Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Bray Wyatt

Discover the career path of Bray Wyatt, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Windham Lawrence Rotunda, known as Bray Wyatt, was a prominent American professional wrestler. He was primarily known for his time in WWE, from 2009 until his death in 2023. Wyatt was known for his captivating characters and storylines, most notably as the cult leader Bray Wyatt and his alter ego, "The Fiend." He captured the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship during his career. Wyatt's ability to blend horror elements with professional wrestling made him a uniquely memorable and impactful performer in the industry.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2005: State Wrestling Champion

In 2005, Windham Lawrence Rotunda, wrestling under his real name, won a state wrestling championship at 275 pounds (125 kg) at Hernando High School.

June 2009: FCW Florida Tag Team Championship

In June 2009, Windham Rotunda, teaming with his brother Bo Rotundo, won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).

June 2, 2010: Joined NXT as Husky Harris

On June 2, 2010, Windham Rotunda joined NXT under the name Husky Harris, paired with Cody Rhodes as his Pro.

September 2010: Feud with Percy Watson in FCW

In September 2010, while still on NXT, Husky Harris (Windham Rotunda) began a feud with Percy Watson in FCW after attacking him during a tag team match.

March 2011: Adoption of the Axl Mulligan Gimmick

In March 2011, Windham Rotunda adopted the gimmick of Axl Mulligan, a hockey mask-wearing character, in FCW. However, the character never made it to FCW TV, and Rotunda continued to play Husky Harris on FCW TV.

August 2011: Feud with Lucky Cannon and Damien Sandow

In August 2011, Husky Harris (Windham Rotunda) became involved in his brother Bo's feud with Lucky Cannon and Damien Sandow in FCW, teaming with Bo to defeat them.

February 2, 2012: Second FCW Florida Tag Team Championship

On February 2, 2012, Husky Harris and Bo Rotundo defeated Brad Maddox and Eli Cottonwood to win the vacant FCW Florida Tag Team Championship for the second time.

April 2012: Rebranded as Bray Wyatt

In April 2012, Windham Rotunda was repackaged as Bray Wyatt, initially associating himself with Eli Cottonwood in FCW before WWE rebranded FCW into NXT.

July 11, 2012: NXT Debut as Bray Wyatt

On July 11, 2012, Windham Rotunda, repackaged as Bray Wyatt, debuted on the rebooted NXT, defeating Aiden English.

2012: Debut of Villainous Cult Leader Character

In 2012, Bray Wyatt debuted his character as a villainous cult leader.

February 21, 2013: First match back from injury in NXT

On February 21, 2013, Bray Wyatt had his first match back from injury on NXT, defeating Yoshi Tatsu.

August 18, 2013: Defeats Kane at SummerSlam

On August 18, 2013, Bray Wyatt defeated Kane in a Ring of Fire match at SummerSlam, marking his first main roster match, with interference from Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.

2013: Best Gimmick Award

In 2013, Windham Rotunda was voted as the Best Gimmick by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

2014: Wrestlemania XXX

In 2014, Bray Wyatt and John Cena faced off at Wrestlemania XXX in a match that Cena won.

January 5, 2015: Defeats Dean Ambrose in an Ambulance Match

On January 5, 2015, Bray Wyatt defeated Dean Ambrose in an Ambulance Match on Raw, effectively ending their feud.

January 24, 2017: Orton defeats Harper, Wyatt exiles Harper

On January 24, 2017, on SmackDown Live, Randy Orton defeated Luke Harper, leading to Bray Wyatt delivering Sister Abigail to Harper, exiling him from the group.

January 22, 2018: Wyatt defeats Hardy at Raw 25 Years

On January 22, 2018, at Raw 25 Years, Bray Wyatt defeated Matt Hardy.

2018: End of Villainous Cult Leader Character

In 2018, Bray Wyatt ended his run with the villainous cult leader character.

2018: Hiatus from Summer

In 2018, Bray Wyatt went on hiatus from the summer.

April 2019: Debut of Firefly Fun House and The Fiend Persona

In April 2019, Bray Wyatt began appearing in pre-recorded segments as the host of Firefly Fun House, and introduced The Fiend persona, a demonic masked character.

2019: Return with Firefly Fun House and The Fiend

In 2019, Bray Wyatt returned with the Firefly Fun House and The Fiend character.

2019: Feud with Seth Rollins and Universal Championship Win

In 2019, The Fiend feuded with Seth Rollins, culminating in The Fiend defeating Rollins at Crown Jewel on October 31 to win the Universal Championship.

2019: Best Gimmick Award

In 2019, Windham Rotunda was voted as the Best Gimmick by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for the second time.

2019: Hell in a Cell Match Controversy

In 2019, Windham Rotunda's Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins at the Hell in a Cell event was universally panned by fans and critics, due to its "horrid" booking and contentious ending, significantly damaging The Fiend character. It was named Worst Match of the Year by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and also voted the Gooker Award winner for the year.

January 26, 2020: The Fiend defeats Daniel Bryan at Royal Rumble

On January 26, 2020, at the Royal Rumble, The Fiend defeated Daniel Bryan in a strap match, ending their feud.

2020: Drafted to Raw and feud with Randy Orton

In 2020, The Fiend was drafted to the Raw brand and reignited his feud with Randy Orton.

2020: Worst Gimmick Award

In 2020, The Fiend was recognized as the Worst Gimmick of the year by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, making Windham Rotunda the only performer to have won both Best Gimmick and Worst Gimmick with the same character.

March 21, 2021: The Fiend returns at Fastlane

On March 21, 2021, at Fastlane, The Fiend returned as a tweener, attacking Randy Orton during his intergender match with Alexa Bliss, allowing Bliss to win.

September 2022: "White Rabbit" Teases Begin

In September 2022, WWE began playing an a cappella version of "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane at live events, teasing Bray Wyatt's return.

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2022: Return with Uncle Howdy character

In 2022, Bray Wyatt returned with a new character called Uncle Howdy.

February 17, 2023: Wyatt and Howdy attack Hit Row

On February 17, 2023, on SmackDown, Bray Wyatt and Uncle Howdy attacked Hit Row, followed by Wyatt challenging the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley to a match at WrestleMania 39.

April 2024: Plans for The Fiend Revival Revealed

In the April 2024 documentary Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal, it was revealed that Windham Rotunda had been planning to revive the character of The Fiend with a new mask, outfit, and props.

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