RIP Bray Wyatt

[The Natural]

12 minutes ago, Go2Sleep said:

I'm trying to think of matches that had more "irresistible force vs. immovable object" energy this century than the first Shield/Wyatts match.

Cena/Lesnar at Extreme Rules 12 is the only one in the neighborhood from WWE I think. The first Omega/Okada match maybe?

There was a "This is Awesome" chant for The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield at Elimination Chamber 2014 and they hadn't even touched. I'd say that and John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012 apply to the criteria you said.

[Web Conn]

Here’s a hidden gem for everybody

 

[NikoBaltimore]

Funk passing was sad enough but this feels like a damn gut punch.  I have things to say yet because I could go on about certain parts of his career but it's hard to focus on what to gush about.  The Family stuff ruled, Firefly Funhouse and to a degree The Fiend ruled, and man he would have crushed it if he did horror.

Maybe I'll expand on things more but I'm mainly just checking out his promos and it never ceases to be mesmerizing.  Anyway, here's Bray converting those poor innocent children that time he feuded with Cena.  This still gives me chills.  And Cena for his part really helped drive it home as he acted like he was devastated to lose these kids he fights for.

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by NikoBaltimore

[Greggulator]

1 hour ago, NikoBaltimore said:

Funk passing was sad enough but this feels like a damn gut punch.  I have things to say yet because I could go on about certain parts of his career it's hard to focus on what to gush about.  The Family stuff ruled, Firefly Funhouse and to a degree The Fiend ruled, and man he would have crushed it if he did horror.

Maybe I'll expand on things more but I'm mainly just checking out his promos and it never ceases to be mesmerizing.  Anyway, here's Bray converting those poor innocent children that time he feuded with Cena.  This still gives me chills.  And Cena for his part really helped drive it home as he acted like he was devastated to lose these kids he fights for.

 

Oh yeah, that was seriously one of the most fucked up and bizarre segments. “Sing with me children!” And when the lights come out and they all have the sheep masks on — so good. 

No way to know for sure, but I always through the lantern was supposed to symbolize “moths to a flame” and the sheep’s mask was Bray leading a flock and bringing them one day to slaughter, 

But what a crazy promo. You can tell they liked working together. The WM match wasn’t well received but they had a killer Last Man Standing match. And they also had that WM movie. 

[John from Cincinnati]

 

[NikoBaltimore]

1 hour ago, Greggulator said:

No way to know for sure, but I always through the lantern was supposed to symbolize “moths to a flame” and the sheep’s mask was Bray leading a flock and bringing them one day to slaughter, 

I have never once thought of it that way but that is so fucking perfect that I'd be shocked if you weren't right.

[Peck]

I'm so, so glad they brought in Erick Rowan for tonight. 

[nate]

I always like the "Time is on My Side" promos a little better than "Whole World ..." because you knew that was a crazy mother fucker with an exact plan of what he was going to do, and when, and how much he knew he was going to hurt you a little at a time.

... well, shit.  Only to find out that time's really not on anyone's side, after all.

[The Natural]

Bray Wyatt tribute video on Smackdown. Got me choked up.

[BobbyWhioux]

There's a lot of wrestlers who you can look at and say "they should get into acting after their ring career is over."  Bray Wyatt left me saying "this guy should really get into directing  after his ring career is over." Bray had a really creative mind that shined through with the whole Firefly Funhouse mini-film series that had me really looking forward to seeing what kind out outside/post wrestling creative career he was going to have and it really, really, really, really sucks that we're never going to get to find out what that would've entailed.

There was some consolation with Funk that at least he lived a long, full life and got to do all he wanted in front of an audience.  There is no such consolation with Bray.  He was nowhere near finished.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

38 minutes ago, The Natural said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IzHWEAmlet8

Bray Wyatt tribute video on Smackdown. Got me choked up.

Erick Rowan being there got to me. One can only imagine what he's going through, first Brodie and now Bray. 

[The Natural]

RIP Bray Wyatt xxx.

[The Natural]

Still remember this photo years ago.

[hammerva]

It is just unfair for both of them to go through this

https://twitter.com/wweontnt/status/1695254470370656708

I assume that it was Braun in the silhouette at the end of the show.  He had a mic so I assume we will see this later

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by hammerva

[zendragon]

17 hours ago, The Natural said:

There was a "This is Awesome" chant for The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield at Elimination Chamber 2014 and they hadn't even touched. I'd say that and John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012 apply to the criteria you said.

[zendragon]

On 8/24/2023 at 4:50 PM, Curt McGirt said:

This may be retrospect but we could be pretty harsh towards him on here. There was a lot of "...and then the bell rang" talk but I thought dude could work, he just got saddled with bad creative at times, and you can point that in many directions instead of just his. No matter how you feel about him he was part of the hottest runs in wrestling in the last 20 years. 

Anyway, this is way too young and way too sad. RIP.

