Hiya.
On August 24 of this year, we sadly learned of the sudden passing of professional wrestler Windhan Rotunda. Maybe some of you might not recognize the name because, like with most performers in the WWE, that’s not the name he used when he entered the ring. Windham Rotunda used a lot of other names, such as Duke Rotundo and Husky Harris. However, his most popular alter egos were Bray Wyatt and The Fiend. Yes, Bray Wyatt and The Fiend passed away.
This was sad for several reasons. For one, Bray Wyatt just returned to the WWE and was just starting his reviving his in-ring wrestling career. You can tell he was cooking something up with his character but, as he died so suddenly, we’ll never really know what he had planned for the future. That’s doubly sad as he was one of the most creative performers in the WWE as he kept evolving his character. He also was very young as he passed away at a youthful 36 years of age. He had a lot of good years ahead of him, good years will never see.
The shock of his sudden death was felt by a lot of fans and his colleagues as many paid tribute to Bray Wyatt. Out of all of that came the idea to induct him to the upcoming 2024 WWE Hall of Fame. I can definitely understand why a lot of fans would say Bray Wyatt should be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. I’m actually one of those people. However, I do have to question if his name should be included in the list so soon after his death and so early in his career. So, I decided to ask myself: Should the WWE induct Bray Wyatt in the Hall of Fame Class of 2024?
First off, I can’t deny the impact the man had in the WWE during his stint as Bray Wyatt. His early incarnation of the character, an enigmatic and silver-tongue cult leader of the Wyatt Family with a connection to dark powers. After the character kind of lost popularity after the Wyatt Family broke up, Bray Wyatt would then resurface as a seemingly family friendly host of a children’s show but with dark overtones just hidden underneath the surface. This version of Bray Wyatt also had an alter ego known as The Fiend, a brutish, almost unstoppable monster who would wreck his opponents while no-selling any of their attacks.
All of Windham Rotunda’s later characters were big hits with the fans. So much so that, although they were supposed to be villains, they were too cool not to cheer on. This also led to some memorable moments in the WWE, such as the Cinematic Match between the Firefly Funhouse version of Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena in a surreal match with a lot of inside jokes for longtime fans to chew on as well as some creative visuals to go along with them.
While all of that is fine and dandy, is that all that is needed for someone to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? When you really think about it, as good as his stint was in the WWE, there were also a few stinkers as well. Things like both his Wrestlemania matches against Randy Orton. The first one being the one with the stupid projector showing off worms and cockroaches on the mat and the one where Alexa Bliss popped out of a box, distracting him long enough to get pinned in a disappointingly short match. There was also the time when he teamed up with Matt Hardy to become Tag Team Champions as the Deleter of Worlds, which was a severe waste of the man’s talents as he became a background character instead of the lead! What a disappointing change! From the leader of a scary cult to more of a second banana in a comedy act!
However, I will say Bray Wyatt is probably the most interesting character to have come out during the modern era. He was kind of a callback to wrestling gimmicks of old days. While most modern wrestlers were doing less silly and fantastical gimmicks, Bray Wyatt wasn’t afraid to get a little silly while still being an intimidating force. The supernatural elements made him come off as a little surreal and you really couldn’t expect what was going to happen next.
It certainly helped that Windham Rotunda was a genius behind the mic, able to spit out wondrous and creative promos to make him really stand out. Like a real-life cult leader, Bray Wyatt was captivating to listen to. Even if you didn’t really believe in what he believe in or even though he was spouting nonsense, he was so charismatic and convinced in himself, you wanted to believe in him as well. Honestly, really good mic work is something that’s sorely missed in the WWE and Bray Wyatt had that skill in spades. It’s because of these things that he made an enormous impact in the WWE.
However, the same could be said for a lot of other individuals in the WWE but have yet to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. We have the likes of Bam Bam Bigelelow, Lex Luger, Demolition, Chyna, Sable and Rick Martel, solid performers from the WWE’s olden days who still haven’t been entered in the Hall of Fame. There are also some memorable managers like Jim Cornette, and Miss Elizabeth. Yes, Miss Elizabeth, the First Lady of Wrestling, has not been inducted in the Hall of Fame yet! That seems utterly absurd considering how popular she is! It doesn’t change the fact she isn’t there yet! I know some of them haven’t been listed in the Hall of Fame is due to politics and the like. Still, the WWE should man up and put some of these names in before Bray Wyatt.
I also find it quite absurd how, despite being part of the Wyatt Family, there hasn’t been any real talk to add Jonathan Huber, AKA Brodie Lee AKA Luke Harper, into the WWE Hall of Fame. There were some murmurings just after his death but those vanished soon after. He had the same circumstances as Bray Wyatt has with the only difference being he left the WWE just before he passed. Still, you could see the waves Brodie Lee/Luke Harper were making in the WWE, which makes me think he was wasted in the WWE by saddling him with the hillbilly gimmick instead of a smart and calculating leader of a faction.
This is probably why there are some asking for the Wyatt Family to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame instead of just Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper/Brodie Lee individually. I do understand the sentiment as it would get past a lot of politics. On the other hand, I also think it would be a disservice to all involved as they do need to be celebrated for what they’ve done by themselves.
I do think the WWE will just induct the Wyatt Family in the 2024 Hall of Fame, though. It’s the safest thing they could do without ruffling too many feathers. I still think Windham Rotundo should be there as well as Jonathan Huber/Brodie Lee/Luke Harper as individual entries. Just not at this time. Maybe in a year or two after we induct other worthy candidates in there.
Byee!
Do you think the WWE should induct Bray Wyatt to the Hall of Fame next year? Let me know in the comments section below!
3rd World Geeks 