After months of absence, Alexa Bliss returned to WWE last year in January 2025 with a brand new character.
Before her hiatus, Bliss sported a darker character due to her alliance with Bray Wyatt. However, after Wyatt passed away in August 2023, Bliss also slowly stopped using that gimmick.
In a recent Cameo video for a fan, Bliss revealed that her “Dark Alexa” character is retired right now out of respect for Bray Wyatt and his family.
“Now, about Dark Alexa. While I love that it meant something to you, it meant so much to me as well. That chapter is very special and very close tied with my time with Bray [Wyatt],” Bliss said.
“Out of respect for him and the Wyatts, I like to keep that version of myself exactly where it is. For the time, it is retired and untouched.”
Bliss is currently in a tag-team with Charlotte Flair and recently competed for the women’s tag-team titles with Flair at WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (The Wyatt Sicks) were part of the post-WrestleMania 42 WWE roster cuts on Friday, closing a chapter in Bray Wyatt’s legacy, but definitely not ending the book.
If anything, Wyatt’s influence in wrestling may prove to be an ongoing series rather than a completed volume.
Bray wasn’t the kind of wrestler that gets over with hardcore fans who watch a lot of wrestling and generally tend to prefer in-ring work over creative characters. He wasn’t the kind of wrestler who was putting on five-star bangers, but to a segment of the audience, he was special.
Specifically, his Firefly Funhouse character and The Fiend really landed with a segment of the audience.
Popularity of Bray Wyatt’s Firefly Funhouse, Fiend, and White Rabbit campaign
Dave Meltzer reported in late 2019 that Wyatt had surpassed everyone on the WWE roster to become the company’s top merchandise seller following seven months of Firefly Funhouse segments and The Fiend being presented as an unstoppable force. During that period, WWE also released a Firefly Funhouse playset on WWEShop.com priced at $99.99 that reportedly sold out instantly.
They also marketed a custom Fiend championship belt that retailed for $6,499.99.
Then when Wyatt returned in 2022 with the mysterious White Rabbit campaign and QR codes that led fans to hidden clues and riddles, the Wyatt effect was felt again. PWInsider reported Wyatt’s return generated 1.86 million YouTube views across WWE videos, 1.2 million Twitter views, 437,045 Instagram likes, around 500,000 Facebook views, and 73,000 TikTok views.
However, the audience segment that loved Bray and was willing to pay high prices for his merchandise didn’t get into the Wyatt Sicks the way they did the Firefly Funhouse or Fiend, although I’m not sure the group was ever given the same opportunity to get over.
Wyatt Sicks debut created immediate buzz
The Wyatt Sicks made quite an impression with their debut on the June 17, 2024 episode of Raw as live-action versions of Wyatt’s Firefly Funhouse characters.
The closing segment of that show featured what many viewers interpreted as a mass casualty incident, with Chad Gable and others shown motionless backstage.
The debut created the same buzz that Bray did, but lengthy absences and a lack of clear direction dictated the story of the group’s run afterward.
For the remainder of 2024, the Wyatts feuded with American Made and then Karrion Kross and his Final Testament stable. An injury to Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy then took the group off television until May 2025.
Last summer, the Wyatts won the tag titles from the Street Profits and sat atop the division for the remainder of the year, eventually entering what would be their final storyline in WWE against The MFTs.
The group never returned to the buzzworthy status they had after the June 17 debut and didn’t capture that same segment of the audience that Bray had.
This is not to say the run was a failure, however. While it didn’t get over enough to last, it was something needed for the segment of the audience that was impacted the most by Wyatt’s death.
For those fans that scrounged up all their money to buy the Firefly Funhouse set, or a Fiend mask or title, Wyatt’s death at 36 years of age hurt, and probably still hurts. While those fans didn’t know Bray, they connected to his art. Seeing that art continue on WWE programming for two years after his death was likely comforting to those fans.
The Wyatt Sicks release is not the end of Bray Wyatt’s influence in wrestling
I don’t believe we’ve seen the last of Bo Dallas in wrestling, or others from the group. Also, Alexa Bliss carried on Bray Wyatt’s legacy at WrestleMania this year, wearing several Wyatt-inspired items as part of her ring gear.
