Above is the promotional shot using to announce the death of one of the modern greats of the ring. The news broke a little more than a week ago and to say I was shocked is an understatement. I was actually looking forward to his return to the WWE, as he was on a hiatus. The man was only 36 years old!
Windham Lawrence Rotunda grew up among a family of professional wrestlers. His father is Mike Rotunda, also known as IRS. His brother is Bo Dallas. His Grandfather was Blackjack Mulligan, while is uncle is Barry Windham. WLR started to be recognized as a Nexus member known as Husky Harris. Later on, we got to love him as Bray Wyatt and The Fiend.
The reason for his death was reported as Myocardial Infarction, which is basically a heart attack. At the time of his death, he was engaged to Joseann Alexie Offerman, the mother of his children. Offerman was also known in the WWE as a ring announcer, a singer and a wrestler. Known as JoJo, she released the single "Somebody Call My Momma," the infamous entrance theme to a another wrestler who is currently a Fox Contributor.
Bray Wyatt led the faction the Wyatt Family, which included Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. Later on, Braun Strowman joined the cult, with Randy Orton having a brief tenure as a member. Wyatt introduced the Firefly Fun House, which was a spoof of a child's program that utilized puppets. These puppets included Mercy the Buzzard, Abby the Witch, Ramblin' Rabbit and Huskus the Pig Boy. A true wrestling fan was able to tell whom some of their names referenced. There was even brief periods where a Mr. McMahon puppet was seen.
Opponents knew that their match was pretty much over when they were hit with the Sister Abigail, which appeared to be a tribute to a creepy backstory. Wyatt even had a hold on Alexa Bliss for awhile, putting her in a trance-like state during her matches. I was excited when the Uncle Howdy character was introduced because it seemed to be a precursor for the return of Wyatt. However, I guess he is truly following the buzzards among the fireflies to a better place. RIP Bray! We miss you!