Follow The Buzzards – The Life and Legacy of Bray Wyatt

Catching flies
In his mouth
Tasting freedom
While he dares
Then crawling back
Back to the top
Top of the stairs
Of the stairs

He won’t see the sun again
For years to come
He’s broken out in love

Like a cat
Without a care
Roaming freely
Through the streets
You can find him
In amongst the pigeons
In the square

But he won’t see the sun again
For years to come
He’s broken out in love

He won’t see the sun again
For years to come
He’s broken out in love

Broken out in love

We are coming up on 1 year since Windham Rotunda, better known as Bray Wyatt tragically passed away and it still doesn’t feel real. I remember reading the news and it felt like a punch to the stomach, no way could it be true. We were all waiting for Bray to get healthy and once again re-invent his character so we could be along for the great ride it was sure to be. But it was true, he went into his room to have an afternoon nap and never woke up. I knew he was engaged to Jojo Offerman and had 4 children, so wrestling was not at the front of my mind, I was devastated for his family. No parent should have to bury their child but that is what his mother and father had to do. His brother and sister had to say goodbye to their sibling and as someone with a brother and 2 sisters, it hit me hard. As the tributes poured in from his wrestling family, the sadness and hurt was palpable. Bray was only 36 and had taken us on so many exciting journeys with his creativity, we were ready for the next one and then it was over.

Over the course of his wrestling career bringing the character of Bray Wyatt to life, there had been many highs but unfortunately more lows but not from his own doing. Bray did what you are supposed to do in wrestling, he got over and made the fans want to pay money to see him but time and time again his legs would be cut out from under him. But he never gave up, every time WWE creative kicked him down he got right back up and got over again. That’s why fans were so forgiving to the company for never getting behind him on a main event level, bc we knew that Bray was always going to come back with something great and one of these times it was gonna stick. But with his tragic passing, looking back at his career only made me angry looking at someone doing everything right but never being supported the way he should. And now there would be no more chances, Bray was gone and so was all his creative genius. His legacy would be more of a ‘what could have been’ than a ‘what was’ and that is a tragedy in itself considering just how much of himself he put into building these characters into main event players.

None of that was his fault, I honestly believe Vince McMahon did not have much respect for Bray’s father Mike Rotunda who was famous in the WWF as the character IRS and passed that opinion on to his son. I think Vince saw Mike Rotunda as a ‘good hand’ but not even an IC Title level talent and certainly not a main event performer. Mike was def a good hand and had a lot of potential for more than he accomplished which was a lot but I believe Bray was even better and was absolutely a main event level talent. But he was never treated that way and every time he would get a different incarnation of his character over, they would kill it. Most recent example was The Fiend, losing to Goldberg in Saudi was such a joke that started the downfall of The Fiend but losing to Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37 was insane and basically killed the character. Just spitting in the face of a great guy that worked so hard to successfully get over. To be honest The Fiend shouldn’t even exist, he was only created after the Wyatt Family character was killed by creative. If WWE would have supported the Wyatt Family character like they should have, Bray would have been a main event player in his best character. But after the slow, painful death of the Wyatt Family, it makes sense that he would create a character that is basically indestructible. Kind of a message to creative saying ‘fuck you it’s time to get behind me.’ And they still went out of their way to ruin it. As I said, looking back at his career just pisses me off knowing that he will never get another chance to shine on the level that he had earned.

His loss hits harder losing him not even 3 years after Jon Huber just as tragically. Then add Jay Briscoe earlier in the year and the 2020s have been brutal for wrestling. Just doesn’t feel right to be doing a piece like this when he had so much life ahead of him as he was only 36 when he died. But unfortunately that’s the reality so I want to do a walk through of his life and career to highlight a great father, husband/fiancé, son, uncle, friend, wrestler and so much more. Gonna refer to him as Bray considering that’s the only way I knew him.

Bray Wyatt was born Windham Lawrence Rotunda in Brooksville, Florida into a 3rd generation pro wrestling family with his father Mike, Uncles Barry and Kendall Windham and his grandfather Blackjack Mulligan. Didn’t take long for Bray to start moving in that direction as he started amateur wrestling in High School winning the state wrestling championship in his weight category. He transitioned from amateur wrestling to football and once again stood out as a force to be reckoned with earning 2nd team All American honours playing on the offensive line. Troy University offered him a football scholarship and he played there for 2 years before leaving early due to his desire to become a professional wrestler like his father, Uncles and Grandfather. The next step in his journey would be in 2009 to Florida Championship Wrestling run by Steve Keirn who had a lot of respect for Brays family but wouldn’t be handing him anything, Bray would have to earn it but that’s the way he wanted to do it.

In FCW Bray would team with his brother Taylor who wrestled as Bo Rotundo and was also beginning his journey into the pro wrestling business. The 2 brothers would taste success right away winning the FCW Tag Titles and hold them for 119 days before losing them to the Dude Busters. WWE originally tried to make NXT a reality show pairing rookie wrestlers with main rosters wrestlers and have them perform ridiculous stunts and obstacle course with some wrestling thrown in. It was awful and def not the type of environment most wrestlers could excel in but it was an opportunity to make yourself known to fans. Bray joined the show as Husky Harris and was paired with Cody Rhodes, interesting considering the history of their families but Bray was eliminated and sent back down to FCW where he would have a good feud with Percy Watson.

Another main roster opportunity came calling later in the year when Bray and Michael McGillicutty helped Wade Barrett defeat John Cena forcing Cena to join Barrett’s group the Nexus. Bray would become an official member of the Nexus weeks later seemingly giving him an opportunity to shine but Nexus was treated like garbage by WWE creative and lost steam quickly. When CM Punk took over the Nexus, Bray stepped up and allowed himself to be whipped with a belt to be initiated into the group by Punk. That was a brutal segment and you could tell those lashes hurt like hell but he took it thinking it would show Vince McMahon he was willing to go the extra mile to make something great. There were times that Vince McMahon would have rewarded that with a push by those days were over and Bray was quickly pushed aside and written off the show after being punted by Randy Orton.

Bray went back to FCW as Husky Harris teaming with his brother who was now FCW Champion and after Bo injured, going on a singles run stepping in for his brother. He would have a strong feud with Richie Steamboat that had fans thinking these were the next stars in wrestling. Bray and Bo would win the FCW Tag Titles for the second  and last time holding the belts for 42 days before losing to Corey Graves and Jake Carter. He had moderate success as Husky Harris but those days were coming to an end as a character change would give him the biggest break of his life. In April 2012 Husky Harris was repackaged into Bray Wyatt, who came off as kind of a dangerous cult leader with some supernatural vibes. It’s always a risk to completely change a character esp after being on the main roster but Husky Harris had a very low ceiling and was not the best of Windham Rotunda. With Bray Wyatt, he could bring out his best and there were no limits to how high this character could go. This was his debut promo:

“I was raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. My daddy, he’s the captain of his own shrimp boat. I hated my daddy. He was a mean old man, my daddy. He took eight year old Bray Wyatt and he pulled him out of school. He didn’t think I need to learn with them other kids. But then randomly one day my daddy his boat caught on fire. And it sunk him down in the Cajun sea with it. And I went away. I went away for a while. But Bray Wyatt he learned [?] how to read. And I started out with ‘See Spot Run’. And then it was ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’. And then it was The Good Book mostly after that. And I learned. I learned a lot of things. I learned how this world likes to throw away a little white trash peon like Bray Wyatt. And let me tell you something: I ain’t no white trash. And I ain’t no peon either. I am better than you all. And I wouldn’t want to be that guy. And I wouldn’t want to be that guy, the first guy that has to get in the ring with me, man. I wouldn’t wanna be you. ‘Cause I’m gonna take pleasure in watching you burn, man. Just like my daddy. Come with me. Time is on my side.”

So good man right from the very first moment, you knew Bray Wyatt was gonna be something special. And the greatness kept coming, FCW TV 05/04/2012:

“I don’t need no internet machine to connect to my people. Your facebooks and your twitter it’s all useless to me, man. ‘Cause my people, my people, they know that I am with you always. Still, I find it humorous the things they say about me on the internet. They say things like: “Bray Wyatt, well he is a liar! He is a hoax!” Oh no, I’m not. No I’m not you better believe I’m not. They say things like: “Bray Wyatt, well he is just standing there brainwashing folks!” Brainwashing? Well you got me on that one. I am brainwashing you all right now. I’m washing your brains off the filth in the tv, the media, the sports in your mind since the day you were born.