We will see some of those fans who were so invested in the Firefly Funhouse begin their own wrestling careers. Those same fans may have gravitated to Jake Roberts in the 80s, or Raven in the 90s, but for their generation, Wyatt was their guy. Their favorite. And they’ll bring parts of him back. It’s actually already started.
Brodie Lee Jr. vs. Joey Janela
If you’re a wrestling fan who hasn’t seen Brodie Lee Jr. vs. Joey Janela from Spring Break this year, stop what you are doing, order the show on Triller, and watch it.
Brodie Lee/Jon Huber/Luke Harper’s role in the Wyatt Family is an important part of this story. Lee’s own story branched away from Wyatt’s when he went to AEW and has its own tale of tragedy and influence. Both the Wyatt and Brodie Lee stories were part of the Janela vs. Brodie Lee Jr. match, and it was beautiful.
The tributes that the 14-year-old son of Brodie Sr. did for both his late father and for Wyatt were a work of art. Whoever put that match together needs to get some type of award. It was proof that Wyatt and Lee’s legacy will live on through their influence in wrestling.
You’re never truly gone until you are forgotten, and the next generation of wrestlers are not going to let that happen for either Wyatt or Brodie.
Wyatt left behind a rich legacy, which recently received heaps of praise from The Undertaker. In an interview on Nightcap, The Undertaker praised Wyatt’s “aura” and character while speaking about wrestlers that reminded him of his character.
“No. Not really. Bray Wyatt was coming along before his unfortunate demise. He had that aura, that otherworldly type character. Obviously, it’s a shame what happened with Bray because I think he had only begun to scratch the surface of how great he was gonna be,” he said.
One of Wyatt’s last appearances in WWE was back on a January 2023 episode of RAW, where he and The Undertaker joined forces to take down LA Knight.
Oba Femi was a huge fan of The Wyatt Family and has even drawn inspiration from the late Bray Wyatt in his WWE career.
On a new episode of Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Femi discussed what it was like trying to follow WWE as he was growing up as a fan in Nigeria. The product wasn’t available live, but he built up a collection of tape-delayed broadcasts from 2011-2017. One of the acts he took to was The Wyatts.
“I loved Bray. I really, I loved the original Wyatt family,” Femi said. “I just felt so passionately about [them]. The NXT version and when they first got to the main roster. I remember there was one line that they hit. I actually used that line in a promo a few years ago. He said, ‘You can send anybody after us, but like, don’t send anyone that you want back.’ And I was like, ‘This is the greatest bar ever.’ What a bar, what a mic drop. So I loved Bray, I loved watching Bray.”
Femi also really liked Triple H, viewing him as a complete wrestler who was good at everything.
“At this time, your husband,” Femi responded when McMahon asked who his favorite wrestler was. “I’ve watched his stuff, I’ve studied him. It was the way he worked. Just the intensity, the precision. I liked the way he worked in the ring. He was like more of a complete superstar. Like, he was good at everything. Nothing was lacking.
“And I like that. You know, you have your promo guys and your body guys and your workrate guys and all that stuff. But he was complete. The total package, and I respected that.”
Femi said he’s always liked heels and thinks villains might be more important to any story than the hero is. Without a strong villain, there is nothing for the hero to overcome.
In his WWE career, Femi’s goal is to make people feel the same way he did when he was a fan.
“I want to sound real. I want to be real. I want to make people feel things,” he said. “I want to give and then take it away. And I want them to go on that ride with me. That’s what I want to do in wrestling. I mean, championships and conquest is going to come. You know, The Ruler is The Ruler. But I think that’s my big takeaway. I think that’s like when I’m done, I want people to feel Oba Femi.”
It was confirmed on Raw this Monday that Femi will face off against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. This will be Femi’s first WrestleMania since being called up to the main roster from NXT.
Recently, speaking on My Mom’s Basement podcast, Seth Rollins opened up and reflected on his infamous 2019 match against Bray Wyatt.
