RIP Bray Wyatt

The White Wolf

I'm guessing Bray will lead the HoF class next year. I know it seems like it doesn't matter, but it will assist in supporting his family long term. I see they've already committed to giving part of the proceeds for merchandise to his family which is great.

Cotts72

Still devastated by this news ..I just watched the return last year at Extreme Rules and that ovation is matched only by a select few superstars. He was a one of a kind evolutionary superstar with a brain for the business that went from a laughing stock as Husky Harris to one of the most over characters in the past decade

Lord TSC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121023741#Comment_121023741

Three months younger than me. That’s the first major “celebrity” death that has hit home like that, I think. Like, Eddie, Benoit, even Brodie were all obviously way older than me. But Bray was younger. It makes it more real, and those ones hit hard regardless. It’s messed up.

Bounty Hunter

Just doesn’t seem real.

the fact that it’s modern era and that he is a year younger than me just makes this one hard to process.

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121024109#Comment_121024109

His body of work barely qualifies for the HOF, Let alone as a headliner.

Eddie Guerrero didn't even get that.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121024109#Comment_121024109

All proceeds from his merchandise I’m pretty sure, which is a class move.

What a horrific tragedy. His initial character wound me up at the best of times but he brought it to a completely different level with the Firefly Funhouse and The Fiend. Outstanding creativity.

What a horrible loss. RIP

callaway92

Awful sad news

Have to say, there's a lot of bollox talk online about him being 'one of the best visionaries' etc. These comments being from the same people that absolutely shat on his characters time-and-time again

So easy when someone dies to start glamourising them to get yourself the brownie points but people were brutal about him since the Wyatt family stuff ended really

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121024972#Comment_121024972

I'm not a big Wyatt guy, but he was a visionary, there was just no-one there who could scale his visions for the medium of a professional wrestling tv show, and he couldn't translate it into an in ring product.

Shame, because everything he did had glimpses of brilliance, and he could have changed the game if he learned how to harness it.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121025053#Comment_121025053

Understood on that - It's just interesting a lot of Tweets from high-level people that are all over him now, who genuinely shat on him.

Agent Coulson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121025354#Comment_121025354

Shat on him or shat on the gimmick?

I shat on the gimmick plenty and I didn't think he could go in the ring.

However anytime I saw him on social media interact with fans you coud see the genuine man behind the gimmick and that man seemed like a really nice man and to die at 36 with a young family is tragic no matter what anyone though of the gimmick.

The White Wolf

All credit to his family for putting the cause of death out there. It is absolutely their business whether they did or not, but at least it will (partly) spare them from any social media bullshit.

J. Marston

The Fiend was rubbish but it did give us some great wrestlecrap moments. The Firefly Funhouse "match" with Cena was genuinely brilliant though.

Bayou Bray was good. The promo for his Mania match with Cena sticks in the mind...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0v4J1JsJeI

He wasn't really a good wrestler but that doesn't matter if you can get crowd reactions and he did that.

nacho libre

Both he and Brodie gone too soon. It's a hackneyed phrase, but it's still true, sometimes the good die young and it's definitely true for those two. There were very few who had a bad word to say about either man. That as we all know is rare enough in Wrestling. The Wyatt family was the best thing in Wrestling in recent times.

It sad to think about whatever Undertaker said to Bray will never be realised now. Undertaker knew WWE had a unique character in Bray Wyatt. RIP Windham Rotunda.

ThePott

I think it's a bit snarky to say that people can't have both mixed feelings on some of his work while still seeing the creativity and ingenuity he brought. He can be considered and heralded for being creative even if you didn't always love what he did create.

Wrestling needs variety, Bray brought that. He had some good in-ring moments and matches and was competent but he obviously isn't going to get any best wrestler awards. He created some interesting and different characters and did deliver some good promos, visuals and ideas that often didn't fit into the mould of 'wrestling' easily. Very few of these 'spooky characters' are going to bat a hundred and they'll never be everyone's cup of tea but as a massive horror fan, I thought it was cool that there was something different and horrific even if I didn't love every part of his character or personas.

Performers will always leave complex legacies behind, you can dislike the Fiend (or his booking) while also appreciating his presentation. You can enjoy the Firefly Match with Cena while arguing that it doesn't necessarily make sense and wasn't a 'match'. Wrestling fans are passionate and we nitpick a lot, it's part of the fun. Even in film, I can see that a director like Zach Snyder is creative and has strengths even though a lot of his films just aren't for me.

I liked Bray's return to WWE and thought the White Rabbit stuff was really innovative and cool. At times it felt directionless and was frustrating that the Uncle Howdy stuff was a bit meandering but it was definitely interesting and unique and that's not always something you can say about wrestling. He brought something different to the table consistently, even if I didn't love every part of it, he made wrestling more interesting.

