RIP Bray Wyatt (1987-2023)
August 24, 2023 5:26 PM Subscribe
The news came out of nowhere as WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque tweeted: "Windham Rotunda - also known as Bray Wyatt - unexpectedly passed earlier today". Bray Wyatt -- one of the most charismatic and creative professional wrestlers of the current era -- was 36 years old.
He's struggled so openly with his mental health since Brodie Lee passed. My heart absolutely dropped when I saw this.
posted by KrampusQuick at 6:33 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by KrampusQuick at 6:33 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ugh, he easily had another 20 years of story in him. Breaks my heart.
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 8:01 PM on August 24, 2023
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 8:01 PM on August 24, 2023
Wyatt died of a heart attack. According to that announcement he had COVID earlier this year that "exacerbated a heart issues [sic]".
posted by plastic_animals at 8:09 PM on August 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by plastic_animals at 8:09 PM on August 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
The moment Windham Rotunda debuted the Bray Wyatt character - with this promo in Florida Championship Wrestling, which was then WWE's primary developmental territory - everybody who saw it knew he'd found a unique voice in pro wrestling. They soon re-debuted him in NXT and it was even better.
They jumped him to main roster quickly, because of course they did. When he and the Wyatt Family cut this legendary promo against the Shield (who themselves are now all the biggest stars in the business), it got fans so hyped for the eventual match that they were chanting THIS IS AWESOME before the bell even rang. (That match is stunningly great, by the way, and worth watching in its entirety.)
And then, instead of running the basic Bray Wyatt character into the ground - and he absolutely could have gotten away with that - he totally revamped the character with the Firefly Funhouse promos, which had their artistic culmination with the John Cena Firefly Funhouse Match during the pandemic, which is best understood as a combination of a wrestling match, a horror movie and a lengthy metacommentary on both WWE as a whole as well as the John Cena character and its history. (The Fiend aspect of the character was mostly badly booked - which isn't on Windham Rotunda since it was a poorly kept secret that he constantly argued for more consistent character arcs.)
An astounding talent and a tremendous loss.
posted by mightygodking at 9:19 PM on August 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
They jumped him to main roster quickly, because of course they did. When he and the Wyatt Family cut this legendary promo against the Shield (who themselves are now all the biggest stars in the business), it got fans so hyped for the eventual match that they were chanting THIS IS AWESOME before the bell even rang. (That match is stunningly great, by the way, and worth watching in its entirety.)
And then, instead of running the basic Bray Wyatt character into the ground - and he absolutely could have gotten away with that - he totally revamped the character with the Firefly Funhouse promos, which had their artistic culmination with the John Cena Firefly Funhouse Match during the pandemic, which is best understood as a combination of a wrestling match, a horror movie and a lengthy metacommentary on both WWE as a whole as well as the John Cena character and its history. (The Fiend aspect of the character was mostly badly booked - which isn't on Windham Rotunda since it was a poorly kept secret that he constantly argued for more consistent character arcs.)
An astounding talent and a tremendous loss.
posted by mightygodking at 9:19 PM on August 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
To borrow analysis from Steve & Larson's podcast, one of the things that made Bray special is that he re-imagined the wrestling tropes of the 80s and 90s in ways that were inventive and exciting. Wrestling's had "mad preacher" characters and "backwoods hillbillies" before, but what came across clearly is that the Bray Wyatt character never did anything just to be a heel (or for the smart marks, he never did anything just for the heat), it always seemed like there was a genuine thought behind the character's action, even if the logic was madness.
In a strange way, it reminds me of Ultimate Warrior, who tried in vain to continue embodying the "Warrior" character as a motivational speaker, as an author, and as a business guru. Except he failed because -- I'm only guessing here -- Jim Hellwig could only imagine Warrior as a conqueror who's already won the battle, so portraying actual vulnerability or changing tactics was a sign of defeat, ergo weakness. Bray Wyatt could win or lose, as long as he was getting his "message" to the world.
The ripple effect of this is that it forced his opponents to raise the level of their own character work. Anyone who opposed found their existence questioned, their psyches probed for gaps, and in many cases (such as with Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, who both became adjunct Wyatt Family members at different points) those gaps would be filled by Wyatt's dogma... which is exactly what should happen against a charismatic cult leader.