They also say things like: “Bray Wyatt, he is a psycho. He is a lunatic. He is crazy. Don’t you follow Bray Wyatt, he is nut!” Well, I know another man you called a psycho. A young carpenter and what did he do for you? Well, I am not him. I am not him, I am nowhere near him. I am not a man at all. I am the nagging conscience of a world that throw itself away to mere monsters. I am everywhere, man and I am everything. And in the time that you decide, man, in the time that you decide, it’s over. I have arrived. And I am forever.

Time is on my side.”

FCW TV 24/05/2012:

“In 5000 years from now, people will still be talking about the things that Bray Wyatt did. In 5000 years from now, children will still be learning about me in school. 5000 years from now, everything won’t be the same. They will arguing about me, man. They will arguing about “Did Bray Wyatt ever truly exist at all?” Am I just a fairytale? I’ll assure you, man I am very, very real. To the People, man you still want to be afraid of me? And you should be, man. We all need something to be afraid of after all, right? But mother, tell your children not to walk my way. Tell your children not to hear my words, what they mean, what they say, mother.

Well class, class may I ask you a question or two, please class? Is there anyone out there, is there anyone out there in this rotten world who would get their hands dirty for you the way that I will? No, man. Is there anyone out there in this world that will love you and accept you for who you are no matter where you been or what you’ve done the way that I will? No, man. Still, you want to be afraid of me but you shouldn’t, ’cause I am an angel in the dirt. And if you want to find hell with me than I will show you, man, I will show you what hell is like.”

FCW TV 07/06/2012:

 “There is a pale horse on the horizon and the rider, his name is Wyatt. You people, you don’t even know but your are on the brink of judgement day and I am the reaper. Don’t get me wrong, man, you see I love you. I truly do, I love you. But I will not save your world, man. I wanna watch it burn. I wanna watch it fry. And you, my people, I want you to take my hand and stand inside the flames with me. And then together in the air we will rejoice as a family and we will dance on the ashes. Forever. Time is on my side.”

That was his last promo for FCW which was re-branded into NXT but not that stupid reality show format, an actual developmental territory for the main roster run by HHH and Dusty Rhodes. Bray started his singles run in NXT but in July he tore his pec requiring surgery but instead of being off TV and risk losing the momentum he had built, he stayed around using his promo skills to keep the momentum going. In November 2012, Bray would debut The Wyatt Family adding Luke Harper and Erick Rowan to the mix and they showed immediate chemistry as a group with Harper and Rowan winning the NXT Tag Titles. Bray returned from injury in Feb 2013 defeating Yoshi Tatsu but would soon suffer his first defeat at the hands of his brother now known as Bo Dallas. Bray would suffer another loss to Chris Jericho but there was no denying that Bray and the Wyatt Family were stars waiting to shine so it was in late May that we started seeing vignettes promoting the upcoming debut of the Wyatt Family on the main roster. His final NXT promo 20/06/2013:

Calm down! I got something to say. There are several different types of men in this world. There are men who dream and never make it off their couch. There are men who dream and fail. And then, there are men who dream and change the landscape of this world. People like Bray Wyatt! And what about you, man? That’s what I wanna know. Aren’t you tired of feeling an unwanted? Aren’t you tired of feeling like an outcast and being stepped upon? Well, then today is your day, because today is the day that Bray Wyatt decided he was going to change everything. Today is the day that hell froze. Today is the day that pigs fly. Today, me and my people looked the fear right in the eye and we said ‘Mr. fear, Sir, YOU are a liar.’. Today I want you to go and I want you to tell all these so called world leaders that they better heed my warning: Take notice to Bray Wyatt! Because today is the day that Bray Wyatt decided to bring down the machine…..Today we say goodbye to NXT… for now. But if… if you need me, I’ ain’t hard to find. All you gotta do is go look up in the sky and follow the buzzards. Oh wait wait wait… one more thing… Time is on my side!”

So fcking good man. His promo from one of the vignettes on RAW 24/06/2013:

“They never see me coming. All this is a riddle. Everything all around you is a riddle. Thus is the mystery of me, open to the world’s interpretation. I’ve played with these fools like puppets. I shot ’em like glass when I’m through. It feels good … really good. We’re past the point of no return, aren’t we? Haven’t you seen it? ’cause I have. We’re coming. I want you to do me a favor, go back and tell all these men that I’m here and this, everything, is all real. You tell them I said that. You can never, never hurt me, you hear that? You can never hurt me!

They say we’re coming … but naaaah we’ve been here all along. Follow the buzzards. Hahahahaha…”

To say the fans were hyped for the debut of Bray and the Wyatt family is an understatement and it was all thanks to Bray’s incredible promos. On July 8, 2013, my birthday haha, the Wyatt Family would make their main roster debut first in a an awesome vignette with Bray cutting a promo in his rocking chair and at the end, Harper and Rowan appeared out of the shadows behind him. Perfection. Here is the promo from the vignette:

“I have no… followers, I only have brothers and sisters, all in the name of cause. People are sheep, you understand me? They can’t lead themselves, they need to be led. People buy themselves fear, they worship was, they crave was, but I’m not afraid of their wars. I created was! And I think it’s time for the masses to wake… wake up… WAKE UP! WAKE UP AND LOOK AT THIS LIE THEY’RE LIVING IN, MAN! The world is deteriorating between their toes, and they do nothing about, they only stand there. They whisper and wonder but they never do anything about. But I’ve seen it all, in my dreams and in my thoughts and above everything else I understand: This is not the beginning… it’s the end….*Harper and Rowan appear behind him*…We’re here.”

The Wyatt Family would make their presence known by attacking Kane but the ‘smart fans’ in the crowd tried to hijack the moment by chanting “Husky Harris” which pissed a lot of fans off bc they were trying to ruin something that could potentially be great just to feel superior about knowing Bray was Husky Harris. So fn stupid. But after witnessing the greatness of Bray and the Wyatt Family, there were no more ‘Husky Harris’ chants and everyone bought into the characters 100%. We were off and running and they would continue their attacks the next week on RAW this time targeting R-Truth and Bray would cut another awesome promo:

“They’ve been lying to you, man. There ain’t no such thing as a hero! Not anymore… But you, you, you and you, you have become addicted to the illusion of what a hero is. You have become addicted to the illusion of what a hero does for you. You think you need someone to pat you on the back. You think you need someone to talk you in bed at night, kiss on you on the cheek and tell you that everything is alright. But everything, everything, everything, EVERYTHING IS NOT ALRIGHT!

What if I was to tell you, that the man who made you is a liar? What if I was to tell you that your own flesh and blood turned his back on you? I will never turn my back on you, and maybe, maybe the answers you seek have been slapping you right in the face. And maybe, just maybe, I, Bray Wyatt, the Eater Of Worlds, have been the answer all along.

*R-Truth gets on the apron with a chair*

Is this what you want? Is this what you desire? I will give it to you. You wanna take me down? Well, I’m right here waiting! I’m right here waiting! Come and get in! I’m right here! Come on. You’re waiting! What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, COME ON!

*R-Truth takes his eyes off Bray to focus on Harper and Rowan and Bray attacks*

You are not the truth we seek. Kane, follow the buzzards!”

The Wyatt Family would continue their attacks on not just Kane but guys like Justin Gabriel, Drew McIntyre, Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal. After another attack on Kane, he would challenge Bray to a Ring of Fire match at SummerSlam which would be Bray’s first on the main roster. Of course he accepted continuing his run of great promos on 06/08/2013:

“Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire. Fire. Now that, Kane, that sounds like the type of fight that’s meant to cater to a man who fancies himself the devil’s favorite demon. I like that. I like that, Kane. I like your style, yeah, but I think there’s been some type of interruption here. We’re a little bit disconnected. I don’t think you quite grasp your mind about the concept of what’s really, truly going on here. Do you really think that a simple fire could control the souls of my brothers? We are everywhere, Kane. And sooner or later that fire, that fire that you call your own, it will raise up around you and the tables will be turned. And it will be you who is locked inside with a monster. Your fire fears me, Kane. It’s afraid of me, but is it smart enough to understand that itself can never ever, ever, ever hurt me? Wanna hear a secret, Kane? I am already dead. I’m already dead.”

