WWE star Bray Wyatt has died aged 36, John Cena pays tribute

Photo: Monica Schipper/FilmMagic

Windham Rotunda, the former WWE Champion, better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt, has died at the age of 36. Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative for WWE, announced the news on social media on Thursday. “I just got a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda [Wyatt’s father] who informed us of the tragic news that our lifelong WWE family member, Windham Rotunda – aka Bray Wyatt – passed away unexpectedly today,” Levesque wrote. “Our thoughts are with his family and we ask everyone to respect their privacy during this time.” No information was initially given about the cause of death.

Born into the third generation of a family of professional wrestlers, Wyatt was known for his creative characters. In 2010, he joined the WWE development program as Husky Harris. He was part of the Nexus faction that feuded with John Cena, and later debuted as the cult leader of the upstate Wyatt family. Bray Wyatt also eventually became the kid-friendly counterpart to another alter ego known as The Fiend. Throughout his career, Wyatt has been a two-time WWE Universal Champion, WWE Champion, and (along with Matt Hardy) Raw Tag Team Champion. He was popular with the fans allegedly became WWE’s top merch seller last year. Still, he spent most of 2023 outside of the ring, and there were rumors he wouldn’t be able to compete due to ill health. earlier this month, Combative selection reported that Wyatt was battling a “life-threatening illness” and was finally preparing for his WWE return.

“Windham brought out the best in me in so many ways. I am eternally grateful for the moments we shared. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson was among the stars who responded to Wyatt’s death by paying tribute online. Write that the news “broke his heart”. “I always had great respect and love for him and the Rotunda family. Loved his presence, his promos, his work in the ring and his association with @wwe universe,” Johnson said. “Very unique, cool and rare character that is difficult to create in our crazy world of pro wrestling.” John Cena, one of Wyatt’s rivals in WWE, also shared a reaction online. “Windham brought out the best in me in many ways” he wrote. “I’m forever grateful for the moments we shared.” Wyatt is survived by his fiancé, former WWE ring announcer JoJo Offerman, their two children and two children from a previous marriage. Below are reactions from various members of the WWE community.