Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal

I don’t know if I’m ready to watch this, but it is time.

“Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal” was released exclusively on Peacock on April 1, 2024.

Pittsburgh, PA. We see Bo Dallas walking and taking an elevator to a shop full of Bray Wyatt’s masks and creatures as he recites Bray’s famed “wrestling is a love story” tweet. “A great man once said that. That man is my brother, Windham Rotunda but you know him as Bray Wyatt.”

Bo looks at childhood photos of Windham in costumes and says you can’t tell this wasn’t meant to be. You knew where he was going from the beginning. We go to the opening titles.

Narrated by Mark “Undertaker” Calaway. He says that creativity comes from many places and takes many shapes. The place is Western Pennsylvania and the shape is a character forever known as Bray Wyatt. We meet Jason Baker (Owner, Callosum Studios) and Bo Dallas. Jason created most of Bray’s outfits and accessories. Bo says he wants Bray to love on forever and that they owe him something big to keep his legacy alive.

“This film contains multiple unreleased interviews. These are the unheard tapes of Windham Rotunda, aka ‘Bray Wyatt.’” 23 year old Windham Rotunda, in front of the NXT ring, tells us he grew up in Brooksville, Florida, wherever everybody knows your business and knows his family. Blackjack Mulligan is his grandfather, Kendall and Barry Windham are his uncles, and his father is Mike Rotunda.

Mike Rotunda (Windham’s Father) says he was wrestling in Florida when Dusty Rhodes, the booker, put him and Barry together. Barry Windham (Windham’s Uncle) says that his sister Stephanie came to visit. His best friend Mike was always over and he noticed they were eyeballing each other. Stephanie Rotunda (Windham’s Mother) tells us she wasn’t supposed to be around the wrestlers, but six months later she married Mike. They’ve been married forty years.

The couple traveled the world as Mike became a champion, competing in the first WresteMania. They settled in Brooksville and Lawrence Windham Rotunda was born on May 23, 1987. Mike tells us he was wrestling Ric Flair that night. He came home and found out his wife and mother were at the hospital having an emergency C-section for ten pound Windham. He was a happy, beautiful child. He knew Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice line for line. Mike says he would voice all the characters while Windham says he was always reading the Goosebumps books.

When Windham was three years old, his brother Taylor was born. Taylor Rotunda (Windham’s Brother) tells us he wanted to be just like Windham. Three years later, he got a little sister too. Mika Rotunda (Windham’s Sister) says she had the two best brothers and they were her protectors and friends. Taylor says the boys played practical jokes and convinced her there was an invisible man in their closet.

Natalya (WWE Superstar) remembers the kids playing hard and roughhousing in their living room. Mike was one of her dad’s best friends and his kids had so much personality.

As the children grew up, their father became Irwin R. Schyster in the ring. Undertaker tells us even he shared the ring with IRS. Hulk Hogan (WWE Hall of Famer) remembers seeing Windham hanging out backstage, mesmerized, and could tell he wanted to be in the ring. 23-year-old Windham tells us he remembers IRS taking the Pit Stop from the Nasty Boys and his mom having to hold him back from running to the ring to save his dad. That’s when it started and he knew he wanted to be in the WWE.

By the early 2000s, Windham worked into sports at school. Hey played football and made all-star teams and ran a 40-40. Mika tells us he would wrestle and the whole gym would stop to watch him. Windham won the championship title in high school and was All-State. In 2005, he graduated and continued playing football 3,000 miles away in California. He became an All-American player before moving to Troy University.

Mika tells us Windham dreamed of playing for the Oakland Raiders. She says she was very self-conscious but Windham always made her feel better. He would often make the six hour drive home and came to walk her down the field for homecoming. Windham came to support Taylor in wrestling and whispered, “None of that shit matters” because all that mattered to him was not letting Windham down.

In 2008, Windham was moved to a backup role on the team and had limited playing time. The same year, Taylor signed with WWE. Windham drove down for the first match and Windham said he wanted to do it with him. It would change his life.