Everyone was so hyped for the match and while Bray would win, he was not booked to look strong and this was unfortunately a sign of things to come. Kane dominated the match, Harper and Rowan looked like comical villains and Bray broke the rules of the match to win. Not that it’s bad for a heel to break the rules to win but with the potential the Bray Wyatt character had shown, he needed to be put over big as a threat and that did not happen. But at least he won. After the match, Harper and Rowan carried Kane out of the arena creating a potentially intriguing storyline but unfortunately it went nowhere. A few weeks later we would get a promo and hear the name ‘Sister Abigail’ for the first time:

*singing* Studying about those good old days and who shall wear the starry crown? Good Lord, show me the way…

She taught me… She taught me from the young age. She said ‘You gotta get them before they get you’. ‘A rattlesnake’s skin is the same color as leaves’, she said. And we all understood her. She led us with love, but she told us that the fires, well, they are our friends, too. ‘The world is an evil place’, she said. And we agreed. And I was there. I was there when she took her final breath. She pulled me in close, and she said ‘You’re the one’. She said ‘They chose you, long before you were ever in existence’. And I understood what she meant. Her touch… could save the world, but her kiss burns it to the ground. I love you, Sister Abigail.

*singing* Down, brothers, let’s go down. Down by the river to pray…”

I remember hearing this promo and thinking about all the exciting possibilities it came with and the online discussion of it was the same. Next up was a quick feud with Kofi Kingston who Bray would defeat at the Battleground PPV. After Kofi, Bray would set his sights on Daniel Bryan but not to destroy him, to make him join the Wyatts. I hated this storyline bc Daniel Bryan should have been positioned to win the Royal Rumble and defeat Randy Orton for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XXX but this was only taking him further from it. Harper and Rowan lost a tag team match to Bryan and CM Punk at Survivor Series to get the feud started. Bray promo from 6/12/2013:

“*facing away from the camera*

Tic, toc, tic, toc, tic, toc, tic, toc… I don’t mean to keep hunting you like this, Bryan…

*turns quickly to face the camera*

Boo! Hahahahahaha but many times must you cross this burning bridge before you realize, that you don’t have to fight this war alone? My poison is already running through your veins. You know who we are, Bryan. And at TLC you will finally realize what you are….. join us!”

At the TLC PPV, The Wyatt Family would face Daniel Bryan in a 3 on 1 handicap match and Bray would cut another promo on 9/12/2013:

“Although it is your ravenous behavior that draws me to you, your unwillingness to comply is testing my patience. The clock is ticking, Bryan. I need you to understand that I do not wish to watch you suffer, but in my world there is no such thing as an happy ending. There are no fairy tales. I’m not gonna take you up to Pa’s house and roll you down a field of dandelions. This story ends the same way it started: Destruction. And at TLC I need you to know we’re going to hurt you… bad… And I don’t care if it kills me, I promise I’m going to prove to you that you are a monster, just like me. And in that moment of serenity I will take all the pain away… Join us! Join us, Bryan!”

The Wyatt Family would win the Handicap match and the next night on RAW, Daniel Bryan would end up joining the Wyatt Family but the fans were revolting to this idea and it quickly came to an end. However the ending was arguably the greatest moment in RAW history. Bray and Bryan faced the Usos in a Steel Cage Match on RAW Jan 13th, 2014 that they would lose after the Uso’s escaped. Bray tried to play more mind games with Bryan to get him to submit further but it backfired. Bryan dressed in grey coveralls,  extends his arms in a crucifix position and drops to his knees. Bray grabs him for Sister Abigail and kisses his head but Bryan pushes him away to a big pop. Bray dares Bryan to attack him by dropping down and extending his arms saying ‘Come on Big Man! Come on Big Man!’ but Bryan just stares at him. Bray gets back to his feet and says that he knew that Bryan was a coward. Bray charges at Bryan but he moves out of the way and punches Bray. Bryan charges at Bray in the corner and hits multiple running dropkicks. Harper and Rowan start climbing the cage to attack but Bryan throws Bray at the side of the cage each are climbing and knocks them off. As Bray struggles to get to his feet, Bryan gets into the corner and starts raising his arms for the YES! Chant but slow at first so the crowd can figure out his cadence. They immediately lock in and the entire arena starts raising their arms in tune with Bryan while shouting YES! creating one of the iconic moments in wrestling history. Bryan would charge at Bray smoking him with the Busaiko knee to a huge reaction. Not bad for a storyline everyone was hating lol the moment is Bryan’s but it wouldn’t have been what it was without Bray’s brilliance as a character pouring gas on the fires of the YES! movement.

Bray would respond to this on Friday Night SmackDown! on Jan 17, 2013:

“As a child I wanted nothing more in life than to be powerful like my father. I did my best to appease him, I tried to be just like him! But it was never good enough. He was never there for me, he was never there for me! Listen to this sheeple: bleat, bleat, bleat, bleat. My father, instead of entrusting me with his kingdom, he betrayed me. He deceived me. He casted me out to walk among the sheep as one of them as one of you! But I always knew that I was destined for greater things. So as I laid there deep down in that black hole, gasping for air, calling for help she saved me. Abigail saved me.

She gave me hope and she sang me the sweetest songs that I had ever heard. I became enthralled with her beauty and obsessed with her power. But she told me that on my path to righteousness, that on my path to purity I would be deceived again! So as I laid down there Monday, a beaten, battered mess I looked into his eyes and I saw it, I felt it. I knew that this was my moment, that this was what she was talking about that I had to sacrifice myself so that I may be resurrected into the creature I was born to be. Did you really think that you can hurt me? I am already dead! I’m already dead. Your foolish attempt to stab me in the back. How can you be so simple? I do not bleed like one of you. Daniel Bryan was given every chance to walk with the reapers. But now he will burn with the saints.”

This would lead to a really good match between them at the Royal Rumble that Bray would surprisingly win to end their feud. Later that night, The Wyatt Family would cost John Cena his WWE Title match vs Randy Orton igniting a feud between Cena and Bray. Before the Cena feud got rolling, we were treated to some truly incredible action as the Wyatts faced off against The Shield after the Wyatts cost them spots in the Elimination Chamber by attacking their opponents Cena/Bryan/Sheamus causing a DQ and a Shield loss. We would see the first Wyatts vs Shield match at the Elimination Chamber PPV and it was an awesome 5 star match that would see the Wyatts emerge victorious after Bray pinned Roman Reigns with Sister Abigail. There would be a rematch the next week on RAW in front of a HOT Chicago crowd, that was just as good as the 1st, that the Wyatts would win again when Rollins walked out on the Shield and Bray pinned Dean Ambrose with Sister Abigail. The feud with Cena would start heating up with some good promos leading to a match at WrestleMania XXX but the fans knew that nothing mattered unless Bray beat Cena. If you want to make a character like Bray Wyatt a big deal, he has to be put over in big matches and despite the LOLCENAWINS trend in WWE for last 10 years, fans were hopeful Bray had shown enough to be given a big win. But that was not to be as Cena defeated Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania in a good match but deflating for fans hoping to see a new star emerge.

WWE was trying to make their Main event show a bigger deal so 2 days after WrestleMania XXX, the 3rd Wyatts vs Shield match took place and would see the Shield finally defeat the Wyatts after Ambrose pinned Rowan with Dirty Deeds. Bray would get a rematch with John Cena inside a steel cage at the Extreme Rules PPV the next month and while Bray would win, WWE did everything possible to make it look like a fluke and to protect Cena not worried at all about making Bray a big deal. Cena was the hero to kids so Bray had kids show up wearing sheep masks singing ‘Whole World in His Hands’ and as Cena was about to win by escaping the cage, one of the kids appeared at the bottom of the steps and Cena backed back into the cage. Just absolutely awful, most fans hated this including myself and were just disgusted that they were wasting a great character like Bray Wyatt. Wouldn’t have hurt Cena’s stock at all to give Bray a big, clean win. This feud couldn’t have been over fast enough for me but there was 1 more match at the Payback PPV and it would be a Last Man Standing match with the winner not in doubt. Match was actually awesome with some great hard hitting action including a crazy spot with Cena throwing the steel steps out of the ring into Bray who was standing outside the ring and he took it like a boss letting the steps absolutely destroy him. Crazy spot that should’ve been the finish but Cena eventually buried Bray under a bunch of objects and he couldn’t answer the 10 count so LOLCENAWINS.

