RIP Bray Wyatt

I have been a wrestling fan since 1996 when my dad watched an episode of Monday Night Raw with me and I was instantly hooked. I watched Stone Cold Steve Austin ascend to superstardom, I watched Triple H start as blue blood Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and Mick Foley don a mask and become Mankind.

Over the years, I have watched shows where wrestlers have been shown after they pass. It's life and it happens. I was also around when Owen died during a show and the show went on. I watched the Chris Benoit tribute show before we knew the entire story of what happened. I have been around the block with my love of sports entertainment.

There have been three major points in my wrestling fandom where I was hit hard in the heart. In 2005, I returned to wrestling after a long hiatus after Eddie Guerrero died unexpectedly. The toll of substances he used for many years took him way too early. In 2011, Edge was forced to retire for the first time. Edge was also one I followed from the start and it hit me that doing what he loved caused him to retire from it far too soon.

And the third was today. Windham Rotunda, aka Bray Wyatt, passed away at 36. I remember watching the Wyatt Family become a thing and all the feuds he would have with John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and others. When he returned as The Fiend with the Firefly Funhouse segments, it was so weird at first, but it worked. That man had a sense of what made a wrestling character and honestly, he could have been the next spooky supernatural character after Undertaker finally retired. He was so young and had a lot of time to show us his talents.

If what I am reading is true, this is also one last mention that COVID was to be taken seriously when it did. If he died because he contracted that virus and it led to his death, then I am glad we took it as seriously as we did for so long.

RIP Bray. You and Brodie Lee can once again reunite.