Source: Monica Schipper / Getty
Former
WWE champion Bray Wyatt has died at the age of 36. Born Windham Rotunda, he’s been out of the spotlight for the last few years while dealing with health issues that he never explicitly explained to the public.
He’d been with WWE since 2009 before getting released in 2021. He’d eventually return in 2022 and was lauded after being welcomed back into the fold.
WWE’s chief content officer, Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H, took to social media to confirm the tragic news but did not reveal the cause of death.
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“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,” Levesque wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time.”
Wrestling was in his blood; his father, Mike, was also part of the WWE family and performed under the name Irwin R. Schyster. His uncle, Barry Windham, was also a prominent wrestler in the 1980s and ’90s and was even a member of the wrestling group “The Four Horsemen,” which also touted Lex Luger and
Ric Flair.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was among the big wrestling names who responded to his untimely passing.
“Always had tremendous respect and love for him and the Rotunda family,” Johnson
tweeted. “Loved his presence, promos, in ring work and connection with the WWE universe. Very unique, cool, and rare character, which is hard to create in our crazy world of pro wrestling.”
Social media has taken the news hard, reliving some of Wyatt’s best moments and sending their condolences. See the reactions below.