After Chris Jericho returned to WWE around this time, Bray and the Wyatts set their sights on him and the first match took place at the Battleground PPV that would see Jericho get the surprise win. Another loss def sucked to see but the feud needed Jericho to get that 1st one to add heat to the rest of the feud. The night after, Bray cuts a great promo as usual:

“Hello everyone and welcome to The Highlight Reel. Unfortunately your scheduled host Chris Jericho is unable to make it at the moment, he’s a bit indisposed hahah And now, where, oh where could Chris Jericho be? I wonder–

*video plays of Jericho beaten down*

Now, where is Chris Jericho? Where is your savior? Suprise, surprise, he ain’t here for you. But you know who is? I am. I’m here for you just like I have been every day since I’ve been around. And I know what you’re thinking. I can read your thoughts. I know that you all think that because last night Chris Jericho had his arm raised at the end of the night, that you believe he is a better man than I. Do you really believe that I burden myself with such petty squeamish things? A loss in the battle means nothing to me because I know that war that counts and a war, that’s my game, man. I created war and it wasn’t so long ago that The Wyatt Family entered a WWE ring for the very first time. And in our short reign of terror we have dismantled giants, we have destroyed monsters and most importantly of all, we have brought so called heroes to their knees and I ask you right now, Chris Jericho, just who in the hell is it you really think you’re dealing with, man? I am Bray Wyatt, the eater of worlds. And I am every bit the monster that they all think I am! You will find, Chris, that you cannot measure me like you measure a normal man. You cannot measure me by how many dollar bills I have in my pocket because society is my play thing. You cannot measure me by the days of the year because time is irrelevant to me. I live a hundred years in a day, man. And it’s been something ever since last night, it’s been recurring over and over in my head and I can’t shake it. It’s something that Abigail used to say to me. She used to say ‘Be careful going out and chasing vengeance, Bray. Because if you do, you need to take two graves. One for your enemy and one for yourself’. And unfortunately for you Chris Jericho, I am forever. “

They would have a rematch at SummerSlam and Bray would get the win after a good match to even their series at 1-1. The 3rd match would take place on RAW inside a steel cage and after an awesome match, Bray would emerge victorious. Bray really needed this and the feud with Jericho really helped get him back on track after the Cena feud. It was at this time that Bray decided to “set Harper and Rowan free” and go forward on his own which was just an awful direction to take the character. The Wyatt Family had so much untapped potential so to see it end was just insane to me. His next target was Dean Ambrose who was on his own after the break up with the Shield and while it was a good feud, it really felt like both men were handcuffed and not able to make it what it could have been so it underwhelmed due to the nonsensical booking decisions. In a rare occurrence, Bray would win 4 of 5 matches but it actually hurt him bc Ambrose had lots of fan support that would have made the feud hotter if it was more of a back and forth. The first match was at Survivor Series and ended in a DQ. The 2nd match as a Boot Camp match at Tribute to the Troops and was the only match Ambrose would win. 3rd match was a TLC Match ruined by the famously horrible exploding TV finish. 4th match was a Miracle on 34th Street fight on RAW and the 5th and final match was an Ambulance Match 2 weeks later on RAW. Last 2 matches were prob the best but at this point, fans were ready to move on which is a shame bc these 2 with no restrictions could have put on a legendary feud.

Bray would enter the 2015 Royal Rumble at #5 and last almost 47 minutes eliminating 7 men including Daniel Bryan which almost started a riot and his former Wyatt Family brothers Harper and Rowan. Great showing but he was eliminated by Kane and Big Show while being treated as an insignificant nothing which really ruined the whole experience. At this time he made some tweaks to his character going from the Eater of Worlds cult leader to the more supernatural New Face of Fear. I think the eater of Worlds cult leader was his best character but WWE creative killed it with their bullshit booking of him so he needed to make a change. And what better wrestler to target than The Undertaker. Taker had been off TV since the streak was broken at WM 30 and fans thought he had returned at the Fastlane PPV when a casket was rolled out but it was Bray Wyatt instead and he challenged Taker to a match at WrestleMania 31. Great moment and man I was so excited for this match and feud bc I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make Bray Wyatt into the superstar he should have been. I wanted this feud to be about The Undertaker’s supernatural powers transferring to Bray Wyatt bc fans absolutely would have bought into that and Bray could have made magic with it. He even had a ‘Rest In Peace’ type catchphrase with ‘Follow The Buzzards.’ After losing to Cena, beating the Undertaker at WrestleMania would have leveled up Bray permanently but of course it was gonna be another loss for Bray. He didn’t even get the benefit of a feud with the Undertaker, Bray had to basically feud with himself bc they wanted to keep Taker off TV until the match. Bray did a great job of building the feud by himself through promos but it was pretty clear he had no shot of winning.

Promo at the Fastlane PPV 22/2/2015:

“There’s wicked feeling in the air tonight. Can you feel it? haha You know, I will never forget the first time that I saw him. He made me tremble. His eyes, they were so cold, man. And behind them was nothing but darkness. And I feared him! But now, he has become just like everyone else. Weak. And broken. Just a shell of what he once was. His obsession with sympathy has turned a monster into a mere mortal. And now his soul is lost. Stuck in limbo, between your world and ours. But I think, man, I think it’s time for him to go home. My mission is clear. haha I know you can hear me. I know that you are listening. And I want you to know that I don’t fear you any more! Because I am pain. I am suffering. I am Bray Wyatt, the new face of fear! And at WrestleMania I will claim the soul of The Undertaker.”

Promo from RAW March 2, 2015:

“That wicked feeling is in the air again. Can you feel it? Now, I wonder what is truly of the mighty Undertaker. Is he still capable of striking the hearts of men? Or have the hands of time finally ripped him apart? Come on, Undertaker! Come out, come out, wherever you are. WrestleMania approaches. And Undertaker, I think I got something you’re gonna like. I did this.

*points to casket*

I built this just for you, Undertaker. I hope you like it.

But where are you? Instead of being out here in appreciation, you torture me. You mock me with all this silence. And I understand your apprehension. But you must understand: everything comes at a price. Oh, my, my, my.

*pulls out gas can*

I’ve always had this fascination with the natural instincts of fire. Fire has no prejudice. It has no feelings. Fire just has this urge to destroy anything and everything that is in its path. Just like me. Just like me.

*pours gas on the casket*

I would walk through the fires of hell just to see your face, Undertaker. I don’t think you really know who it is you’re dealing with, man. You can’t hide from me. No one can hide from me. Where I come from, everything burns! And at WrestleMania you’re gonna burn, too, Deadman. *lights the casket on fire* FIND ME! FIND ME!”

Promo from the week before WrestleMania on RAW March 23, 2015:

“Why, oh why do people hide from the truth? Is it because you’re afraid? Is it because you’re embarrassed to show the world who you truly are? And I understand, man. I do. Reality can be a very, very difficult pill to swallow but that does not change the fact that each and every single one of you are guilty! You’re guilty. Because the truth is, somewhere in there deep down you hate the person that you have become. The truth is, you hate your job because now the only thing you can see is the color green. The truth is that you wake up every morning, you look in that mirror and you don’t like the person that’s staring back at you. So you cover your face with makeup as if that’s gonna heal the source and it’s gonna cover up all the inconsistencies and all the ugliness that is inside of you but it does not change the fact that you are all liars!

But me, I’m different. I’m not like you. I am not a liar. And I may be a lot of things but I am not a liar. As a matter of fact my tongue is the sword of truth and it cuts through the deception of everything in your world. I speak the truth that you oh so desperately try to hide yourself from. And if it’s the truth that you all want, it’s the truth that I will give you. The Undertaker is just like you. The Undertaker is a liar. He tries to hide the fact that he’s lost. And he tries to deny the fact that he wants so desperately for his soul to be set free. But don’t you worry about a thing, Undertaker. Because luckily the angel with the burnt wings has been sent to take you back to the other side.

*lights flicker*

And you see, there it is that mystical aura you all have become so addicted to. Can you feel it, man? Can you feel it? CAN YOU FEEL IT? But these spirits no longer operate by your command. These spirits belong to me now. As a matter of fact everything belongs to me now! I control the light and the darkness and these demons, they all march to my command. I am the judge. I judge the dead, I judge the living and Undertaker, I have judged you. You are guilty! At WrestleMania, there will be no redemption. There will be no shield for you to be carried out on. The only thing that you will receive is your fate sealed by Sister Abigail’s kiss and then against your will and against everything that you stand for, I will take my rightful place among the Gods as the new face of fear! At WrestleMania you get the mercy that you so desperately have been begging for. At WrestleMania, Undertaker-

*Bray does the Undertaker pose*

-you can finally rest in peace!”