“The following contains footage from the WWE archives that has never been seen before.” We head to FCW as Mika tells it it was scary and exciting and Taylor says the two had a house together and loved it. We get footage of Bo & Duke Rotundo in tag action as Mika tells us the first place she ever drove was to see them team. We see footage of Mike watching them as well as FCW footage of Dusty calling a match of theirs. We get footage of the duo cutting a promo and winning the tag team titles, posing with their father.

John Cena (WWE Superstar) says he offered his gym, Hard Knocks South, as a developmental strength territory and he would see them all the time. He said Windham would have people laughing all the time as we see footage of him cutting a funny promo on others. You can also see some early Bray in one of his promos.

Within a year, the 23 would be on a new show called NXT. Wade Barrett (WWE Commentator) tells us about NXT’s early days, as we see Cody Rhodes meet his rookie Husky Harris. Barrett says Windham didn’t really like the name and Cena tells us he imagines he had to be frustrated with the name. The voice of Windham tells us he sees a sad little boy and it was a figment of someone else’s imagination. Nattie says the character drove him to want more.

Undertaker tells us that while professionally he wanted more, Windham was thriving personally. He had been dating his girlfriend Samantha for three years and in 2010 welcomed their first daughter. Samantha Pixley reminisces about calling Windham while he was on a European tour. He called and talked for hours, listening to the birth, and she wouldn’t let anyone see the daughter until he did. Taylor said it wasn’t about Windham any more, it was about the child.

At the same time, Paul Levesque was head of creative. Paul “Triple H” Levesque (WWE Chief Content Officer) says he was miscast as Husky and asked to put him back in Florida. Taylor says Windham didn’t want to be cookie cutter in little tights. Taylor remembers Windham showing him videos of Waylon Mercy and Robert DeNiro in “Cape Fear.” We get footage from a 2011 FCW promo workshop as Taylor tells us about their real-life friend Brae, “to this day the craziest motherfucker I’ve ever met.” Taylor says a lot of Brae’s characteristics were put into the Bray character. Sami Zayn (WWE Superstar) says they’d watch the character and think, “Oh, this is good.” Corey Graves (WWE Superstar) says you’d go from not knowing he was there and then Windham would appear.

Taylor says Dusty knew there was something special. Archival Dusty tells us that Bray believed he is who he is as we see FCW footage of Dusty telling Bray it was a great promo. Chris Chambers (Former WWE Creative Executive) recounts Dusty calling and telling him to check out this new character. Chris did and says it reminded him of a movie character. Undernarrator tells us that Bray wanted an on-screen family but his brother Bo was already an established on-screen character.

Enter John Huber. From 2018, Jon Huber (Former WWE Superstar Luke Harper) says he got a call from Bray and he had rattled off a hundred things. We see footage of the original Wyatt Family vignettes being shot. HHH says there was something special there as we see Bray and Luke Harper debut on NXT.

Erick Rowan (Former WWE Superstar) tells us that he had a Viking gimmick. He was called into the office and told they wanted him to be in the Wyatt Family. The sheep’s mask became his as the family was established. Rowan says they’d watch old interviews of people on death row to pick up on their speech patterns.

Bray was a hit at 26. At the same time, he and Samantha got married and his second daughter was born. Samantha remembers making sure this was special for him since he missed the first birth, electing to be induced so he could be there. Mika says he was born to do a lot, but being a father was the biggest.

Preparations were under way to bring the Wyatt Family up to the main roster. We see HHH talking to Bray and the creation of the lantern. July 2013, Monday Night Raw and the voice of Windham tells us he never thought it would explode the way it did.

