Windham Rotunda; who are the wrestling family members that the late Bray Wyatt was related to?

The wrestling world is in both shock and mourning today after news emerged overnight that Windham Rotunda, known to wrestling fans as Bray Wyatt, had died at the age of 36 after what have been inferred as heart problems related to COVID-19 complications. However, no official cause of death has been released at this time, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful did post on Twitter clarification after much speculation over how he died.

It’s for wrestling fans, including myself, a painful reminder of just how talented Rotunda was as many of us have shared videos and images from some of his work throughout his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Initially brought in as Husky Harris when the company was trialling a “reality competition” in the early iterations of NXT, it would be his trip of Florida Championship Wrestling, which would then become the NXT brand we know now, where Windham’s incredible mind for the wrestling business was demonstrate to all who would “follow the buzzards.”

In NXT, Rotunda created the character of Bray Wyatt; a preacher man, or a cult leader, from the southern part of the United States, the character Wyatt was spellbinding and, more importantly, interesting at a time where the supernatural elements in wrestling were viewed as passe - a throwback to before the huge success of the “Attitude Era.” The Wyatt character in these early stages leaned heavily into “southern gothic,” with his two devour followers acting as his muscle.

One of those happened to be the late Brodie Lee, known in the WWE as Luke Harper, who sadly died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare condition which causes lung tissue to become irreversibly thickened until the lungs can no longer function, in 2020. The death affected Rotunda deeply, however the sports entertainer made his long awaited return in October 2022, with hints that some long-term storytelling based around the mythos of the character and Wyatt’s extended universe might come to fruition.

Wyatt’s last appearance on WWE television was on Smackdown on February 17 2022, which saw Wyatt and Uncle Howdy attack Hit Row. The crowd chanted: 'Thank you Bray.' The former WWE Champion is survived by his partner, Joseann Alexie Offerman, and their two children, Knash Sixx (born May 18, 2019),] and Hyrie Von (born May 28, 2020).

Who was Bray Wyatt related to?

Windham Rotunda came from another family of professional wrestlers, the “Windham” dynasty, who were a regular fixture of the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crockett Promotions (which would later become WCW) and the territories in the US before Vince McMahon and “Black Friday” occurred.

Barry Windham (uncle)

Barry Clinton Windham, born on July 4, 1960, is a retired professional wrestler. He is known for his successful career in various wrestling promotions, including WWE (formerly WWF) and WCW. Windham is considered one of the most talented and versatile wrestlers of his time. He has held multiple championships throughout his career and is known for his technical skills, athleticism, and ability to adapt to different wrestling styles.

Kendall Windham (uncle)

Kendall Windham, born on August 29, 1967, is a former professional wrestler. He is the younger brother of Barry Windham and the son of Blackjack Mulligan. Kendall Windham had a wrestling career primarily in regional promotions and appeared in WCW during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Irwin R Schyster (Mike Rotunda - father)

Mike Henry Rotunda, born on March 30, 1958, is a retired professional wrestler and wrestling producer. He is known for his time in WWE, where he portrayed the character Irwin R. Schyster (IRS), a tax-themed wrestler. He became a WWE tag team champion with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, forming the tag team "Money Inc" before DiBiase created the larger "Million Dollar Corporation" - predating Mr McMahon's "Corporation" heel (bad guy) stable by a good number of years.

Rotunda had a successful tag team partnership with Barry Windham known as The U.S. Express. After retiring from in-ring competition, Rotunda worked as a backstage producer for WWE, contributing to the development of matches and storylines.

Bo Dallas (Taylor Michael Rotunda - brother)

Taylor Michael Rotunda, born on May 25, 1990, is known by his ring name Bo Dallas. He is the real-life son of Mike Rotunda and the grandson of Blackjack Mulligan. Bo Dallas had a successful career in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where he held the NXT Championship. He later transitioned to WWE's main roster, where he portrayed a motivational speaker character.

This gimmick didn't last though, and alongside another generational superstar, Curtis Axel (the son of WWE Hall of Famer, Mr Perfect), became both the "heavies" for The Miz (Mike Mizanin, formerly of "The Real World" fame) and also as part of a group of wrestlers that weren't getting any opportunities known as the "Social Outcasts."

Taylor was also rumoured to be the man behind the "Uncle Howdy" persona during his brother's final run in the WWE before his untimely death.