Even outside of that, I think people can empathise that he is a profound loss as a young man with kids, a family and colleagues that thought a great deal of him.

Sirsok

Devastated by this news , man it really hit hard.

Itssoeasy

I’ve given short posts since last night, but I loved the Wyatt family gimmick as it was like skinner mixed with the undertaker and a southern preacher and bray Wyatt was superb in that role.

And I’m glad he got a WWE championship run and he and Orton made history by being the first world title match at mania featuring two third generation wrestlers.

The fiend was a new twist on the Wyatt family and I was intrigued but I have to say I felt the same as Seth Rollins felt after the HIAC mess. It just seemed to lose its way as a gimmick.

JP Liz V1

I think if he didn't get injured when he returned as a face, he could have been a mega over face, he was a big merchandise seller

I wasn't too big on him but as so young and still active despite not on screen, he was still in the media, talked about his return etc.,

I think at times creative did not know what to do with him despite his gimmick

It's 3 years since heel Reigns returned and took the title, they had unfinished business too

OT but I thought Bo had debuted on AEW but it was Santana

satguy

RIP , Bray

We have lost so many young fit sportsmen in the last few 2 years or so..

Lord TSC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121026798#Comment_121026798

Nearly as if Covid has caused health issues in people.

And I’ll say this with the mod hat on, don’t even dare start with the anti-vax nonsense. It’s the wrong day and the wrong thread to start peddling that harmful shite.

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121025850#Comment_121025850

The Firefly Funhouse match was completely daft, let's be honest, but WWE needed to do some things like that when they couldn't have a live audience. Same reason they had to have the boneyard match on the same show.

Agree that Bayou Bray was good. It didn't stretch the limits of credulity while being quite original. I don't think the character needed the supernatural elements which were tacked on later.

The White Wolf

To me he's a visionary in the sense that he managed to wrestle a good degree of creative autonomy for himself from Vince. To do that in a period where Vince had a strangle hold on every little bit of what a character does and say, unless you were a parter timer/legend, means he was special.

I'll echo what The Pott said in that wrestling is all about variety, and Wyatt carved out his own piece of that to big success. And to me he was only getting started.

In short I don't think it's hyperbole to say he was one of the best creative minds in the business today. Before anyone says it, I've made posts here preaching patience for his latest run, so it's not just lip service.

brianregan09

Was never a huge fan of him after the Family stuff ended i feel like he lost his mojo , Fiend looked awesome but was definitely in the wrong medium and WWE didn't help by torpedoing him with Goldberg either

But I was absolutely reeling this morning when i seen how he died as I myself last summer ended up in HDU in the hospital from heart related complications from covid last year , and i couldn't help think that could have been me , and he's younger than me aswell , Absolutely gutted for his family who will feel this the most

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121024109#Comment_121024109

WWE will of course have lavish and deserved tributes to the man's memory over the coming days, and it goes without saying that they'll be fully deserved. Whether that will translate to a HoF induction next year, though, I'm not sure. Wrestling has seen a lot of young deaths, and while Wyatt's death appears to have nothing to do with the excesses or rigours often associated with wrestling, having him as the face of next year's Hall of Fame could see him lumped in with that by the media and the spotlight being shone on WWE for it once again.

The White Wolf

I can't recall if Eddie led his HoF class.

I wouldn't see the issue really, there's nothing to hide about how he passed. Negative press would be on the people pedalling that story.

Then again they probably have their HoF lead already booked in given it's 40. He'll likely be there.

CastorTroy

If he got a HoF spot, I don't think it should be the headline. He was fired and only got brought back by HHH and had done very little after that.

He had to the potential to be a future first ballot Hall of Famer, as they say, but sadly we won't get to see what else he had to contribute.

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027771#Comment_121027771

Bret headlined that year.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027771#Comment_121027771

I think he will go in next year for sure but maybe not as the headliner, likely The Rock or Batista

https://twitter.com/WWERollins/status/1695188103668060263

Mr.Nice Guy

Shocked to hear of Bray's death at such a young age. My favourite part of his career was when he was with the Wyatt Family on NXT and then WWE. One of the most interesting and creative minds of recent times. I thought the WWE's tribute to him was well done.

JP Liz V1

I find it strange calling him Windham even though it is name, by all accounts he was well liked by everyone, I see Jericho and Fozzy remembered him at their show last night, could AEW Wembley too?

Cena has called it is best favourite feud and some lovely backstage photos of Bray with Cena, Taker, Orton and The Rock

I wonder could Bray's legacy maybe continue with Bo as Howdy, Alexa and Braun or it is best just end completely

Maths_Teacher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121029931#Comment_121029931

Considering WWE are still milking Eddie Guerrero as much as possible (LWO etc.), I'm sure they'll do the same with Bray if they think money can be made, regardless of if it's "best" or not.