Bo Dallas and 4 other members of Bray Wyatt's family who have been wrestlers in WWE & WCW
Bray Wyatt made his first appearance on WWE television since his return at Extreme Rules last Saturday. He was on SmackDown and cut an emotional promo about the past year of his life.
However, Bray Wyatt is not the only member of his family to have wrestled in the company. In the world of professional wrestling, it is common for an athlete's son to want to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a career that has brought prestige to his family's name. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns come from legendary wrestling families.
Sometimes, over three generations follow the route taken by their forefathers. The Windham-Rotunda family isn’t an exception in this case. They are the early pioneers of the wrestling business, whose legacy is currently being carried on by Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda).
In this list, we will look at five members of Bray Wyatt’s family who have been wrestlers in WWE and WCW.
#5. Robert Windham - Blackjack Mulligan
Popularly known as Blackjack Mulligan during his time in WWF, Robert Windham was Bray Wyatt’s maternal grandfather. He was a part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2006 and was inducted alongside Blackjack Lanza.
Mulligan made it to WWWF after a successful run in the National Wrestling Alliance. A multi-time NWA champion, Blackjack was involved in multiple high-profile WWE matches, including Andre the Giant and the legendary Bruno Sammartino.
Robert Windham's most notable moment was with John Lanzo. Dubbed “The Blackjacks”, they would go on to win the tag team championships in 1975. Mulligan was also an interview show host, which went by the name BlackJack Barbecue in the mid-1980s.
Robert Windham’s last performance inside the squared circle came in 1993. The “patriarch of the Windham family” died in April 2016 after battling heart disease for several months.
#4. Barry Windham - WWE's Horseman
Barry Windham is another popular figure in the Windham family. He is the son of Blackjack Mulligan and Bray Wyatt’s maternal uncle. Barry was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012, as a member of The Four Horsemen.
Nicknamed The Widowmaker, Barry was trained by his father and made his wrestling debut on November 1979 against J.J. Dillon. Following a notable run with Lex Luger as the “Twin Towers” in NWA, he joined hands with the Four Horsemen.
Subsequently, Barry Windham had various championship matches and team-ups in WWE before he turned to the role of a producer for the company from 2007-08.
A former NWA Heavyweight Champion, Windham’s last performance was in the 2010 American Combat Wrestling event. The 62-year old veteran is doing well in health after surviving a near-death situation in 2011.
#3. Kendall Windham
Brother to Barry Windham, Kendall had a brief run in WCW mostly when the promotion went into heavy losses. He retired in 2002 shortly after the “fall of WCW” and is yet to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as compared to his brother.
Kendall Windham made his wrestling debut in 1985 as part of Florida Championship Wrestling. He became a five-time Heavyweight Champion and eventually made it to the big leagues of WCW. Kendall is well-known for being a member of the Yamasaki Corporation, a spin-off of the Four Horsemen.
Kendall and Barry Windham eventually defeated Harlem Heat in 1999 to win their first tag team championship as a team. They had brief stints in FCW as well as All Japan Pro Wrestling before dropping the WWC tag titles to La Artilleria Pesada. The brothers lost a rematch to them in January 2001, with it marking Kendall Windham’s last match.
#2. Lawrence Rotunda - Irwin R. Schyster (I.R.S)
Also known as Mike Rotunda, Lawrence is Bray Wyatt’s father. He is an exceptional figure in professional wrestling due to his performances as well as character portrayals. Despite retiring in 2003, Mike made multiple sporadic appearances in WWE before being released in 2020.
Lawrence Rotunda began his wrestling career after being trained by The Destroyer (Richard Beyer) in 1981. He joined his brother-in-law Barry Windham in WWE and won the tag team championships multiple times as the U.S Express.
In WWE, Lawrence is renowned for his portrayal of Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. The gimmick of a tax collector became an instant favorite and fans loved his catchphrases like “pay the fair share.” He eventually joined Ted Dibiase to form the infamous Money Inc. in 1993 and the duo won the WWE Tag Team Championships thrice.
Lawrence Rotunda eventually left the company to side with WCW. Debuting as V.K. Wallstreet, the veteran joined the New World Order. I.R.S was eventually rehired by WWE as a road agent. He last fought in the 15th Anniversary Battle Royal in 2007 which was won by his former partner, Ted Dibiase.
#1. Brother of Bray Wyatt - Taylor Rotunda (Bo Dallas)
The younger brother of Bray Wyatt, Taylor Rotunda is best known for his time in WWE as Bo Dallas. He worked in the promotion for 13 years before being released in April 2021 after a neck injury sidelined him for months. Rumor has it that Dallas will be returning soon as part of Bray Wyatt’s Firefly Fun House.
Dallas started wrestling at the age of 18 during which time he won the state championships in Florida. Subsequently, he became a part of WWE’s developmental brand FCW. Bo Dallas is a three-time FCW Heavyweight Champion and a two-time tag team champion with Husky Harris (Bray Wyatt).
However, he is mostly renowned for his 260-day reign as NXT Champion in 2013. Dallas debuted on the main roster in 2014. While he embarked on a winning run, he made his way to the mid-card. He had a brief run in the Social Outcasts as well as The Miztourage, before forming a tag team with Curtis Axel known as The B-Team.
Bo Dallas last wrestled in a house show in Zurich in November 2019. He teamed with the Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler and Rober Roode) but failed to defeat Shorty G (Chad Gable) and the Lucha House Party.