Bray’s emergence was unlike anything the WWE Universe had seen before. Big E (WWE Universe) says Bray was such a captivating talker and was doing stuff nobody else was doing. Hulk says that you could feel the character. Seth Rollins (WWE Superstar) says that it was eerie but felt special, almost like a movie character that didn’t fit in professional wrestling. Sam Roberts (WWE Analyst) tells us he instantly connected and he loves characters with a darkness but with a reason

Bray entered into a feud with John Cena. John Cena says the Bray character was chaos and wanted to see the world burn. Windham makes it to WrestleMania XXX, which Cena says was special. Taylor says making it to Mania was the dream and they had no idea he’d get there so fast. Seth says it’s an incredible story, especially in such a short time. Mika was sitting there saying, “that’s my big brother.” Mike says it was a good feeling in his heart as a parent to see his kid get rewarded for his hard work. Cena calls it spectacular and it takes ten years to establish fluency, but Bray had it in six months.

We go back to Jason Baker and the Callsum Studios show to talk about the lantern. He and Taylor are looking at the first lantern they used. Taylor says it reminds him of the fireflies and to see that happening in Madison Square Garden was something he will never forget.

The voice of Windham says the fans created the fireflies on their own and now it’s a part of the show. Roberts says it isn’t just fan participation, every light is a fan buying into the character. Ric Flair (WWE Hall of Famer) tells us that Bray found a niche. Sami says the goal is to connect with the audience, and Bray did.

Taylor tells us that Bray just had “it.” Big E says that when he became Bray, he made you believe. His preparation was real. Finn Balor (WWE Superstar) remembers walking past Windham backstage going over his promo and how deep he was into it. Undertaker tells us he knew the kid was special and it was time to meet in the ring.

2018 Bray tells us he thought “oh my god” when he learned he was facing Taker. He recalls Taker calling him over and asking if he was ready. Windham says it was everything he ever dreamed of. Rowan says it was like Godzilla vs King Kong. Undertaker says Windham proved he was a legend in the making that night and that Windham helped restore the Undertaker and Mark Calloway’s confidence.

By 2015, Bray was becoming a trusted mentor. Braun Strowman (WWE Superstar) says Bray pulled him aside immediately and said he wanted him. From day one, he treated him like a brother. Braun says he learned more about the real world from Windham and that Windham took care of everyone. Becky Lynch (WWE Superstar) tells us that the warmth and humility of Windham was unique. Seth says he was always a pleasure to be around. Cena says that not only was he an interesting performer, but he had a lot of connection with his coworkers. Wade Barrett says Windham was the guy that everyone was best friends with.

WrestleMania 32. 100,000 fireflies light up the arena as we see The Rock interrupt him. Barrett says Bray was bulletproof and you couldn’t take your eyes off him. But after four years, there was a milestone Bray still hadn’t received.

We go to Elimination Chamber and see Bray win the WWE Championship. Seth says it was the company putting their stamp on him and it’s a great feeling as a performer. Mike says he was the first in the family to win it which was cool. The voice of Windham says the first paragraph was always about what everyone else in his family had done, but not the big paragraph is about him. His mom says she cried while the voice of Windham tells us he knew he would get to it.

Being on top means new responsibilities and time away from home. Randy Orton (WWE Superstar) says they became very close, especially during their story together. Randy tells us things change when you’re on the road with kids and it is hard to balance. We look at Orton winning the title back and Samantha tells us things were not as they used to be. They ultimately grew apart and got divorced. His mom says he was absent – mind, body and soul – and the divorce really destroyed him. We see backstage footage of Bray being cranky shooting promos. HHH says you have to find a way to make his creativity work in the ring, which is hard sometimes. While Taylor was succeeding as a tag champion, the Wyatt Family was no more. Bray’s character was on TV but not as prominently featured.

Baker tells us Windham would compliment his work on the Bludgeon Brothers but you could see Windham wanted something of his own too. Braun tells us they did everything together outside of the ring as we meet JoJo Offerman (Windham’s Fiance).

JoJo says she started as a wrestler and became a ring announcer. We see her announcing a Bray match and she says they both became good friends and started dating. Becky tells us she lived with JoJo in NXT and never pictured Windham and JoJo together, but you see them together and it makes sense. Mike tells us JoJo made Windham happy and that’s all you look for in this world. Braun says you can’t fight fate. Taylor tells us he loved her so much.