Of course, the idea of a mutable character never sat well with Vince, which is why Bray was rumored to be one of the few performers who would flat-out say "no" to McMahon over story angles. Then McMahon cronies started leaking that Bray was "difficult to work with". But in a showing of integrity, Rotunda decided to ask for release from his contract and wait, like Achilles in his tent, until Triple H temporarily got control over creative and re-signed him to a bigger paycheck and a guarantee of control.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:23 PM on August 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
In a strange way, it reminds me of Ultimate Warrior, who tried in vain to continue embodying the "Warrior" character as a motivational speaker, as an author, and as a business guru. Except he failed because -- I'm only guessing here -- Jim Hellwig could only imagine Warrior as a conqueror who's already won the battle, so portraying actual vulnerability or changing tactics was a sign of defeat, ergo weakness. Bray Wyatt could win or lose, as long as he was getting his "message" to the world.
The ripple effect of this is that it forced his opponents to raise the level of their own character work. Anyone who opposed found their existence questioned, their psyches probed for gaps, and in many cases (such as with Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, who both became adjunct Wyatt Family members at different points) those gaps would be filled by Wyatt's dogma... which is exactly what should happen against a charismatic cult leader.
Of course, the idea of a mutable character never sat well with Vince, which is why Bray was rumored to be one of the few performers who would flat-out say "no" to McMahon over story angles. Then McMahon cronies started leaking that Bray was "difficult to work with". But in a showing of integrity, Rotunda decided to ask for release from his contract and wait, like Achilles in his tent, until Triple H temporarily got control over creative and re-signed him to a bigger paycheck and a guarantee of control.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:23 PM on August 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
I’m still struggling to process this. Part of it is not realizing just how young he was until finding out he had passed. The original Wyatt family, the NXT run and, essentially, the unofficial trios division they brought with them onto the main roster was astounding. He truly understood the theatricality of the game, making his entrances (and that theme song!) an event unto themselves. His funhouse match with Cena was, and this sounds hyperbolic for talking about wrestling, a masterpiece of psychology and exploration of what wrestling could become, drawing on a depth of wrestling history that you don’t often see. Someone as big of a name as Cena had no reason to put themselves under such a microscope, but it was honestly a piece of genius.
He had so many more stories to tell. Dammit.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:31 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
He had so many more stories to tell. Dammit.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:31 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Thanks for posting the Firefly Funhouse match, I was going to if you hadn't. It's so crystal clear that Bray finds the idea of "Big Match John, the eternal unbeatable babyface" repugnant, and so, rather like Dickens' three spirits, takes Cena on a whirlwind tour of the past in order to lay bare what he perceives as the pointlessness of the endeavor. I really did get chills when Bray told him "This is your last chance, man. The floor is yours." That's when I knew Cena was not winning at Mania that year. And to be honest, his defeat of "John Cena" as a character concept remains in effect, barring a few brief re-appearances.
Oh, and he ABSOLUTELY should have been the one to break the Undertaker's Streak.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:34 PM on August 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Oh, and he ABSOLUTELY should have been the one to break the Undertaker's Streak.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:34 PM on August 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
"Wrestling is not a love story, it's a Fairy Tale for masochists. A comedy for people who criticize punchlines. A fantasy most can't understand, a spectacle no one can deny. Lines are blurred. Heroes are villains. Budgets are cut. Business is business.--Bray Wyatt, August 7, 2022
But it can also be a land where Dead men walk. Where Honor makes you Elite. Where Demons run for office. And Rock bottom is a reason to rejoice. WOOOOO! It's an escape. A reason to point the blame at anyone but yourself for 2-3 hours. An excuse to be a kid again, and nothing matters except the moment we are in. Wrestling is not a love story, it's much more. It's hope.
And in a world surrounded in hate, greed and violence, a world where closure may never come. We all know a place that has hot and cold hope on tap. For better or for worse."
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:45 PM on August 24, 2023 [14 favorites]
I had to stop and reread twice to make sure that Windham Rotunda was not the stage name. Although I guess a rude hotelier might not really work as a wrestling concept.
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posted by snuffleupagus at 3:52 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
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posted by snuffleupagus at 3:52 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
I had to stop and reread twice to make sure that Windham Rotunda was not the stage name.