So fcking great I can just imagine what he could have done with the Undertaker actually there. This led us to WrestleMania 31 and it was a great match but Bray lost once again and another chance to make him into a main event player was wasted. At the next PPV, Bray would defeat Ryback but even that couldn’t make up for another big loss. After losing to him in a MITB qualifying match, next in his sights was Roman Reigns and Bray would interfere in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match just as Roman was going to retrieve the briefcase. Next month at the Battleground PPV, Bray would surprisingly defeat Reigns in a damn good match thanks to help from Harper and this would bring the Wyatt Family back together. Reigns was positioned as the next face of the company so any kind of win over him was a big deal and combined with the return to his best character work, I was excited about the future. But at SummerSlam it was back to losing as Bray and Harper lost to Reigns and Ambrose. The next night on RAW saw a new member of the Wyatt Family debut named Braun Strowman and they attacked Ambrose and Reigns. Despite the loss at SummerSlam it seemed like WWE creative finally saw the potential in the Eater of Worlds cult character so I was cautiously optimistic that he would get leveled up. At the next PPV Night of Champions, Bray/Harper/Strowman defeated Reigns/Ambrose/Jericho in a  really good match. Bray’s feud with Reigns would end inside Hell in a Cell at the next PPV and it was an awesome match that Reigns won but that made sense for the story so I don’t think it hurt Bray. Later that night the Wyatts attacked the Undertaker and carried him backstage and my hype could not have been higher haha I thought for sure Taker was gonna make Bray a star this time and carrying him backstage was such a boss moment man I hate that it ultimately went nowhere.

The next night on RAW, Kane confronted to Wyatt Family to defend his brother and was also beat down and carried backstage and oh my God man I was so excited. Thinking of the possibilities of Taker and Kane acting brainwashed and joining the Wyatt Family for a couple months/weeks and how much that would have done to elevate Bray. I thought for sure this was all being done to get Bray to the next level and make Bray Wyatt our generations Undertaker/Kane type character.  Then 2 weeks later, Taker and Kane returned like nothing happened and beat down the Wyatts. The match was set for Survivor Series, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper vs the Undertaker and Kane. If Bray was going to reach his potential, he fucking had to win this match and I was sure he would. Why do this just to have Taker and Kane get a win they don’t need instead of making Bray Wyatt a star. Well that’s exactly what happened as Taker and Kane defeated Bray and Harper and my heart sank knowing Vince McMahon was never gonna let Bray Wyatt reach his main event potential. The Wyatt Family would enter a feud with ECW Alumni like the Dudley Boyz, Rhyno, and Tommy Dreamer and would defeat them pretty much every time they wrestled but this was a serious step back after what could have been with Taker and Kane. Bray would enter the 2016 Royal Rumble at #27 lasting over 11 minutes but did not eliminate anyone. If it wasn’t clear that Bray Wyatt was not a Vince McMahon priority, losing a handicap with Harper against Brock Lesnar at Roadblock and then not even having a match at WrestleMania 32 instead doing some bullshit skit with The Rock. This garbage was why AEW got so hot so fast, WWE was so fcking brutal during the 2015-2021 years.

Next up was a feud with the New Day and while not where everyone wanted to be, it was a pretty fun feud on the mic and in the ring. It culminated with a Cinematic type match that Broken Matt Hardy made famous at the Wyatt Compound and while not on the level on the Broken matches, it was still fun and entertaining. In the 2016 WWE Draft, Bray and Rowan were drafted to SmackDown, Harper was injured and not drafted while Strowman was drafted to RAW putting the end of the Wyatt Family in sight. ON the Aug 16 SmackDown, Bray walked out on Rowan leaving his sheep mask on the rocking chair after Rowan lost his match effectively ending the Wyatt Family as we knew it. Bray’s next target would be Randy Orton and a feud with him breathed some life into the character of Bray Wyatt. At the Backlash PPV, Bray would defeat Orton by forfeit after attacking him before the bell which was a pretty big deal considering Orton is a tough son of a bitch.

Payback came when Orton cost Bray a No Holds Barred match against Kane and the 2 would finally face off at the No Mercy PPV. Shockingly Bray would defeat Orton with the help of a returning Harper and the Wyatt Family was again resurrected from the dead. A bigger shock came on the Oct 25 SmackDown when Randy Orton helped Bray defeat Kane and joined the Wyatt Family. Did not have a Wyatt Family consisting of Bray, Harper and Randy Orton on my bingo card lol My optimistic expectations were def low but I was still really intrigued by this storyline twist and where it would go. Getting some big wins over a face of the company guy like Randy Orton would be huge for Bray’s career but I was prepared for the inevitable let down. Every week fans were expecting Orton to end the charade but at Survivor Series, Bray and Orton were the sole survivors as Team SmackDown – Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton and Shane McMahon defeated Team Raw – Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in an awesome match after Randy saved Bray from a Roman Reigns spear.

Every week Orton stayed on the Wyatts I was shocked but happy bc it was making for a great TV and I still had hope Bray would get his big moment. Bray and Orton would start to focus on winning the SmackDown Tag team Titles winning a really good #1 contenders match vs American Alpha. AT the TLC PPV, Bray Wyatt would win his first title in WWE after he and Orton defeated Heath Slater and Rhyno and while it wasn’t the WWE Title, it was still a great moment and created some good momentum for Bray. They would continue to defend the titles before Harper and Orton used the Freebird Rule to defend them and lost to American Alpha. This obviously caused tension between the group but especially Harper and Orton who would wrestle on the Jan 24 SmackDown with Randy winning and Bray hitting Sister Abigail on Harper after the match, ending his run in the Wyatt Family. Bray entered the 2017 Royal Rumble at #21 lasting over 24 minutes and while he didn’t eliminate anyone, he did make the final 3 before being eliminated by Roman Reigns. Orton would win the match guaranteeing himself a title shot at WrestleMania 33 and it had fans hoping that Bray would win the WWE Title to face Orton but even the most optimistic fans never thought it would really happen. But at the Elimination Chamber PPV, reality struck and Bray Wyatt last eliminated John Cena and AJ Styles to win the WWE Title and what a moment it was. There are not many things that could get me up cheering from my house but that’s exactly what happened, when that 3 count hit I jumped to my feet in shock and celebration haha what a fcking awesome moment that was such a long time coming. No matter what anyone thought of him, he was now a WWE Champion and it seemed like his time had finally come. Bray’s first promo as WWE Champion:

“She never said that this would be easy. ‘They will lie to you,’ she said. ‘They will try to denounce you,’ she said! They will try to steal your gift, and she was right. Sister Abigail always spoke the truth, and so do I. So when I tell you that I knew this day would come, I am not telling you a lie! And on this day, in this moment in time right now, this very second, I can truly say..

*Bray lifts up WWE Title*

..that I have the whole damn world in my hand!

*crowds sings Whole World song*

hahaha Now, too much power? That can be a very very scary thing. Not for me of course, but for all of you. So I say unto you, Open your ears and I will sing you a beautiful melody. Open your eyes and I will show you the wonders of this world. Walk by my side and I will lead you to paradise! Stand in my way, and you will burn in the fire! Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you all to the Era Of Wyatt!”

So great. But as usual things would come crashing down pretty quick. Orton initially refused to face him at WrestleMania but it was a trick and Orton was shown on the Tron burning down the Wyatt Compound and Sister Abigail’s grave. Kind of dumb but I was hoping with Orton getting that victory, Bray might have a chance at WrestleMania. Everyone knew the chances of Orton winning were high but if the match was great, Bray would win too. Unfortunately the match sucked do to some stupid gimmick of projecting bugs on the mat and was too slow and plodding with the disheartening finish of Orton winning with the RKO. Bray’s WWE Title reign lasted 49 days with 1 defence in a Triple Threat against Cena and Styles but the credibility he got from it was a big step up if they would just continue to push him. Narrator: they wouldn’t. Bray was moved to RAW in the Superstar Shakeup before his rematch with Orton at the Payback PPV making the result crystal clear. The match at Payback was changed to non-title and an on location House of Horrors match which also sucked and despite winning due to Jinder Mahal’s interference, it did nothing for Bray.

