creative character to WWE television. Bray appeared on the titantron while Kane was standing in the ring.
Bray sat in a creaky rocking chair in a dark room lit only by what would become his signature lantern. Months of warnings stating "we're coming" and to "run" were about to be proven to be well-founded messages.
"We're here," Wyatt said as he blew out his lantern after an incredible promo, and the WWE Universe erupted. They were about to witness the debut of one of the most creative character reinventions in a generation.
The lights of cell phones lit the blackened arena for his entrance. These would become known as "the fireflies," followers of Bray Wyatt and symbolic members of The Wyatt Family.
They would become a signature part of his entrance throughout his WWE tenure and, of course, as we all know, more and more fireflies would be seen as the weeks, months, and years went by.
The Wyatts made their way to the ring. Under the orders of their leader (Bray Wyatt), Luke Harper and Erick Rowan proceeded to decimate and make an impact on one of WWE's most popular legends, "The Big Red Machine" Kane. Wyatt fell to his knees and smiled over the body of Kane. He had arrived.
7 The mystery behind the enigmatic Sister Abigail
Bray Wyatt has always been a master of the cliffhanger. More recently, the WWE Universe had been talking about Uncle Howdy, another of Wyatt's mysterious comrades. However, long before that, we had Sister Abigail.
Bray Wyatt talked about the mysterious Sister Abigail on many occasions and even named his devastating finishing maneuver after the character.
It was heavily implied that Sister Abigail was the original leader of The Wyatt Family and passed away and, in her dying breath, chose Bray to lead the family.
However, Sister Abigail continued to be referenced by Bray Wyatt on countless occasions, with no definitive answers as to who or what she truly was or if she was truly alive or dead.
During a feud with Finn Balor, on the October 2, 2017, edition of WWE Raw, Bray Wyatt introduced the world to Sister Abigail. Wyatt appeared on-screen to address Balor, who had just cut a promo on Wyatt in the ring.
Like the flick of a light switch, Wyatt himself turned from his usual enigmatic self into what appeared to be Sister Abigail. It was implied that Sister Abigail lived inside Bray's mind, potentially possessing him, and there were plans that were eventually scrapped that would have seen Wyatt, as Sister Abigail, go head-to-head with Finn Balor's "Demon" character at TLC 2017.
Was Sister Abigail another of Bray Wyatt's split personalities, or was she the original cult leader and a completely separate entity from Bray? Sadly, we will never get to see the Sister Abigail arc come to a conclusive end.
6 Playing mind games with The Shield and the WWE Universe
One of the most talked-about rivalries of the past decade involved The Wyatt Family and The Shield. At the time, these were the two most popular and undeniably dominant factions on the WWE roster. Wyatt, Harper, and Rowan had begun targeting Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins, the popular vigilante-like group known as The Shield, and the WWE Universe was absolutely buzzing with anticipation.
An incredible match between The Wyatt Family and The Shield took place at the 2014 Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event and was a master class of in-ring ability and flawless storytelling, but it was the weeks leading up to the match, and the limitless charisma and the mere presence of Bray Wyatt that allowed the feud to flourish.
On the February 10th edition of WWE Raw, The Shield was making their way out of the building through the audience, a tradition of theirs, when the lights went black and The Wyatt Family emerged, led by Bray and his lantern, and the lights of thousands of eager fireflies in the audience.
When the lights came back on, the WWE Universe erupted as they realized they were about to see what at the time was the dream face-off between these two massively over factions. The two teams stared at each other through the ropes on opposite sides of the ring, and it was Roman, Ambrose, and Rollins who made the first move as they climbed to the apron.
Bray stared in disbelief with the audience hanging on to his every movement and facial expression, and the pop was deafening when Wyatt, Harper, and Rowan finally answered the challenge and stepped onto the apron themselves.
As Bray made eye contact with Roman, he cracked a smile before jumping down from the apron and walking away. It was all a mind game play for Wyatt, and he had The Shield and the WWE Universe quite literally in the palm of his hand the entire time.
5 Bray Wyatt and a children's choir terrify John Cena
By 2014, Bray Wyatt was one of the most popular acts on WWE television. He had been heavily protected since his main roster debut, and he was handed his first pinfall loss by John Cena at WrestleMania 30 on April 6, 2014.
The feud between Wyatt and Cena however was just beginning.
Standing in the middle of the ring, John Cena delivered a warning to the WWE Universe in reference to Wyatt's massively increasing popularity and his white-hot momentum.
Urging the fans to stop following Wyatt, Cena proclaimed, "It's not going to be long before it's Bray Wyatt versus the world, and at that point, the world isn't going to stand a chance.
What happened next is still widely regarded as one of the most innovative scenes in the history of WWE television, and it took place on the April 28, 2014, edition of WWE Raw.
As the arena turned black, a child began singing the hymn, "he's got the whole world in his hands." When the lights returned, an entire choir of children was lined up singing before Bray Wyatt himself appeared and began singing along, leading the children to the ring where they surrounded a terrified John Cena.
Bray killed the lights once more but only momentarily and when they emerged, the choir of children was donning lamb masks, a signature of Bray Wyatt's. This is what the leader of the Cenation was warning the world about, and just like that, it was implied that Bray Wyatt's cult following had expanded and poisoned the minds of children following a truly innovative and goosebump-inducing segment.
4 Facial expressions and emotions: Bray Wyatt Vs. The Undertaker promo
By 2015, Bray Wyatt was walking his own path and embarking on a successful solo run. Leading up to WrestleMania 31, Bray Wyatt began referring to himself as "The New Face of Fear."
