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The professional wrestling world is mourning the loss of one of WWE's biggest stars. Bray Wyatt, a multi-time world champion, tragically passed away on Thursday, August 24th, 2023. The heartbreaking news was announced by Triple H on X.
Windham Rotunda had been wrestling professionally since 2009. Aside from around a year between 2021 and 2022, he spent the entire 14-and-a-half-year period working in World Wrestling Entertainment and its various developmental territories. While he took a little time to find himself, he took off upon becoming Bray Wyatt.
With Bray Wyatt's persona, he became a legend in the industry, headlining numerous Premium Live Events and winning many championship titles. As impressive as his wrestling career was, however, the personal relationships and bonds he had meant the most.
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This article will look at some of the late-great star's closest relationships in professional wrestling. Fans are grateful to have had their lives touched by Wyatt, but some have been fortunate enough to connect with him on a deeper level, be it being bonded by blood, friendship, and beyond.
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#5. Braun Strowman is the godfather to one of Bray's children
Braun Strowman is one of WWE's top stars. He is a former Universal Champion and a Premium Live Event headliner. He is recovering from a neck surgery but continues working towards an eventual in-ring return.
On-screen, Braun and Bray Wyatt have a lot of history together in WWE. Strowman's career kicked off as The Wyatt Family's fourth member on the main roster. They teamed up together and even later feuded, making memories for fans all over the world.
However, their real-life bond is even more special than what they gave fans on-screen. Bray served as a mentor to Strowman, and they became close friends. So close that Braun is the godfather of Bray's son Knash.
#4. Bray Wyatt's father is the legendary Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda is a legendary professional wrestler. He wrestled under various monikers throughout his wrestling career, including his real name, V.K. Wallstreet, Michael Wallstreet, and Irwin R. Schyster, the latter he used in WWE.
The legendary IRS was extremely close to Windham, as he is Bray's real-life father. While their relationship was generally avoided on television to maintain the mystique of Wyatt's gimmick, the two were seemingly quite close away from the ring.
Tragically, the WWE legend recently spoke about his late-great son. Mike believed that Bray was on the mend and would return to wrestling soon. He has been one of Windham's biggest supporters.
#3. The late Brodie Lee was very close to Bray Wyatt
Brodie Lee was a beloved professional wrestler. He began his career in 2003 and continued wrestling until he died in 2020. He spent seven years working with WWE under the name Luke Harper. He won several championships in the Juggernaut wrestling promotion.
Like Braun Strowman, Brodie Lee became close with Bray through The Wyatt Family. After Eli Cottonwood, a superstar who briefly aligned with Wyatt, Luke Harper was his first true "family member." The two even eventually held the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Titles together.
Brodie left World Wrestling Entertainment in 2019 and worked with All Elite Wrestling until his untimely passing a year later. They remained close until the end, with Bray referring to Lee as his brother and best friend. You can see his heartfelt tribute to Jonathan "Brodie Lee" Huber in the Instagram post above.
#2. Bo Dallas is Bray's brother
Bo Dallas is one of the most underrated superstars of the past decade. He was the third man to win the NXT Championship, and his over-the-top character was extremely popular. Upon joining WWE's main roster, he won tag team gold alongside Curtis Axel and the 24/7 Championship.
The former NXT Champion was released by WWE in 2021 but seemingly returned as the haunting Uncle Howdy over the past year. The latter started tormenting Bray on-screen before the two eventually united. They were about to feud with Bobby Lashley until Windham's real-life health issues led to the duo being removed from television.
Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas being able to work together was noteworthy, as the two are real-life brothers. They began their careers in Florida Championship Wrestling just months apart. The duo, having had the opportunity to work together on a major platform 14 years later, had to be remarkable.
#1. Former WWE ring announcer JoJo Offerman is his long-time partner
JoJo Offerman was one of the youngest superstars to ever sign with WWE when she joined the promotion in 2013. She, alongside Eva Marie, was the rookie on the popular Total Divas series. She later trained to wrestle.
While she only wrestled a handful of matches, JoJo eventually became a full-time ring announcer for WWE. She first did so on NXT but later moved to the main roster. She quietly left the promotion in 2021.
Offerman and Bray had been in a relationship for over five years before Wyatt's tragic passing. The two had two children together and became engaged last year.
Whether he's known as Husky Harris, The Fiend, Bray Wyatt, or any other gimmick, Windham Rotunda touched the lives of millions. We here at Sportskeeda offer our sincerest condolences to JoJo, the entire Rotunda family, and those close to the future Hall of Famer.