After a good showing in the Fatal 5 Way Universal Title #1 Contender Match, Bray would enter a short feud with Seth Rollins and actually defeat him twice in a row on the Great Balls of Fire PPV and RAW the next night. People had been wanting a feud between Bray Wyatt and the ‘Demon’ Finn Balor for years and we got it leading to a match at WWE SummerSlam that Balor would win as his Demon King persona. Logic says Bray wins the next match to even the feud but obviously they had him lose. There was a 3rd match scheduled but Bray Wyatt had to be removed due to an illness and the feud was never revisited. He even lost the match when he returned against Jason Jordan, just pathetic how they treated him over the years. Bray entered the 2018 Royal Rumble #8 lasting over 20 min and eliminating Heath Slater and technically Matt Hardy as they both went over the top together. Another feud fans had wanted to see was Bray vs Broken Matt Hardy and that’s exactly what we got next. It was def entertaining but you could tell Vince McMahon had handcuffs on both guys and this was nowhere near as good as it could have been. They traded wins against each other before facing off in the Ultimate Deletion, a cinematic style match that Broken Matt made famous. This was an awesome match and so much fun to watch, justifying everyone who wanted this feud. Bray technically lost and was pushed into the Lake of Reincarnation but they both won. At WrestleMania 34, Bray returned on the pre show and helped Broken Matt win the Ander the Giant Memorial Battle Royal turning himself face.

Bray and Broken Matt would form a team after WM 34 and go on to win the Tag Team Titles at a saudi event defeating The Bar, Cesaro and Sheamus. They lost the titles in their first defence to Bray’s brother Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, The B-Team which is another cool trivia fact for the brothers. After losing the rematch on RAW, Bray would go off TV as Broken Matt was injured ending their run as a team. Rumours at the time said Bray and Matt pitched a lot of ideas to the point WWE creative got sick of it and wanted the team ended. What a joke of a company they were back then. Fans waiting for Bray’s return got an interesting surprise in April 2019 when vignettes depicting various puppets started appearing on WWE TV. Shortly after, Bray Wyatt would return in vignettes called the Firefly Funhouse where he was playing a Mr. Rogers type character and interacting with the puppets who were eventually identified as Mercy the Buzzard, Abby the Witch, Ramblin Rabbit and Huskus the Pig. There was even a Vince McMahon puppet introduced at one point. Once again, Bray had reinvented himself and had fans very excited for where he was going to take this new character. Bray even revealed on social media he had been planting seeds in 2015 for future use, he had put 1 unnecessary line in 8 promos he cut and they made up a message:

What makes you smile?

I know you’re listening.

Let me in!

We don’t belong here.

What happened to you was such a tragedy.

Limbo is no place for a soul like yours.

I believe I found the answer.

The angel with the burnt wings is waving you on home.

Just fn unreal he could plan things out like that man his creativity knew no limits. Here is the 1st 4 episodes of the Firefly Funhouse:

“Did you miss me? So, how I have missed you, but I knew that we would be back together again someday. I saw it in my dreams. This is the Firefly Fun House. And my name is Bray Wyatt. Yowie wowie! We have gonna so much fun here. This.. this is my special place and all my fireflies can feel safe here. And I cannot wait to show you all what I’ve learned.

*Bray dives out of sight, evil music plays and he comes up wearing gloves saying ‘Hurt’ and ‘Heal’*

Oh! And I want you to introduce you to some very special friends that I met along the way.

Mercy: Yeah, I’m Mercy, the buzzard.

Abby: Hi, I’m Abby, the witch.

Bray Wyatt: “You are going to love them. Now, I used to be a very bad man. Okay, I deserve that, but trust me I’ve been barbarically punished for all of my wrong doings. And that part of me is dead now. However, I do keep a reminder, so that not even in my weakest moments will I ever turn into that pathetic slob loser ever again. See!

*Bray cuts the head off of a cardboard cutout of his old Eater of Worlds character*

How fun; this is getting started here. And remember, fireflies, I always light the way and you have to do is let me in. I’ll see you next week.

*Bray cheerfully waves*

Firefly Funhouse #2

“Oh! Bonjour! As you can see I love to paint. Painting is a way for me to express my suppressed feelings. And when you’re expressing yourself, no one can ever truly hurt you. hahaha

Rambling Rabbit: “What’s up, Bray? Are you painting over there, dude?”

Bray Wyatt: “Hey, it’s rambling rabbit. I sure am, rambling rabbit. Would you like to see?” 

*Rabbit nods*

Well, ta-da!”

*Picture shows a burning forest hut. Between the flames, a face looks out of the window*

Abby the Witch: “Hey! This is not time for games!”

Bray Wyatt: “Yowie wowie! You better run, rambling rabbit! Abby, the witch is awake.”

Rambling Rabbit: “Wow, I’m outta here!”

Abby the Witch: “What did I tell you about fooling around in the fun house? You didn’t learn your lesson from last time, did you? You were a very bad boy.”

Bray Wyatt: “Woah, take it easy, Abby! That’s all in the past. Besides, I am really sorry for what I did. I mean, all of you forgive me, right?”

Abby the Witch: “Fine, just keep it down when I’m trying to get my beauty rest!”

Bray Wyatt: “Shhhhh. That’s Abby the witch. She’s a bit of a sociopath.”

Rambling Rabbit: “Hey! Is ‘sociopath’ like the word of the day or something?”

Bray Wyatt: “You know what, rambling rabbit? I think you’re right. Sociopath’ is the word of the day: Sociopath, S-o-c-i-o-p-a-t-h, sociopath. hahaha Well, I think that’s all the time we have for today. But remember, my fireflies, as always I light the way and all you have to do  is let me in. See ya!

*Bray cheerfully waves*

Bye. Thank you!”

Firefly Funhouse #3

“Hello and welcome to the Firefly Fun House! Now, today is going to be a really, really fun day. Hey! What’s going on over there? Hey Mercy the Buzzard, what you got there?”

Mercy the Buzzard: “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Bray Wyatt: “Come on, hermano, we are all friends here, show us what’s in the box!”

Mercy the Buzzard: “Back off, man, I said it was nothing.”

Abby the Witch: “What are you trying to hide, Mercy?”

Mercy the Buzzard: “Not your damn business, Abby. Now, go to sleep, you old hag.”

Bray Wyatt: “Hey, hey! Alright, alright, alright, let’s just everybody calm down. Let’s just see what all the buzz is about, Mercy. Let me see right…

*Bray reaches into the box but Mercy grabs his hand*

Oh, okay, yeah. *

*Bray reaches past Mercy into the box*

Huh! *Bray is holding the head of Rambling Rabbit* Yowie wowie! Is this Rambling Rabbit? What have you done?”

Mercy the Buzzard: “I despise Rambling Rabbit. He was trying to force me to adhere to his bohemian worldview and ideologies. You know, what I mean?”

Bray Wyatt: “Oh, Mercy. It’s perfectly okay to express yourself, any way you want to, whether it’s painting a painting, flying a kite or ripping Rambling Rabbit to shred.

*a flickering video of Wyatt’s gloves that say “Hurt” and “Heal. appears*

 The point is you can be forgiven, no matter what; just like I was. In fact, I think you should be rewarded.”

Mercy the Buzzard: “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Bray Wyatt: “I think I am. Picnic time! Hey everybody! And remember, my fireflies, I’ll light the way. And all you have to do is let me in. Bye!

*Bray cheerfully waves*

See you next week!”

Firefly Funhouse #4

“Hey there, I’m over here. *The camera tries to find Bray*

No silly, not there. *camera finds Abby the Witch, Bray Wyatt and Mercy the Buzzard in a place that was just empty*

Yowie wowie! You found me. *a patched up Rambling Rabbit is shown*

And I’m sure glad you did, because this week I have a secret. Ssshhhhhhh!”

Abby the Witch: “You woke me up for this? It better be good.”

Mercy the Buzzard: “Yeah, let’s hurry it up. I got stuff to do.”

Bray Wyatt: “Oh, come on. It’s almost time for me to show the world what I’ve really been working on. But.. I can’t do it alone, no, I’m gonna need the help of all my fireflies. So, who’s with me?

*Bray spreads his arms, the children cheer, Wyatt laughs*

Oh, that just warms my soul. But don’t worry, there’s still a lot of darkness in this old noggin’. But this time is different. This time

*a flickering video of Wyatt’s gloves that say “Hurt” and “Heal. appears multiple times*

I learned how to harness it, how to control it. So what do you say? You want to see my secret?

*Bray turns around, Mercy, Rabbit and Abby are scared. Cut to wild, dark scenes from a doll’s house. The picture flickers, the Firefly Fun House is illuminated in black/red.*

Let me in!

*Bray is now dressed as the Fiend in the evil clown mask, black/red striped pants, a black shirt and a black leather coat*

Voice from off camera: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are.

*Bray turns to the camera*

Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are.”

Bray Wyatt: “Yowie wowie!”

