5 Bray Wyatt moments that prove he was ahead of his time
Bray Wyatt was one of the most unique, yet entertaining characters of all time. His natural wit, charisma, and creative mindset enabled him to think way outside of the box, which resulted in some of the best storytelling WWE fans have ever seen. Sadly, his life was cut short on August 24, 2023, when Bray passed away at his Brooksville, Florida home.
Before introducing the world to Bray Wyatt, Windham Rotunda was known by several other monikers, most notably Husky Harris. When the Wyatt persona debuted, no one knew what type of historic ride wrestling fans were about to embark on.
Throughout his career, Bray provided many moments that will be remembered for decades. Some of those moments transcended time and were well ahead of his time, creatively. Today we remember some of those moments. Here is our list of 5 Bray Wyatt moments that proved he was ahead of his time.
#5 - Bray Wyatt introduces the WWE Universe to a children's choir
One of the greatest rivalries in modern history was the feud between The Wyatt Family and The SHIELD. This angle culminated at the 2014 Elimination Chamber pay-per-view when The Wyatts defeated The SHIELD in a six-man tag match. Shortly after this angle, Bray turned his focus towards the living legend, John Cena.
As the storyline between Bray Wyatt and John Cena started to pick up steam, Cena began to realize that Wyatt was not only a tough adversary, but he was also somewhat of a mentalist as well. With that said, what he discovered during an April episode of RAW, would haunt him for the duration of their bitter rivalry.
The St. Louis fans erupted as John Cena's music started playing at the beginning of RAW, on April 28, 2014. Cena stood in the middle of the ring, with a cage surrounding him.
The 16-time world champion was poised to address his upcoming Extreme Rules bout with Wyatt when suddenly, Bray's voice started playing throughout the arena as he sang "he's got the whole world in his hands..."
A children's choir then surrounded the ring, with all of the children wearing the patented sheep mask. This segment appeared to shake Cena to his core.
#4 - Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena in the Firefly Funhouse Match
A cinematic match is a unique, gimmick clash that we rarely see, with the bouts being used primarily for major feuds or storylines with a more supernatural element.
This type of match typically takes the audience on a ride with numerous twists and turns. One of the first matches of this type took place at WrestleMania 12 when Roddy Piper took on Goldust in the infamous Backlot Brawl. Since then, fans have been privy to a few more, with one of the most recent being John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in the Firefly Funhouse Match.
As John Cena's feud with Bray Wyatt continued to intensify, things took a trip down memory lane at WrestleMania 36 with the Firefly Funhouse Match. During this match, fans took a nostalgic trip back in time, featuring segments replicating John Cena's "Prototype" gimmick, the nWo, and the old WWF blue cage. This match displayed Bray's unparalleled storytelling ability.
#3 - Windham Rotunda reinvents Husky Harris as Bray Wyatt
In late 2010, "Husky Harris" made his main roster debut as one of the members of The Nexus. This was a very dominant stable, which enjoyed success and tormented the roster under the leadership of Wade Barrett.
Husky Harris lasted less than one year on the main roster before being sent back to FCW, where Rotunda would eventually repackage himself into the cult hero persona we know as Bray Wyatt. It's a well-known fact that Windham Rotunda had a major role in his creative rebuilding process, including the birth of Wyatt. The Wyatt persona was a risky gamble, but Rotunda made it work and this moniker was certainly years ahead of its time.
#2 - The Fiend is born
The Wyatt Family accomplished a lot during their destructive WWE run. But eventually, Bray would move on to singles competition.
During his singles run, Wyatt would soon reinvent himself once again, but this time he reached deeper into his creative intellect for something that the wrestling world wasn't quite ready for.
Following his time with Matt Hardy as The Deleters of Worlds, Wyatt went back to the drawing board once again and came back with the character known as The Fiend. This was a darker side to his cultish persona, and it was also a more violent side as well. The Fiend was like something written by Stephen King, a horror film brought to reality, it was the brainchild of one of the most creative minds wrestling will ever know... Bray Wyatt.
#1 - Bray Wyatt makes an intriguing return before an emotional farewell
The WWE Universe was left in complete shock when Bray Wyatt was released on July 31, 2021. But, after being gone for over a year, WWE began airing random, bizarre segments throughout episodes of RAW and SmackDown. These cryptic teasers would often include a QR code, which would redirect fans to obscure images, and mindless riddles. These spots would continue to air until the 2022 Extreme Rules event.
As the Extreme Rules event came to a close, Bray Wyatt made his return, to the delight of the 16,000 fans in attendance at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. Bray came back more popular than ever, with a new character in tow, Uncle Howdy.
Unfortunately, wrestling fans never got to see the full potential of the Uncle Howdy angle. This was an intriguing era for Bray, which would have resulted in something amazing.
Bray gave wrestling fans a lifetime of memories that will never be replicated. As much as he gave fans, there was so much more left that he was bound to accomplish.
Bray gave fans something to believe in, he gave us a type of entertainment that was far ahead of his time, and we all were fortunate to witness the era of Wyatt.