Almost six years ago, Rollins faced off against ‘The Fiend’ inside the Hell in a Cell structure while defending his Universal Championship. While essentially a no-disqualification match, the bout was stopped mid-way due to excessive violence and faced severe criticism from the fans and critics. While promoting Unreal Season Two with Robbie Fox, Rollins reflected on the match and wished that they had cameras backstage during those times.
“I wish they were there for the Hell In A Cell match with Bray Wyatt. I wish they were there for that whole weekend so they could really see what went down,” Rollins said. “That’s one of those where, there’s such a terrible connotation to that experience from an outside standpoint, and I just go no one really knows what happened there, and I can’t describe it to a point where it makes where people have a different feeling about it.”
The former World champion explained that the pressure and build-up to the match created such a situation that neither of them was proud of it once it was over. However, he expected more empathy from the fans, if not appreciation.
“If you could have seen that, from start to finish, that week, all the way up to the end of that match, and the next day, I think people would have, I don’t know, appreciation, but a little more empathy maybe.”
In the same interview, Rollins further opened up and defended the now-late Bray Wyatt, aka Windham Rotunda’s legacy.
“There are some places that one specifically for me, I can name and say it, mostly because it’s a defence for Windham [Rotunda], who’s not here to defend himself, and I know that experience really bothered him. He always wanted to be able to work with me, and vice versa, I wanted to work with him again, to be able to get a better shot at that, because we loved each other and working with each other,” Rollins continued. “But not, that scenario was so awful for both of us, and for him to never be able to get that, I can put that out there and say I wish we had an opportunity to show what happened there and then come back and do it better.”
Following an extremely successful WWE career, Wyatt passed away in August 2023.
CM Punk has recalled a heartfelt conversation with Bray Wyatt from several years ago.
Over a decade ago, in 2011, long before WWE star Windham Rotunda embraced the persona of Bray Wyatt, he performed under the name Husky Harris as part of the faction. Initially aligned with Wade Barrett’s Nexus, he later joined CM Punk’s version of the group after Punk assumed leadership. However, shortly before Punk’s rivalry against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 27, the veteran lost several of it’s members. Husky Harris was relegated back to NXT. Recently, speaking on WWE Break it Down, CM Punk recalled his hearfelt conversation with Wyatt following the group’s dissolution.
“I was upset for Bray because he was being sent back down to developmental, and he was in high spirits.”
Punk noted that Wyatt wanted to figure himself out before expressing his desire to main-event a WWE WrestleMania with CM Punk.
“He said ‘Hey don’t worry man, I’m gonna go back down there I’m gonna figure myself out and I’m gonna come back up here and someday me and you are gonna main event WrestleMania and I thought that was really cool.”
Bray Wyatt went on to become one of the most beloved and creative performers in WWE history. Tragically, the wrestling world lost one of its brightest minds in 2023.
A high school wrestling tournament in Florida is being renamed to honor the late Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda).
The Hernando Wrestling Club announced that its December 5-6 tournament will now be known as “The Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational.” Along with that, an annual scholarship is being established in Wyatt’s name.
Wyatt attended Hernando High School and starred on the wrestling and football teams. The wrestling club is run by David Pritz, who was a teammate of Wyatt’s at the Brooksville, Florida school.
“With the blessing of the Rotunda Family and Brooksville Kiwanis we are changing the name of the long lasting Kiwanis Invitational to the Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational,” Pritz announced. “We also are creating a scholarship fund in his name that will be presented to one senior wrestler every year before the finals of the tournament.
“This will be our 44th year hosting one of the most established high school wrestling tournaments in the state of Florida. Windham was my teammate and one of the most memorable athletes to ever wear the Purple and Gold. I hope this can be a small tribute to his lasting legacy. He is a true legend and someone we will never forget.”
Hernando High School also recently honored Wyatt by inducting him into the school’s Hall of Fame. The former WWE Champion passed away at 36 years old in 2023 due to a heart condition.
Wyatt’s sister Mika shared that she and her father Mike Rotunda both became emotional when she shared the wrestling tournament announcement with him.
Visiting the Firefly Fun House at Halloween Horror Nights 2025 was an emotional experience for The Wyatt Sicks.
