Last August, the news broke that WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt had died following a heart attack and months of cardiac-related issues. The entire pro wrestling world was left reeling and everyone agreed that WWE had lost one of its brightest stars and a true creative powerhouse.
In the months following Wyatt's passing, WWE has honoured his legacy in a number of ways, including a documentary which will air on Peacock later today titled Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal.
However, many fans are upset that the former WWE Champion isn't being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.
Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham, aka The U.S. Express, are going in and the former, who is Bray's father, shared the reasoning behind his son not being inducted during a recent interview with Sportskeeda.
"I think WWE reassessed stuff and thought it was too soon to go there with our family, and the reactions and the stress on us," he explained. "We got a call from WWE, and [they] said Hunter wants to do a Zoom call. We were thinking they were gonna tell us what was gonna happen at WrestleMania, and Hunter said, 'You guys are gonna get inducted. You and Barry were a part of the first [WrestleMania] show.'"
"It's very flattering obviously and actually less stressful on us because of all the stuff that we had to go through with Windham passing, just the mental capacity of it."
A third-generation wrestler, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Blackjack Mulligan, his father Mike Rotunda, and two of his uncles, Barry and Kendall Windham, Windham Rotunda debuted in WWE as Husky Harris back in 2010. Following a stint with the Nexus faction, he became Bray Wyatt in NXT and made a huge impact there and on WWE’s main roster as leader of The Wyatt Family.
Later holding the WWE and Universal Championships, along with the tag team titles on multiple occasions, Wyatt underwent a major character change when he transformed into The Fiend and started hosting memorable Firefly Funhouse segments which were heavily inspired by Mr. Rogers, albeit with some very sinister undertones.
Bray had a huge impact on WWE and was a true trailblazer. A creative powerhouse and a joy to watch perform in every single gimmick, pro wrestling won’t be the same without him, and we're sure a WWE Hall of Fame induction will happen at some point in the next few years.