So good man Bray was so fn talented and creative, even the theme song was great. The skits were funny and entertaining to watch and they were creating momentum for Bray to get a big push with this new character. The skits started light hearted at first but would have more evil overtones in every new episode. We learned the Mr. Rogers type character was just a smoke screen for the real new character he would debut called The Fiend and we got our first glimpse on Firefly Funhouse #4 and in in late May on the Firefly Funhouse with Bray saying the Fiend was here to protect us. The Fiend was Bray in a demonic clown type mask with black and red pants and it def looked cool. I still remember the hype after the Fiend debuted on RAW to attack his old rival Finn Balor after the lights went out and came back on to see the Fiend hit Sister Abigail on Balor. This set up a match at SummerSlam and what an iconic entrance it was. The Fiend walked out to a hard metal version of the Bray Wyatt theme with a lantern made of a Bray Wyatt head with its mouth wide open where the light of the lantern came out. Fans were all in on this character and everyone was talking about how awesome it was after the show. The Fiend defeated Balor in less than 4 minutes establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. Bray had got the fans excited for him again and were expecting big things from the Fiend.

In the weeks after, the Fiend started attacking WWE legends like Mick Foley, Jerry Lawler, Kane and Jurt Angle using Foley’s old Mandible Claw finish as well as Sister Abigail. It seemed like the path he was on would lead him straight back to the main events but as always with Bray, bullshit WWE creative was going to be an anchor on him. The Fiend started a feud with the WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins by attacking him at the Night of Champions PPV to set up a match inside Hell in a Cell at the next PPV. In one of the worst finishes of all time, a Hell in a Cell match ended by REFEREE STOPPAGE after Rollins buried the Fiend in chairs and hit him with a sledgehammer. Unfuckingbelievable. Fans absolutely hated this and let WWE with boos and ‘bullshit’ chants. The Fiend recovered quickly and ended the show with a Mandible Claw on Rollins. Seeing a character with so much potential like the Fiend immediately given such garbage creative was so disheartening. But surprisingly at the next saudi event, The Fiend would defeat Rollins in a Falls Count Anywhere match to win the Universal Title. Despite all the ridiculous stops and starts with him, somehow Bray became 1 of the few wrestlers to hold both the WWE Title and the Universal Title. I was really happy that he got this opportunity he had long earned but the creative was not enjoyable to watch so it wasn’t like he was being made into a bigger star. Bray would debut a new version of the Universal Title for the Fiend to wear on the Firefly Funhouse and man it was fcking awesome. It had weathered black and red leather with the Fiends face as the centerpiece along with the words ‘Hurt, Heal and Let Me In’ on the sides. 1 of the coolest belts ever produced.

The Fiend would enter a feud with another old Bray Wyatt rival, Daniel Bryan defeating him at Survivor Series. the feud would continue on SmackDown after Bray attacked Bryan and ripped out chunks of his hair. Ouch lol while Bryan was off TV selling his injuries, Bray wrestled as his Firefly Funhouse Mr. Rogers type character for the first time defeating the Miz at the TLC PPV. Danie Bryan would make his return after the match by attacking Bray and this set up a Strap Match at the Royal Rumble PPV. The strap match was absolutely brutal as the Fiend beat the absolute hell out of Bryan with the strap to the point it was getting uncomfortable to watch lol But man it did a great job of establishing the Fiend as something to be legitimately feared. The Fiend was built as an unstoppable monster that was impervious to pain like the original Undertaker character so of course they couldn’t wait to ruin it. In one of the most disgusting creative decisions of all time, Goldberg defeated the Fiend at a saudi event to win the Universal Title ending his title reign at 118 days and essentially killing the mystique of the character. Pathetic.

On the next SmackDown, The Fiend confronted and challenged John Cena to a match at WrestleMania 36 which he accepted. It was exciting bc since Cena already beat Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania, the Fiend should go over here but I wasn’t holding my breath. As we all know, COVID shut the world down but WrestleMania would go on from the performance center and the match was changed to a cinematic Firefly Funhouse match. During the match, Bray and Cena went through characters they had played and alternate timelines before the Fiend pinned Cena to win the match. I thought it sucked but a lot of fans liked it and at least it was a win over Cena. Bray as the Mr. Rogers type character, lost to the new Universal Champion and old Wyatt Family member Braun Strowman at the Money in the Bank PPV. At least it wasn’t the Fiend but still frustrating to see him eat a loss after beating Cena. Bray reintroduced his ‘Eater of Worlds’ character and  challenged Strowman to a cinematic Wyatt Swamp Fight at the Extreme Rules PPV where Alexa Bliss appeared as a vision to distract Strowman. Bray won but it was non-title. Match wasn’t very good but COVID made things difficult so you can’t blame them for trying this. This led to the Fiend using the Mandible Claw on Alexa Bliss who Strowman was close with. 2 weeks later, to try and draw out the Fiend who was showing a lot of interest in Bliss, Strowman gorilla pressed her threatening to slam her before the Fiend showed up to seemingly help Bliss. Mind games were being played with videos of Strowman and the Fiend laughing shown. Can’t say I was enjoying this at all but I thought it had potential if they could come up with a solid direction for it.

This led to the Fiend defeating Strowman at the SummerSlam PPV to win the Universal Title for a 2nd time but his thunder was stolen after the match when Roman Reigns returned and attacked both  the Fiend and Strowman. This led to a triple threat match at the Payback PPV as Roman pinned Strowman to win the Universal Title like just fuck off already. They kind of protected the Fiend by having him lose the title without being pinned but he had earned a longer run. On the Oct 2 SmackDown, the KO Show was featuring Alexa Bliss and the Fiend attacked Kevin Owens and extended his hand to Alexa Bliss which she accepted. In previous weeks and even after Bray was released from WWE, Bliss was using Sister Abigail as a finish so this partnership was kind of intriguing giving more layers the Fiend and a fresh character for Alexa Bliss. The next week on SmackDown the Fiend defeated Kevin Owens but was drafted to RAW in the WWE Draft so the feud would end there. Back on RAW he restarted his feud with Randy Orton setting up a Firefly Inferno Match at the TLC PPV. Of course the Fiend lost but it was a pretty crazy moment considering Orton legit set the Fiend in fire. Could have been the end of the character but I was hoping it wasn’t over.

Alexa Bliss wanted revenge for the Fiend so she was constantly interfering in his matches and eventually challenged Randy Orton to an intergender match at the Fastlane PPV where the Fiend would return except now with a burnt mask, charred skin and burnt clothes to hit Orton with Sister Abigail giving Bliss the win. The Fiend and Alexa Bliss storyline was very good and had so much potential given the chemistry they had together and how good they were in portraying these characters. They were telling a story of the spirit of Sister Abigail now residing in Alexa Bliss which gave her supernatural powers like the Fiend and she did a great job selling it. But as with all things Bray Wyatt, Vince McMahon was about to cut the legs out from under him but this time for good. The Fiends return set up a match at WrestleMania 37 against Randy Orton where Bray would surely get his win back and be ready for big things the rest of the year. Instead it was an absolute disgrace of a “match” that killed the Fiend character. The Fiend showed up back to normal without the burns and during the match, Alexa Bliss appeared out of a box with black liquid running down her face which distracted the Fiend and when he turned back to Orton was hit the an RKO and pinned. Absolute fcking bullshit. Fans were irate but the damage had been done and Vince McMahon dealt one last ‘Fuck You’ to Bray Wyatt. The next night on RAW, Alexa Bliss declared she no longer needed the Fiend, ending their partnership. Bray did one last Firefly Funhouse as the Mr. Rogers type character declaring he needed a fresh start before being shockingly released on July 31, 2021.

Windham Rotunda did everything he needed to do to receive opportunities to shine on the highest level which makes his release and constant burials over the years such a disgrace. The Eater of Worlds should have been the new Undertaker but the character was killed so he had to reinvent. The new Face of Fear had main event potential but the character was killed so he had to reinvent. I know some fans criticize the Fiend character saying it was too indestructible thus making the matches boring but how can you blame him. every time he came up with something great they killed it so of course he would create a character that couldn’t be killed in kayfabe but obviously that didn’t stop Vince McMahon from killing it anyways. If the Fiend’s indestructibility was toned down a bit in certain matches it would have worked perfectly. He would be dominant most of the time but in the right situations could take a loss and have it not hurt him. But in the end no matter what he did, Vince always saw his father in him and never let him rise higher than that. Thank God Vince McMahon is gone but I wish Bray was still alive to benefit from it. Bray Wyatt should have beaten John Cena at WM 30. You could make the case that Taker needed a win at WM 31 after the Streak was broken but Bray and Harper should have defeated Taker and Kane in a passing the torch moment. Bray should have beaten Randy Orton at WM 33 and 37. Change those results and man what a ride he would have taken us on. Such a damn shame, man.