To honor the late Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda), WWE and Universal Studios partnered together to create a Wyatt-themed haunted house at this year’s Halloween Horror nights exhibit. Erick Rowan, Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, and Dexter Lumis got a chance to visit the theme park in a trip that was documented on WWE’s YouTube channel:
Rowan battled conflicting emotions during the visit. He was happy that the haunted house exists, but it sucks that Wyatt is not alive to see it.
“It’s cool. I mean, like, I’m kind of just overcome with emotion right now. Like, I’m thinking about lots of different things. And I don’t know where my mind is right now,” Rowan said before entering the exhibit. “That’s why I’m like, ‘Cool.’ Windham loved horror, man. And for this to be happening — I just want to know that he can see it. And I want to see the house. I want to see if they do sh*t for Brodie [Lee], and from what I’ve heard, they do.
“And, like, to me, it’s so cool — but it sucks. I know they see it. It’s just, that’s why I say it’s cool.”
Special effects artist Jason Baker, a close friend of Wyatt’s, also made the trip. He noted that Wyatt always wanted to be part of Halloween Horror Nights and to have his own haunted house there.
“We’re the only two guys crying in a haunted house,” Baker said to Rowan.
“Evilly magical,” Rowan responded.
Wyatt, 36, passed away of a heart condition in 2023. His vision lives on in WWE with The Wyatt Sicks, a faction that is led by his brother Uncle Howdy/Bo Dallas (Taylor Rotunda). Lumis & Gacy are the current WWE Tag Team Champions on SmackDown.
A former WWE writer claims that infamous cult leader and convicted murderer Charles Manson was a Bray Wyatt fan and wanted to meet him.
In an interview on Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Wrestling with Freddie podcast, ex-WWE writer and Wyatt collaborator Nick Manfredini said that Manson was shown Wyatt’s promos by a former college football teammate of Wyatt’s who was working as a guard at a California state prison and had access to Manson.
Manfredini says that Manson asked to meet Wyatt and that Wyatt’s dad and former WWE producer Mike Rotunda was made aware and facilitated a pitch to WWE brass that may have included Vince McMahon and Triple H for a WWE Network special where Wyatt and Manson would have met:
“Charles Manson… I don’t know if this story has ever been told. Windham [Wyatt’s real name was Windham Rotunda] Windham’s teammate, former college football teammate became a prison guard at Charles Manson’s prison. Allegedly this guy showed Manson the Bray Wyatt promos and he wanted to meet him and this was a whole thing, I swear. It is a hundred percent true.
So Mike Rotunda knew about it and I think he brought it up to somebody, I don’t know if it was Hunter or Vince or somebody, and they immediately squashed it. Cuz they were like, can we shoot a [WWE] Network special with Charles Manson? And it was immediately squashed.”
Manfredini says that Manson was a major influence on Wyatt’s promos:
“So [Wyatt’s character] was very Charles Manson-inspired, right? My YouTube search history back then was just Charles Manson and cult leaders… We were trying to take little pieces from each one.”
Manfredini also says that he pitched Wyatt the idea of just the two of them going to visit Manson in prison before he thought better of it:
“I was like, let’s just go. Next time we’re in northern California, me and you, just put on a hat or something. Nobody will know it’s you. Let’s just go meet him, you know?
I thought more about it and obviously it was a terrible, terrible idea. Would have been a good story, but a bad idea.”
On the two-year anniversary of his death, Bray Wyatt’s loved ones took a moment to remember all he meant to them.
Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) passed away at 36 years old on August 24, 2023 due to a heart condition. In an Instagram post today, Joseann Offerman shared a tribute to her late partner and remembered the love they shared.
“If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever,” she wrote.
“2 years without you Windham, without the one person that knew me better than anyone. Not a day goes by that I don’t look at something our kids are doing and wish you could still be here to enjoy it with me. We miss you so much. But we know you’re all around, I can feel it, the kids feel it. I hope we keep making you proud my love. We love you forever.”
Wyatt and Offerman had two children together with Wyatt also having two children from a previous marriage.