Like so many wrestlers, for him it was a family business. His brother wrestles under the name Bo Dallas, and if you were a kid of a certain age you may remember his dad Mike Rotunda as the WWF heel tax collector, I.R.S. Mike married the daughter of old-school wrestler Blackjack Mulligan (real name Robert Windham).
posted by penduluum at 4:39 AM on August 25, 2023 [7 favorites]
Like so many wrestlers, for him it was a family business. His brother wrestles under the name Bo Dallas, and if you were a kid of a certain age you may remember his dad Mike Rotunda as the WWF heel tax collector, I.R.S. Mike married the daughter of old-school wrestler Blackjack Mulligan (real name Robert Windham).
posted by penduluum at 4:39 AM on August 25, 2023 [7 favorites]
I haven’t followed wrestling since about 1999 but one wrestler who I would occasionally check in on was Bray Wyatt. He seemed to be doing something so different, and so much more interesting, than whatever else was going on. I couldn’t even be called a casual fan of wrestling at this point, and I am surprised at how saddened I feel to learn of his passing. Thanks to all for sharing some of his best work here.
posted by synecdoche at 6:02 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by synecdoche at 6:02 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
WWF heel tax collector, I.R.S.
'Irwin R. Schyster,' which I had to look up.
Glad to say I don't remember that, despite being a big Jake the Snake fan as a kid. I'm sure plenty of other unpleasant tropes went sailing directly over my head.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:10 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
'Irwin R. Schyster,' which I had to look up.
Glad to say I don't remember that, despite being a big Jake the Snake fan as a kid. I'm sure plenty of other unpleasant tropes went sailing directly over my head.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:10 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Vince McMahon has a "weird" sense of humor. Anyway, this was during a time when the WWE (then WWF) was giving every one who came in a new name and occupation despite their past history. As in - Mike Rotunda was a former WWF Tag Team champion along with Barry Windham (Bray's uncle, Blackjack's son and why most modern fans know the Windham name). He left for a few years and came back and presto - he was a taxman with an anti-semitic name. Barry had it worse as when he came back to the WWF in the 90s, he was "The Stalker" and then later a copy of his dad.
Anyway, despite the current day WWE's inconsistent policy of allowing second and third generation wrestlers to keep their "family" names, I think taking away those family names gave Bray a chance to really create something of his own.
posted by LostInUbe at 6:55 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
Anyway, despite the current day WWE's inconsistent policy of allowing second and third generation wrestlers to keep their "family" names, I think taking away those family names gave Bray a chance to really create something of his own.
posted by LostInUbe at 6:55 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
Anyway, despite the current day WWE's inconsistent policy of allowing second and third generation wrestlers to keep their "family" names, I think taking away those family names gave Bray a chance to really create something of his own.
Windham Rotunda isn't a good wrestling name. It's unique, sure, but it's also cumbersome with a lot of syllables ending in an open vowel sound, which is basically everything that makes it difficult for an announcer to shout out when he was doing a move or less-than-ideal for fans to chant, except of course when it does and you just sort of know it will work. A good wrestling name just sort of spits itself out and demands to be spoken aloud or chanted. "Shinsuke Nakamura" (also his real name) works where "Windham Rotunda" doesn't. It's a weird sort of art.
Wrestling monikers are kind of an art unto themselves. Joe Hennig, for example - the son of the late Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig - never wrestled under his birth name despite both his father and grandfather (Larry "The Ax" Hennig) having wrestled under theirs, and it was the right call to do that because his name is kind of bland and his wrestling personality lent itself more to "comedy loser" than anything else. Of course, his first sobriquet bestowed upon him by WWE was "Michael McGillicutty," which is an all-time awful wrestling name, and eventually he adopted "Curtis Axel" as a tribute to his dad and grandpa, which is much better.
On the other hand, it is an old running joke that Ricky Steamboat's birth name is literally Richard Blood - but after giving it a couple of minutes, you realize "Richard Blood" is just too on-the-nose to be a good wrestling name. Barbie Blank, on the other hand, has a PERFECT wrestling name - but thanks to WWE's naming policies she was forced to be renamed "Kelly Kelly" while wrestling for them.