In 2019, they welcome their son. Braun says it is the sweetest child. Then they have a daughter. Jojo says she loved how wonderful of a father he always was. Taylor says going to their house was like a movie – loud and happy – and JoJo changed his life for the better.

Windham’s happiness inspired his creative side. JoJo says every time Windham had a child, it boosted his confidence to come back better. Windham gets together with Baker. Windham says creative has nothing for him and he needs his help.

“The following contains footage from the WWE archives that has never been seen before.” The voice of Windham says one of his earliest memories was Papa Shango cursing the Warrior and wrestling needs that kind of dark entity in it. Taylor says they were both fans of horror and making evil seem good.

Baker shows us the Fiend concept art. We see Bray in his red sweater walking into the Firefly Funhouse. Bruce Prichard (WWE Executive Producer) says it was not a real place but you could accept it because it was fantasy as we see Bruce and Bray in the Funhouse. Nicholas Manfredini (Former WWE Writer) says shooting the Funhouse was unlike anything they had done before. We get off-camera footage of Funhouse sketches being shot which is fascinating.

We look at sketches for the Funhouse puppets. Huskus was a representation of Husky. Ramblin’ Rabbit was the personification of people thinking Bray rambled too much. Mercy was an homage to Waylon Mercy. Abby was Sister Abigail, the imaginary sister of Bray.

After several weeks, the Funhouse debuts on TV for the first time on Raw. Alexa Bliss (WWE Superstar) remembers seeing it and texting the writers, saying it was brilliant. Rowan says he loved the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse take of it all while Orton says it was Mr. Rogers meets Tales from the Crypt. Orton tells us that anytime a Funhouse was airing, every monitor in the back would be full with others watching. Mika said it was the public’s first chance to be silly and she loved that.

After months of the Funhouse, Windham would introduce the world to the Fiend. Bruce says it was a character that lived in Bray’s head but could take over his body. We go to SummerSlam and see the character’s debut. Finn says it was such a cool character. We see footage backstage afterwards of Windham saying it was the favorite thing he’s ever done. Alexa says it was her favorite character of all time and Braun says it printed ten million dollar bucks of merchandise overnight.

The Fiend’s popularity skyrocketed and had him on course for an old foe, John Cena. Then Covid happens. They took things to the Performance Center and Bruce says the Fiend did not fit into an empty arena. Cena says that he was told they have a Firefly Funhouse Match at Mania. He asks what that was and they reply, “we don’t know.”

We get the behind the scenes footage of the match being shot which is fascinating. They make it a meta-journey and no idea was off limits. You can see how much fun both men were having bouncing ideas off each other. Cena says it was a mini-movie. Sami says they did something memorable that we are still talking about.

Following that success, we met a new Funhouse character. Alexa says Bray always had off-the-wall ideas and she loved it. She says he taught her to open her mind creatively and she had so much fun. She says it was the best moments of her career as we see them cracking each other up backstage.

Windham’s happiness backstage showed on screen, but he would then experience a heavy loss. In December 2020, Jon Huber passed away at the age of 41. 2020 Windham tells us he didn’t want to believe it. Rowan says they were both hurting a lot. Windham tells us he knows nobody can fill the void left behind but he would try. JoJo says he carried the emptiness around and he had such a hard time with it.

Bruce says working with Bray could be challenging because Bray had what he wanted to do and he would fight you in it. He didn’t like when others would get involved with the character. HHH says all of the characters were a part of Windham and he never stopped thinking about it. He says it was part of his genius but could also make him hard to work with on it. Harnessing him into one idea was a struggle. We go to TLC and the inferno match. Wyatt was frustrated that his character got burned. Bruce tells us that with the burnt character, you had to go from wrestling gear to hot, burnt gear you could barely move in.