In his own post, Adam Scherr (former WWE wrestler Braun Strowman) expressed how grateful he is for the help Wyatt gave him in his career.
“Today will always be so special to me. Even though it’s incredibly hard. Ten years ago today I debuted on tv with you. I still can’t thank you enough for what you did for me all those years ago,” Scherr wrote. “There is no Braun Strowman without you. You truly were one of a kind!! I still can’t believe you are gone. Two years have gone by so fast. I miss you everyday Hoot. Keep watching over us. And I sure hope I’m still making you proud!!!”
Wyatt’s sister Mika and former faction mate Erick Rowan were among the others paying tribute.
The creative spirit of Wyatt still lives on in WWE with The Wyatt Sicks, a faction led by his brother Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy (Taylor Rotunda). The group also includes Rowan, Nikki Cross, and current WWE Tag Team Champions Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy.
John Cena recounts the time he had to wrestle himself.
The record-breaking champion talked to Justin Barrasso during an interview at Fan Expo Boston on Saturday. When asked about the toughest match he’s had in his career, he brought up the Firefly Funhouse match he had with Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36 back in 2020.
“It’s the match I had in the Firefly Fun House,” said Cena. “The reason that opponent was tough–and I know it was against Bray Wyatt–was because that was more or less a match against me. I’ll say that was my toughest match.”
WrestleMania 36 was a show that was eventually moved to the WWE Performance Center behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also served as the first-ever two night WrestleMania. In a bizarre cinematic-style encounter, Wyatt emerged victorious over Cena on the second night of the show.
Cena is winding down his career as he is set to have his final match in December. Earlier in the year he surpassed Ric Flair’s sixteen world title wins with a seventeenth title win over Cody Rhodes, who defeated Cena last weekend at SummerSlam to regain the title.
Jason Baker, who made Bray Wyatt’s costuming and attire, helped out Wyatt’s son Knash pay tribute to his father: “I had the honor of doing something that is so close to my heart that I’m still fighting back tears while writing this. I got a call from Jojo wanting to fulfill Knash’s birthday wish, which was to dress up like his dad @Windham6 for his birthday party. Needless to say, @SandyMimpson and I dropped everything to make this happen for such an incredible little man. We love you Knash and Hope you had the best birthday ever! (Mask from Bray’s original mold. Costume by @sandymimpson based on the original Fiend gear created by @kyllacustomrockwear) now the only thing left to do is….LET HIM IN!”
The Andre the Giant footage is notable for an angle featuring a rare WWE appearance by Giant Baba setting up a match with the two teaming against Demolition for a WWE/AJPW event in Japan.
AEW & Other Wrestling
In regards to AEW Double or Nothing airing on Triller, the streaming service announced on Tuesday that the show will be available to purchase worldwide with the exception of the USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico. In the US, it can be purchased on Prime Video, PPV.com, YouTube, cable & satellite, and Fubo.
Mark Briscoe celebrated the 25th anniversary of he and his brother Jay’s wrestling debut on Tuesday: “Today is 25 years since me and my brother debuted. @jaybriscoe84 Happy 25 years dawg. Quarter century and still grindin’ #demboys.”
Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Braun Strowman paid tribute to the families of Bray Wyatt and Brodie Lee following WWE SmackDown last night.
After the show went off the air, the three babyfaces brought Wyatt’s son Knash and Lee’s sons Brodie (aka Negative One) and Nolan into the ring. The night ended with them leading the Tampa crowd in “Yeet” chants.
Strowman noted that JoJo Offerman and Wyatt’s son and daughter were in attendance before carrying Knash with him into the ring.
Strowman said:
“This is my godson, Knash, and his beautiful sister, Hyrie, over there, and JoJo (Offerman), the whole family. I want to say thank y’all for the continued love and support for my family outside of here with this. I’ve had an unbelievably rough couple of last years, and I thought my career was over with my neck injury. I’ve lost two of my best friends in this industry in the last four years. And what keeps me moving and doing this every night are these kids, and every single one of y’all give me the strength to push through this unbelievable pain that I’m in, because I freaking love them. I love them, and I love every single one of y’all. I wish you many, many blessings in 2025!”