Tyson Smith could have wrestled quite well under his birth name, but "Kenny Omega" is better. "Adam Cole" seems like a fairly bland wrestling name, but Austin Jenkins makes it work. Austin Creed, on the other hand, is a fine wrestling name, but he works as "Xavier Woods." And then you get people who just won the name lottery and can wrestle as themselves: Ricky Starks, Sammy Guevara, Max Caster, Jeff Jarrett, Britt Baker, Kris Statlander, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Johnny Gargano, and of course John Cena.
posted by mightygodking at 7:25 AM on August 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
Windham Rotunda isn't a good wrestling name. It's unique, sure, but it's also cumbersome with a lot of syllables ending in an open vowel sound, which is basically everything that makes it difficult for an announcer to shout out when he was doing a move or less-than-ideal for fans to chant, except of course when it does and you just sort of know it will work. A good wrestling name just sort of spits itself out and demands to be spoken aloud or chanted. "Shinsuke Nakamura" (also his real name) works where "Windham Rotunda" doesn't. It's a weird sort of art.
Wrestling monikers are kind of an art unto themselves. Joe Hennig, for example - the son of the late Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig - never wrestled under his birth name despite both his father and grandfather (Larry "The Ax" Hennig) having wrestled under theirs, and it was the right call to do that because his name is kind of bland and his wrestling personality lent itself more to "comedy loser" than anything else. Of course, his first sobriquet bestowed upon him by WWE was "Michael McGillicutty," which is an all-time awful wrestling name, and eventually he adopted "Curtis Axel" as a tribute to his dad and grandpa, which is much better.
On the other hand, it is an old running joke that Ricky Steamboat's birth name is literally Richard Blood - but after giving it a couple of minutes, you realize "Richard Blood" is just too on-the-nose to be a good wrestling name. Barbie Blank, on the other hand, has a PERFECT wrestling name - but thanks to WWE's naming policies she was forced to be renamed "Kelly Kelly" while wrestling for them.
Tyson Smith could have wrestled quite well under his birth name, but "Kenny Omega" is better. "Adam Cole" seems like a fairly bland wrestling name, but Austin Jenkins makes it work. Austin Creed, on the other hand, is a fine wrestling name, but he works as "Xavier Woods." And then you get people who just won the name lottery and can wrestle as themselves: Ricky Starks, Sammy Guevara, Max Caster, Jeff Jarrett, Britt Baker, Kris Statlander, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Johnny Gargano, and of course John Cena.
posted by mightygodking at 7:25 AM on August 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
I'm so sad about this. I don't watch wrestling much anymore but Bray was always a favorite. The Wyatt family entrance song reminded me of an Alice in Chains song and I've always been drawn to spooky-grungy stuff like that. The first time I watched Monday Night Raw was happenstance channel-surfing landing on the moment where the Wyatt family corrupted Daniel Bryan, convincing him to chant "No! No! No!" instead of his famous "Yes" chant. I didn't even know anything about Daniel Bryan or his Yes chant, but it was still immediately compelling. Good storytelling and great character development can hook you that quickly.
Watching those Wyatt family promos and knowing 2 of the 3 of them are gone... it's just not right.
posted by misskaz at 7:53 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Watching those Wyatt family promos and knowing 2 of the 3 of them are gone... it's just not right.
posted by misskaz at 7:53 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
The John Cena Firefly pandemic match was easily the highlight of the entire pandemic.
posted by tafetta, darling! at 8:08 AM on August 25, 2023
posted by tafetta, darling! at 8:08 AM on August 25, 2023
Pro wrestling is a land of contrasts. Wyatt was a guy who knew that he was never going to be the biggest, the strongest, the prettiest or the most athletic on the roster. He was not going to win over crowds with high-flying acrobatics, a steroidal physique or amazing technical prowess. If he was going to succeed and stand out from the crowd, he was going to have to get creative.
And that he did. In an industry where many go their entire careers with the same look, character and modus operandi, Wyatt made a point of reinventing himself regularly, trying out something different. Sometimes it worked well. Sometimes, spectacularly, it did not. As noted previously, obtaining any kind of consistency in a McMahon-driven world is a challenge of biblical proportions, and he was booked straight into the ground on many occasions.
But whether the results were something enthralling or a flameout, every time he unveiled a new twist, even his detractors kept an eye on the screen because they knew something beyond the norm was imminent. And if you're going to be known for stretching the existing boundaries, that's rarely a bad thing.
