WWE Champion Bray Wyatt Passes Away at 36

 At the age of 36, Bray Wyatt, a three-time WWE world champion, has passed away. Wyatt had been contending with an undisclosed health condition that had sidelined him from the ring since February. However, his family characterized his death as unexpected.

The announcement of his passing was made by WWE's content officer Triple H, who took to social media to share that Windham Rotunda, Wyatt's real name, had passed away unexpectedly.

Among those offering tributes to the late star was Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock. Johnson expressed his sorrow on X, previously known as Twitter, stating that he was deeply saddened and had always held great respect and affection for the wrestler.

He added, "I admired his on-screen presence, his compelling promos, his skill in the ring, and his ability to connect with the WWE fanbase. He possessed a truly unique, impressive, and rare persona, something that's challenging to craft in the whirlwind world of professional wrestling.”

WWE commentator Mick Foley expressed, 'My regard for Bray Wyatt was immense... He possessed a genuine foresight; one of the most captivating personas ever witnessed in the realm of wrestling.'

Wyatt hailed from a lineage of wrestlers, counting his grandfather Blackjack Mulligan, father Mike Rotunda, and younger brother Bo Dallas among them.

Rotunda himself was a renowned wrestling luminary, recognized as IRS owing to his portrayal as a tax collector hailing from Washington DC, who playfully targeted wrestlers and fans as 'tax evaders.'
Born on May 23, 1987, in Brooksville, Florida, Wyatt achieved the title of state wrestling champion during his high school years and secured a football scholarship to Troy University. Nonetheless, he opted to depart from his academic path before completing his degree to embark on a career as a professional wrestler. This marked the initiation of his wrestling journey in 2009."

Under a variety of names, he entered the ring, adopting monikers such as Husky Harris, Alex Rotunda, Duke Rotundo, and The Fiend.

In his Bray Wyatt persona, he embodied the role of the malevolent leader guiding The Wyatt Family, a cult-like faction that included Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman, and the late Luke
Harper (also known as Brodie Lee).

Following his release from WWE in 2021, he made a much-anticipated resurgence during the October pay-per-view event, Extreme Rules, introducing a revitalized rendition of his character.

Despite a recent bout of illness that kept him sidelined for months, he was on the brink of making a WWE comeback before his untimely passing, as per Wrestling News reports. In a departure from his character, Wyatt opened up about his triumph over mental health challenges the previous year, revealing, "I confronted the loss of my career, a decline
in self-assurance, the departure of two individuals incredibly close to me. I lost my path. I reached a juncture where I believed that all my endeavors, be it in this realm or beyond, held no meaning.

It seemed that nothing I had ever achieved had any significance for anyone. And
I was mistaken." He continued, "Once I moved past my self-pity, I took the step to re-engage with the world, and I discovered... individuals all around who would express their gratitude, 'Bray,
we're waiting for your return, man.' "And occasionally, I would encounter someone genuinely exceptional, a person who left an indelible mark”