Baker and Taylor talk about how much Windham hated the character. WrestleMania 37 was the first time in a year that fans were in attendance and we see a lot of Bray fans outside the arena. Bruce says it was a way to get back to the Fiend because it was tough to continue the burned version. Alexa says she turned on him, causing him to lose the match and it wasn’t what people wanted to see. JoJo says it was frustrating for Windham. HHH says that it all fell apart. We see Taylor being released, then Windham. His mom says looking back, you could see it destroyed him.

Windham found a new passion as JoJo walks us into Windham’s art room. She shows us artwork he made of her, her daughters, and others. He was always showing off his artwork and amazing his family.

Windham and Taylor also filmed a reality TV pilot with his brother. It was hunting monsters, conspiracy theories and such. We see some footage that was shot and Taylor says it almost always turned into talking about wrestling. They decided they needed to make it back.

Bruce tells us there is not a lock to the door of WWE. HHH says from the first call, it went from “do you want to come back” to an hour and a half of ideas. JoJo says he was in the gym a lot and working for it.

Natalya says that Windham reached out and wanted to come to their ring. He came and worked with her and TJ Wilson. Windham asked Taylor if he would come back.

HHH introduces us to Rob Fee (Director, Character Development). Rob says that Windham’s energy was going to be a wild ride. HHH says they had a three-way collaboration on the project as we get more archival footage.

HHH mentions the Easter Eggs and QR codes, noting Rob was really instrumental with it. We see many of the trades as Roberts tells us it gave fans something to talk about.

Extreme Rules 2022. After fifteen months, Windham was home. Windham shows us his concept art of his new mask and the excitement is contagious. JoJo says he could call her, nervous, but wanted it to be done the way he wanted it. We see the guys suiting up into the various animal costumes as Jason Baker tells us Windham demanded that he be the one in the Fiend costume as its creator. Windham tells us it’s a feeling of pure nerves and bliss.

We see the post-tag Extreme Rules scene with the crowd exploding for all the Bray scenery. The door opens, Bray appears and the “holy shit” chants echo. The reception is as loud as Bray had ever gotten.

The voice of Windham says he has never felt anything like that, he felt like he was floating. Braun says it was a sight for sore eyes as Bruce tells us it was an explosion. Taylor says it sparked a fire under him. Mika says the fans couldn’t wait to have him back. We see footage from the return promo with the fans chanting “welcome back.” Big E says fans felt so grateful and the promo where he spoke as Windham was so unique. Sami says it’s his favorite Bray promo. JoJo says it was a reminder of how much he meant to people. The voice of Windham tells us he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for such passionate fans. He says the fans let him back in and it’s the best he has ever felt.

This time, Windham needed someone else: his brother. Taylor tells us that a nightmare from Windham’s dreams was the catalyst for Uncle Howdy. Taylor says working with his brother finally was a dream come true. They were both becoming monsters and he got to go to work and play with his brother. We see backstage footage, including Howdy unmasked, and Taylor tells us it meant everything and it felt too good to be true. HHH says Windham had a second lease on life.

February 26, 2023. LA Knight (WWE Superstar) tells us that Windham’s calf felt like it was seizing up as we see house show footage of what would become Windham’s final match.

March 2023. The Bray Wyatt character has disappeared. Taylor calls and finds out Bray has Covid. Windham was admitted to the hospital. JoJo tells us his heart was not working the way it needed. Taylor said it didn’t seem that serious and Mika says he assured everyone he was fine. He was cleared to work out lightly.

Taylor remembers he and Windham going to help Mika get a snake out of her garage. Windham was sweatier than usual, said he didn’t feel good and needed to take a nap. Taylor said he worried in the moment but Windham said he was fine. Taylor didn’t think, “Windham’s really sick.”

Windham was given a vest to wear that would shock him if needed. Windham swore he would wear it and did. He went for the followup and learned he would probably need a pacemaker but told his mom he would be fine.

Samantha remembers him picking up their kids from school. JoJo says he took a nap at 2 pm that day. She’s in the kitchen and his alarm is going off. She remembers just shaking him and hitting him because he wouldn’t move. She calls 911 and JoJo’s mom calls Windham’s mom. Taylor says JoJo told her he stopped breathing. JoJo was yelling at Bray to come back to her on the gurney.