This was to gain the attention of WWE legend, The Undertaker, who had seen his iconic WrestleMania undefeated streak come to an end at WrestleMania 30 at the hands of "The Beast" Brock Lesnar.
This first singles run was incredibly important to Bray Wyatt's career as it forced him to adapt and evolve in new ways without having his family to back him up, and he absolutely nailed it at every opportunity.
One particular promo from Bray Wyatt on the March 9, 2015, edition of WWE Raw is an absolutely incredible example of Wyatt's ability to capture an audience and truly live and breathe his character.
Bray showcased an awe-inspiring amount of depth in this particular promo, with his facial expressions and his body language talking just as loudly as him as he mocked and belittled The Undertaker, attempting to taunt The Phenom into accepting his challenge for a match at WrestleMania 31.
Wyatt, believing he was the one playing mind games, was about to have a taste of his own medicine for the first time as the urn began to smoke. Wyatt's face turned beautifully from control to fear to anger in a matter of seconds as he began screaming, begging The Undertaker to make an appearance.
By the end of the segment, it was Bray Wyatt's rocking chair that was left burning in the ring, a message of acceptance from The Undertaker, as Bray manically laughed and cried in the corner of the ring to the sound of The Undertaker's legendary theme music.
3 The Firefly Fun House: A unique stage for character development
When 2019 rolled around, Bray Wyatt was once again ready to take the world by storm and reinvent himself for a newer audience.
Taking elements of his old character and making them more gritty and realistic, Wyatt's character seemingly slipped into a fantasy world where there were so many different versions of Wyatt living inside his mind. The audience never knew which version of Wyatt they were going to see, adding to his mystique.
The origins of this reinvention were the brainchild of Wyatt himself, who came up with the idea of a segment called "The Firefly Fun House", a surreal segment featuring Wyatt as the host. The segment was built to be reminiscent of a child's television show, complete with a cast of characters and truly mind-boggling content.
Wyatt brought his unique promo skills to the segments, which ended up going viral on countless occasions in an age dominated by social media.
The segments in their entirety were a unique way for Wyatt to cut promos and continue to evolve and reinvent himself in a way that truly had never before been seen on WWE television or in wrestling history in general.
By interacting with the cast of characters, which included Mercy The Buzzard and Abby The Witch, Wyatt was creating a new persona in the most unique way possible, and it wasn't long before the reasoning behind the segments was revealed.
Bray Wyatt then began channeling the Bray Wyatt of old, complete with his one-of-a-kind mannerisms and facial expressions, and proclaimed to the WWE Universe that he had a secret. The secret was revealed to be a demonic alter ego of Bray Wyatt known as The Fiend.
2 Know your audience: Bray Wyatt becomes "The Fiend"
It cannot be argued that The Fiend is one of the most unique characters in professional wrestling history.
From the way it came about to the way it was presented on television as a sadistic alter ego of Bray Wyatt, the WWE Universe was always on tender hooks wondering if it was a version of Wyatt they were going to see, or if it was The Fiend.
Everything about The Fiend was pure, unadulterated genius. The character was unique enough to cater to a new audience of WWE fans and offer them something special. It also had more than enough references to big, enigmatic characters of the past such as The Undertaker and Mick Foley's Mankind.
This kept the older generation of wrestling fans excited that they were going to see something big from this new gimmick.
It wasn't just wrestling fans, however.
Bray Wyatt was a genius, and he knew his audience. He knew how to live and breathe his character unlike anybody else. The Fiend was built to be almost like a character from a horror film and Wyatt himself enlisted the aid of a master craftsman and a horror industry legend to bring his character to life.
That man was none other than Tom Savini, a true living legend in the world of horror. Wyatt had a vision to bring this horror-movie-inspired character to life, and there was nobody better to do that than Savini. Tom Savini brought with him his legendary Tom Savini Productions team and, alongside Jason Baker, the team worked with Wyatt to give the wrestling world one of the most unique masks in WWE history. Bray Wyatt was always working and always creative; he truly knew his audience and how to get their attention.
1 The mystique of "Uncle Howdy," Bray Wyatt's final mystery
In late 2022, Bray Wyatt made his highly anticipated return to WWE television, and in classic Bray Wyatt fashion, he wasn't about to return without bringing some mystique.
Wyatt began to be interrupted in his promos by a character known as Uncle Howdy, but this time, Wyatt wasn't planning on keeping the WWE Universe hanging for long.
Uncle Howdy was real, but nobody knew who he was, or why he was targeting Wyatt. Uncle Howdy appeared in person on the December 30, 2022, edition of WWE SmackDown, interrupting an in-ring segment between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight, and much to the amazement of the WWE Universe, the character went on to attack Bray Wyatt instead of Knight.
However, at the beginning of 2023, Uncle Howdy appeared on behalf of Wyatt, taking out LA Knight during his match with Wyatt at the 2023 Royal Rumble premium live event. Uncle Howdy landed an elbow from the top of the stage, signaling his allegiance to Bray Wyatt.
It is believed that the man behind the mask was Bray's real-life brother, Bo Dallas, but it was never actually revealed due to Bray needing to take a leave of absence.
Bray Wyatt's final WWE appearance took place on the February 17, 2023, edition of WWE SmackDown. Wyatt and Uncle Howdy received a huge ovation as they cleared the ring of Hit Row, and Wyatt proceeded to send a warning to Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley, which was set to lead to a match at WrestleMania 39, but sadly, this did not come to pass due to Wyatt's untimely illness sidelining him from competition.
GIVEMESPORT would like to send our condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Bray Wyatt at this difficult time, but what an incredible career this one-of-a-kind, larger-than-life WWE Superstar has given us.