I don't think he was a bad worker (from what I've seen) but I do think that he was such a strong character, that the promo's somewhat over shadowed his in ring. and he never quite seemed to figure out working his character work into the matches shame we'll never get to see if he could put it all together 

[The Natural]

Kudos to Bray Wyatt getting three distinctive gimmicks over as the head of The Wyatt Family, as the Firefly Fun House kids presenter and as the horror movie villain which barely stays down in The Fiend. For Bray to take such a big risk going from The Wyatt Family incarnation to the aforementioned Firefly Fun House/Fiend and making it work. Although your mileage may vary as I know the latter isn't as popular as the former. I'd like to think those who don't like Firefly Fun House presenter/The Fiend would attest to that. I'd also like to think even those will admit WWE did him so dirty losing the WWE Universal Championship to Goldberg at Super Showdown 2020 and jobbing to Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXXVII to one RKO, The Fiend's last ever match. Fucking bullshit.

[The Natural]

Here's my top ten Bray Wyatt matches:

10. The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan. Survivor Series 2019.

9. The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield. RAW, 5th May 2014.

8. The Fiend vs. Finn Balor. SummerSlam 2019.

7. The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan. Royal Rumble 2020.

6. The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield. Main Event, 8th April 2014.

5. Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena. Payback 2014.

4. The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield. RAW, 3rd March 2014.

3. Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin. Elimination Chamber 2017.

2. Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan. Royal Rumble 2014.

1. The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield. Elimination Chamber 2014. *****.

[Cobra Commander]

I knew this before but I didn’t really think about it until seeing it on Wikipedia, that JoJo is the daughter of Jose Offerman.

[Cobra Commander]

 

[colonial]

In another timeline, I can see Bray Wyatt succeed as a screenwriter or author. He had such a creative mind I would have loved to have seen what he could have done for a movie, a TV anthology or a book. After watching Bray's Firefly Funhouse bits, I wondered if he would have been able to translate that to, say, Adult Swim -- do a demented version of those local kids TV shows of the 60s and 70s, have a celebrity guest star every week, air odd cartoons, etc.

Not everything worked, but Wyatt was always trying and coming up with ideas. Some ideas may have been out there, but he was never sitting on his hands.

Imagine Bray debuting during the Attitude Era or the early days of Ruthless Aggression -- he would have been a main event player from the get-go, throwing him in there with prime Foley or Taker.

As someone who learned that I was on the autism spectrum in my mid-40s, I've wondered if Bray may have been on the spectrum in some form. Over the years, I've read in the sheets and elsewhere about how he was a creative genius, yet stubborn and unwilling to budge when it came to his ideas; a friendly man who, at the same time, could frustrate co-workers and bosses with alleged stubbornness and a reputed refusal to compromise. Complicated, yet fascinating.

 

[Brandon Bones]

A somewhat forgotten match that always rang a bell in the back of my mind was the night after WM30.  The Wyatts just straight up squashed Cena, Sheamus, and somebody I’m forgetting.  

I was like: “Damn, they got their asses KICKED”.

[Just Dave]

1 hour ago, colonial said:

In another timeline, I can see Bray Wyatt succeed as a screenwriter or author. He had such a creative mind I would have loved to have seen what he could have done for a movie, a TV anthology or a book. After watching Bray's Firefly Funhouse bits, I wondered if he would have been able to translate that to, say, Adult Swim -- do a demented version of those local kids TV shows of the 60s and 70s, have a celebrity guest star every week, air odd cartoons, etc.

Not everything worked, but Wyatt was always trying and coming up with ideas. Some ideas may have been out there, but he was never sitting on his hands.

Imagine Bray debuting during the Attitude Era or the early days of Ruthless Aggression -- he would have been a main event player from the get-go, throwing him in there with prime Foley or Taker.

As someone who learned that I was on the autism spectrum in my mid-40s, I've wondered if Bray may have been on the spectrum in some form. Over the years, I've read in the sheets and elsewhere about how he was a creative genius, yet stubborn and unwilling to budge when it came to his ideas; a friendly man who, at the same time, could frustrate co-workers and bosses with alleged stubbornness and a reputed refusal to compromise. Complicated, yet fascinating.

 

I also only learned of my place on the spectrum later in life (mid 30's) and I'll be damned if this doesn't make total sense to me.

[The Natural]

C&P f4wonline.com:

• Code Orange, the band behind Wyatt’s theme music, posted the following tribute: “Rest In Power buddy. You helped make our childhood dreams come true. You rode for us at every single turn and truly believed in us. More than people even know. Thank you for letting us be a small part of your story. See you on the other side.”
• Arsenal played Wyatt's theme during halftime of their Premier League game against Fulham today.
• Samoa Joe wrote about Bray Wyatt: “He brought Joy to everyone he loved and he loved everyone he could. The fireflies will glow forever because what you meant to us will never be extinguished. My love and condolences to the Rotunda family in this incredibly difficult time.”

[Cobra Commander]

At first I saw the TMZ story and wondered who would tell that to the media… then I remembered “Florida sunshine law” and they got the info about the unworn defibrillator from official reports