After the insane decision to release Bray, I was so hoping he would sign with AEW where he would have more control over his creative and we would have got to see his characters they way they were meant to be presented. I was def disappointed to hear he resigned esp after how WWE had treated him over the years but still had some hope that they realized their mistake and would rectify it with a big push. In Sept 2022, teases started to appear on WWE TV and live events with QR codes with hidden messages, minigames, riddles and the song ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane playing with everything leading to the Extreme Rules PPV. Before the PPV went off the air, we saw real life versions of his Firefly Funhouse characters in the crowd before Bray came out of the entrance with a lantern and new mask as fans chanted ‘Holy Shit!’ Bray took off the mask to reveal himself to a huge pop from the crowd. Bray Wyatt was back and the fans were behind him. It’s a testament to how great Bray Wyatt was that fans were always ready to give him another chance even after being let down by WWE Creative so many times. Joining Bray in a Uncle Howdy costume was his brother Bo Dallas and man this had me excited for the future of the group. From day 1 of the Wyatt Family, fans wanted Bo Dallas to be in the group with his brother knowing how awesome it could be and now it was finally happening. We were ready for another great ride. Bray’s first promo back that showed a rare moment of vulnerability:

*Bray has tears in his eyes after the big reaction from the fans*

Bray Wyatt: “Ahem. I don’t – I don’t know if you all can read this on me, but uh– I am, I am incredibly grateful, and I, I’m really, really nervous to be here, but I never thought this would happen. And this, this, this right here, this is just me, okay? Yeah, this is a version of me that I ne– I’ve never got to introduce to you guys before. This is just me, being me, genuine me for the first time.

*Wyatt gets emotional and pauses again to collect his breath*

And uh. I just wanna share with you, you know, this– this past year of my life, I’ve– I, I lost a lot of things. I uh, I lost my career—

*fan shouts I Love You Bray*

I love you too…I lost, I lost my career. I lost my self-confidence. I lost two people who were very, very close to me. And I– and I lost my, I lost my way. And I, I got to a point, where I thought that everything that I’ve ever done here or otherwise, I thought it was all meaningless, nothing I ever did has mattered to anyone. And, and, I was, I was wrong. I was wrong.

Once I was done feeling sorry for myself and I decided to go out in the world again and see people, there were people everywhere, they would say, “Thank you Bray, man. When you coming back home?” Uh. And then every once in a while… there would be someone I would meet that’s truly remarkable, and you, you know you are. And these people, they would come to me and they would say, “Bray, I just wanted to thank you man, because, I was in a time of need, and I lost people that were close to me, and I lost my self-confidence, and I felt weak, and I felt vulnerable. And in this weakened state, I found your words, Bray. I found your words, and I just wanted to thank you, man. You saved my life, Bray!” The truth is I–I, I don’t think about stuff like that… And the thing about that is, is that I could sit here right now today and I can look all of you in the eyes, and I can say, that you were there when I was weak, when I was vulnerable, when I was down, so I just wanted to say, thank you! You all saved my life!

You wouldn’t let me alone. Every time I tried to run away and hide, you were there to find me. When I left things behind, you found them, you chased me! You are the reason–“

*the lights go black and a video plays of Uncle Howdy on the Titantron*

Uncle Howdy: “Oh little one, my little one. Come, come. Come with me, your life is done. Forget the future, forget the past. Life is over. Breathe your last. You got no idea who you’re dealing with, do you? Oh, but you will hahaha You will.”

On the 30th anniversary of RAW, Bray interrupted LA Knight in a segment with the Undertaker who whispered something to Bray before he left the ring. Some fans see this as a ‘passing the torch’ moment but I don’t agree with that. It was def a cool moment but the ‘passing of the torch’ needed to happen in a match with Bray defeating the Undertaker. Still it was better than nothing and the feud with LA Knight would lead to a Pitch Black match at the Royal Rumble PPV. The match was sponsored by Mountain Dew so it went down with black lighting which illuminated the body paint Bray was using as well as green glow sticks all over. A lot of fans hated this match but i enjoyed it, the visuals were cool and the action was good. Bray would win the match with Sister Abigail and afterwards put on the new demon mask he had been wearing to continue the attack. They brawled into the crowd until Bray used the Mandible Claw on Knight to incapacitate him onto a platform and as the camera panned up to the top, we saw Uncle Howdy standing there before jumping off hitting Knight with an elbow drop causing pyro to go off as the Firefly Funhouse characters looked on. Later in the night after Alexa Bliss lost to Bianca Belair, a video package played on screen with clips of Bliss and Bray Wyatt shown as Uncle Howdy asked Bliss if she was truly in control of herself. Def exciting to see the tease of Bray and Bliss renewing their partnership. Sadly this would be Bray Wyatt’s last match on WWE TV with his official last match coming vs LA Knight on a Feb 26 house show in Rickford, Illinois.

After the Royal Rumble, Bray began a feud with Bobby Lashley that was supposed to lead to a match at WrestleMania 39 but Bray was dealing with an undisclosed illness and had to be off TV so the storyline with Lashley was dropped and the match never took place. Reports came out that Bray had come down with COVID which caused heart issues in addition to the normal effects of the illness. In August, reports came out that Bray had been in a tough battle but had got through it and would be returning to TV soon. On August 24, 2023, Windham Rotunda went to take a nap and never woke up. He suffered a heart attack due to the complications with COVID and died in his sleep at age 36. When the news broke it took my breath away, I could not believe it was real. Never mind what we lost with wrestling, I knew he had young children and was engaged to Jojo so my heart just broke for them. As a brother, I was devastated for Taylor and Mika and my heart broke for his parents, family and friends. This was not right, this was not the way things were supposed to go. Bray was eventually going to make things right and reach the mountaintop that he had climbed to but never been given a chance to shine on. He was planning to reinvent the Fiend with new mask, gear and toys but would never get that chance. The only reason you could take all the times they killed his ideas was bc you had faith he would get another opportunity to make it right. Now that he is tragically gone, looking back at his history makes me so angry knowing what could and should have been. We didn’t even reach the tip of the iceberg with what he could have accomplished with his brother finally by his side in storylines. I hate that this is how things turned out, Windham deserved so much better.

Still doesn’t seem right that I have to end it here, there should have been so much more to write about. But unfortunately this is the reality so all we can do is try to keep Bray Wyatt alive by talking about his greatness and sharing clips of his great moments. In the past year seeing all the conversations around Bray, it’s clear that he will be remembered as a creative genius that never got the support he had earned. But I’m happy to report his legacy is going to live on in a big way thanks to the Wyatt Sicks. This was Bray’s next great creative idea but he never got to share it with us so his brother Bo Dallas has picked up the torch…I mean lantern haha and is leading the group on WWE TV. The group consists of Bo as Uncle Howdy, original Wyatt Family member Rowan, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy and they are doing such a great job bringing this idea to life. They remind me of the Whisperers from the Walking Dead and they were the best villains on that show. It remains to be seen if they will get the same treatment Bray got or if they will actually get an opportunity to shine on the highest level. Bo Dallas was NXT Champion and proved that he had main event potential until he got to the main roster and Vince McMahon treated him the same as his Father and Brother.

But with HHH running the show now, he was the guy that gave Bo the opportunity in NXT so I have to believe he will give him that same shot on the main roster and I have no doubt that Bo will crush it. He has his own talents plus the energy of Bray pushing him to be great. It would be awesome to see Alexa Bliss join them when she is ready to come back to TV. But so far so good and the group has built good momentum heading into the rest of 2024. Everyone in the group has so much talent but have always been passed over so it’s a great story to see them join together and start taking what is theirs. I know Bray would be thrilled to see his legacy preserved like this. Just wish he was here.

I guess that brings us to the end, I hated having to write this but I really enjoyed going through his career and being reminded of why I became a fan. As I’ve said it also makes me angry to go over all his great ideas and see them try to kill him every time but every time he came back again with another great idea. That is his legacy, a creative force of nature. I will do my part to keep supporting his legacy and will def be supporting the Wyatt Sicks as much as I can. Sending up prayers of all good energy for Jojo, his children, his brother and sister, Mom and Dad, Uncles, Aunts, friends, coworkers, fans, for everybody that loved him. It will be a year tomorrow that he died and I know it’s gonna be a tough day for everyone. He deserved a better fate in wrestling and in life but I want to thank him for the great ride he took us on. Whenever you want to find Bray Wyatt, just Follow the Buzzards. Godspeed brother