A former champion of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Bray Wyatt has tragically passed away at the age of 36.
Although the specifics of the location and cause of his unexpected death were not immediately disclosed by WWE, the news has left the wrestling community and fans shocked.
Bray Wyatt, whose birth name was Windham Rotunda, died Thursday at the age of 36 after suffering a heart attack.
His death was announced in a tweet by WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H, who said: “Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda – also known as Bray Wyatt – unexpectedly passed earlier today.
“Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time.”
https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/1694840084091023529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694840084091023529%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
During his wrestling journey, Wyatt achieved the prestigious title of WWE Champion in 2017 and embraced various personas, including his time as a member of The Wyatt Family and his haunting masked alter ego, The Fiend.
His most recent victory was in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match against LA Knight at the Royal Rumble in January. Despite being medically cleared to return to the ring, WWE took careful measures to ensure Wyatt’s health and well-being, particularly following the significant health challenges he faced, possibly due to Covid-19.
While details were not definitive, it was reported that Wyatt had made progress, sparking creative plans for his potential return in September, although no official arrangements had been solidified.
Based on information from Fightful.com, it’s revealed that Wyatt’s unfortunate passing resulted from a heart attack, a health setback connected to Covid-19 complications he had encountered earlier this year.
In a statement, WWE expressed their sorrow: “WWE is saddened to learn that Windham Rotunda, also known as Bray Wyatt, passed away on Thursday, Aug. 24, at age 36.”
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1694857774776168568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694857774776168568%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
Bray Wyatt came from a wrestling family. His father Mike gained fame in WWE as Irwin R. Schyster, as well as in other promotions under his real name or Michael Wallstreet.
Rotunda’s uncle Barry Windham was one of the most highly regarded wrestlers of the 1980s and early 1990s and a former member of the prestigious Four Horsemen stable. Rotunda’s brother, Taylor, also wrestles for WWE and in the past used the moniker Bo Dallas.
Windham Rotunda was married to former WWE ring announcer JoJo Offerman. They had two children and Rotunda had two other children from a previous marriage. He was a two-time former WWE Universal champion and former WWE champion.
Bray Wyatt leaves behind a legacy and a grieving wrestling community. He is survived by his ex-wife Samantha Rotunda and their two daughters, as well as his fiancé WWE ring announcer JoJo and their two children.
Following the news, superstars from every promotion took to social media to show their love for Wyatt. In particular, The Rock and Mick Foley shared their personal perspectives on what made Wyatt unique in sports entertainment.
https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1694857108033089666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694857108033089666%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
https://twitter.com/foleyispod/status/1694868924054053070?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694868924054053070%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/1694861988479091050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694861988479091050%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/1694870842403139847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694870842403139847%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1694847050322526471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694847050322526471%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
https://twitter.com/WWEBigE/status/1694845926626480221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694845926626480221%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
https://twitter.com/DanielleMoinet/status/1694858111624876194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694858111624876194%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
https://twitter.com/Saraya/status/1694845012691862013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694845012691862013%7Ctwgr%5E6e0c7eaaa7f9516aac3391976fcc951b620aabef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwwe%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38253739%2Fformer-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dies-age-36
Bray Wyatt’s death comes a few months after WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham, whose real name was Eldridge Wayne Coleman, passed away at the age of 79.