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posted by delfin at 8:21 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
And that he did. In an industry where many go their entire careers with the same look, character and modus operandi, Wyatt made a point of reinventing himself regularly, trying out something different. Sometimes it worked well. Sometimes, spectacularly, it did not. As noted previously, obtaining any kind of consistency in a McMahon-driven world is a challenge of biblical proportions, and he was booked straight into the ground on many occasions.
But whether the results were something enthralling or a flameout, every time he unveiled a new twist, even his detractors kept an eye on the screen because they knew something beyond the norm was imminent. And if you're going to be known for stretching the existing boundaries, that's rarely a bad thing.
.
posted by delfin at 8:21 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
Windham Rotunda is clunky but it is still a million times better than Husky Harris.
Richard Blood would not have been a good name for a guy who was a face his entire in-ring career. He got the name because of his resemblance to Sammy Steamboat from Hawaii (which is why Ricky was always said to be from Hawaii despite growing up in the East Coast). I always kind of wished he had been able to use a different last name because he was one of the few Asian-Americans who got to be a face during the 70s and 80s.
posted by LostInUbe at 8:23 AM on August 25, 2023
Richard Blood would not have been a good name for a guy who was a face his entire in-ring career. He got the name because of his resemblance to Sammy Steamboat from Hawaii (which is why Ricky was always said to be from Hawaii despite growing up in the East Coast). I always kind of wished he had been able to use a different last name because he was one of the few Asian-Americans who got to be a face during the 70s and 80s.
posted by LostInUbe at 8:23 AM on August 25, 2023
And then you get people who just won the name lottery and can wrestle as themselves: Ricky Starks, Sammy Guevara, Max Caster, Jeff Jarrett, Britt Baker, Kris Statlander, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Johnny Gargano, and of course John Cena.
And then you have Maxwell Tyler Friedman, who seems to have known from go that the only part of that name that wouldn't work was the "Tyler." (And while I can't help but love the moniker Pete Lightning obviously you couldn't build the kind of character he has done under that name.)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:27 AM on August 25, 2023
And then you have Maxwell Tyler Friedman, who seems to have known from go that the only part of that name that wouldn't work was the "Tyler." (And while I can't help but love the moniker Pete Lightning obviously you couldn't build the kind of character he has done under that name.)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:27 AM on August 25, 2023
Also yeah, god damn, that Firefly Funhouse match. I don't really watch WWE anymore but that's a standout not just from the pandemic era for me but for WWE as a whole, honestly.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:29 AM on August 25, 2023
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:29 AM on August 25, 2023
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posted by MrBadExample at 8:41 AM on August 25, 2023
posted by MrBadExample at 8:41 AM on August 25, 2023
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posted by the_dreamwriter at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2023
posted by the_dreamwriter at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2023
Wrestling is not a love story, it's a Fairy Tale for masochists. A comedy for people who criticize punchlines. A fantasy most can't understand, a spectacle no one can deny. Lines are blurred. Heroes are villains. Budgets are cut. Business is business..
I don’t know, people. I was a big wrestling fan from 3rd through 9th grade back in the depths of the second half of the last century, and back then there was a wrestler known as Georgeous George, and when I saw the Donald Trump of the 2015 primary campaign, literally the first thought that crossed my mind was 'Oh My God — it's Georgeous George's evil nephew!'. And everything he has done since has only pulled that knot tighter.
If I were a WWE script writer, and I had a access to a big, square-jawed, blond guy, and a hirsute dark-haired guy with say the amazing build of an Iranian strongman, I don’t know how long I would be able to resist the temptation to get that guy to grow a Jack Smith beard and do what comes naturally.
All's I’m saying is wrestling fans, and if I may presume upon my long ago states of mind which are still pretty close to the surface, we wrestling fans have things to answer for, and it ain’t over yet.
posted by jamjam at 12:59 PM on August 25, 2023
I dunno, Wynd-ham Rotuuuuuuuuuuundah works fine with the 'lets get ready to rumble' cadence. But it would have to be some kind of cartoon aristocrat, and that was already kind of Ted DiBiasie's bag. Not sure a Thurston Howell III version would've worked.
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:09 PM on August 25, 2023
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:09 PM on August 25, 2023
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He was even part of the Rock's last WWE match (Bray confronted the Rock at WrestleMania 32, leading to an impromptu six-second victory over Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan).
We lost Terry Funk just yesterday, and now this. I can barely process it.
posted by Etrigan at 5:34 PM on August 24, 2023 [9 favorites]