Mika’s car was in the shop. Taylor came and got her, telling herself everything was going to be okay but knowing it would. Taylor says they pulled them in a room alone and it was like something you see a million times in movies. The doctor said, “We’ve got bad news. He’s gone.” Taylor says time slowed down and he had never been more sad. He thinks something in him – Windham – gave him the strength to support his mom and dad and to hold them up. Taylor had to pick their mom off the floor and it was absolute disbelief. Mike says it was heartbreaking, like someone sticking their fist in your chest and pulling your heart out. Barry Windham says his sister called and all she said was, “Windham is gone.” Braun says he got a call on the phone and JoJo said, “He’s gone.” Braun dropped to his knees on the plane and felt like something was immediately missing. JoJo says she didn’t know how to tell their children. Taylor says it was and will always be the worst day of his life.

At 36, Windham Rotunda passed away. A day later, SmackDown. We see pre-show footage of HHH talking to the talent. HHH says he was larger than life and it still doesn’t feel real. Sami says even now there is a huge part of him in denial. Seth says he didn’t believe it and even now sometimes he doesn’t. Bruce says that everything they wanted to do was a tribute to Bray to say thank you.

We see the tearful salute with the chair and the fireflies. Rowan says he misses him and Mike tells us how loved he was. Honoring his legacy would be a tall task. We see footage of superstars and fans paying tribute to Bray. LA Knight mentions it was the one time he had to struggle keeping it together as Becky tells us there aren’t many people like Windham Rotunda. Seth says the only therapy he could get was in the ring. JoJo says it was touching to see that so many people cared.

September 6, a service was held for Windham. We see footage as everyone wore red and black. It was a very Windham funeral, smoke effects and all. Orton says the funeral felt like closure but also how do you find that on someone just stepping into their prime. We get footage of Taylor giving the eulogy. Braun says it was an unbelievable eulogy. Taylor: “He is and will always be the most beautiful person I’ve ever known. I love you, Windham.”

Mika gives hers, telling that her father asked her to record interviews with her brothers for an upcoming book. She says she didn’t know she would end up recording how Windham would want to be remembered.

Voice of Windham Rotunda: “I want to leave a mark that makes me a first ballot Hall of Famer and makes all my kids proud. But honestly at the end of the day when I go in the dirt, I think that will be remembered for far more things than wrestling – making sure that my kids and JoJo, that everybody know that they can count on me and I will be there for them no matter what.”

Windham was gone, but his ideas live on. We return to the shop as we see the new fiend lantern and mask they were working on. The pinstripes on the tights were each of Windham’s children’s names, while the stitches on the mask were Roman numerals of their wedding day. There was a second mask under his hair, which was a 3D scan of JoJo – the most beautiful face, in comparison to the Fiend – that you’d see when he did the spider walk.

Taylor says he regrets he never got to say goodbye. He says he isn’t gone because of the art he left and his ideas will live on forever.

January 2024. While Windham is gone, you can still see him as we see his smile, his creativity, and his hope. We meet his children. They want to travel and one wants to become an artist. JoJo says they all take after him. Mike tells us that if you believe in the afterlife, we will get to see him again. Taylor says his love for the business has to burn brighter than it ever has because he’s given him this legacy to carry on. JoJo says he was the best at everything he did.

We end with Undertaker recounting Windham’s classic “wrestling is a love story” mantra, telling us that is how Windham lived. HHH says Windham changed the landscape. Finn says he inspired the boys to be more creative. Alexa says he opened a world that no one could ever do. JoJo: “The greatest human I have ever known. Hands down.”

End credits to the tune of his original theme. We get in-credits footage of Undertaker recording the narration. He takes a shot of Jack Daniels for Windham because of course.

We end with a graphic:

In Loving Memory of Windham Rotunda, 1987-2003

… which glitches out into the lantern turning back on with the shadow of Uncle Howdy behind it.