The show took place four years and one day after Lee’s passing due to Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on December 26, 2020. Seth Rollins also paid tribute to Lee recently at Thursday’s WWE Madison Square Garden Live event on the anniversary of his passing.
Seth paid tribute in his Brodie Lee in his match on the 4 year anniversary of his passing. Brodie meant so much to him ❤️🩹. pic.twitter.com/75ND0TUzMF
Matt Hardy thought his brother’s Bray Wyatt tribute on TNA Impact this week was “unbelievably great.”
Jeff Hardy wore facepaint on Tuesday’s episode that resembled the mask worn by Wyatt’s Fiend character. Matt says the final product was almost identical to the image Jeff used as a reference.
“It was 100 percent inspired from the Fiend mask,” Matt said on the latest episode of his podcast.
“Jeff said, ‘Hey, do you think this would be cool if did it as a tribute? I said, ‘Yeah man, it would be awesome and I think it would be very cool for your facepaint.”
“It was identical. The image that he used to do his facepaint – and he paints it all himself – it was absolutely identical, it was unbelievably great.”
Matt continued to say that Jeff wishes he’d had the chance to work more with Wyatt, and perhaps while portraying his Willow the Wisp character.
“That’s one of his biggest regrets. The whole time that I was working together with Bray until he actually turned and we were a half-assed tag team, Jeff was out. That’s kind of what started it, Jeff was injured.”
“Jeff really does wish he would’ve gotten a chance to interact (with that). He really would have loved to have done Broken Matt, Bray Wyatt/Fiend whatever, and Willow. Willow is something I think we will see sooner than later in TNA because we have had some discussions about that and that’s something that Jeff is very passionate about.”
Matt would also post the following comments on social media:
“Really wish my brother could have worked with Windham more. Windham was such a special human & gifted performer. I’m still so enamored & impressed by Jeff’s facepaint tribute Thursday night on #TNAiMPACT. I don’t think I’m alone when I really wish we could have seen Willow & The Fiend on the screen together at least once.”
Really wish my brother could have worked with Windham more. Windham was such a special human & gifted performer. I’m still so enamored & impressed by Jeff’s facepaint tribute Thursday night on #TNAiMPACT. I don’t think I’m alone when I really wish we could have seen Willow & The… https://t.co/l1uM4aW7Llpic.twitter.com/eek7ljAXwU
While Offerman says she loves that her late husband’s legacy is continuing through the angle, she admits it can sometimes be difficult for her to watch.
“It’s a very bittersweet thing for me,” she said about The Wyatt Sicks. “I love it for multiple reasons. I love it for the fact that his legacy is still strong and he’s out there, like, his spirit is out there through his brother. And I love it for Taylor, or Bo, because if Windham wanted anything in the world it’d be for his family to succeed, for his brother to succeed.”
“I’m very happy that Bo has that opportunity to carry on this legacy but it’s really hard a lot of the times because it’s like a trigger for me. I’ve learned that, and I’ve had to put my phone down and completely not watch it at points.”
Offerman says she’ll often ask Liv Morgan or Samantha Irvin to warn her if there will be something on the show that night that could be upsetting.
“The debut I didn’t even know was happening and his music hit and I straight up could not stop crying all night. It was full-on panic attacks for me.”
Despite it being difficult for her to watch, Offerman says she fully supports the group being featured on WWE programming.
“I’ve had to kind of make it work in the best way that I can because I do support,” she continued.
“I love that, like I said, his legacy is living on and his kids can see that but the part that’s the worst for me is personal. It’s me. I spent endless nights with him working on the song or working on the character. Days and weeks and months and so much of my time went into it.”
“He would turn to me when it came to like if he had to choose between three things,” she continued.
In particular, Offerman says Wyatt would come to her for feedback on music.
“Jamie from Code Orange reached out to me and he was very adamant on me being okay with the music being used again and I said ‘As long as you okay it, I’m okay with it.'”
Uncle Howdy, the character portrayed by Bray Wyatt’s brother Taylor Rotunda, made his in-ring debut on the August 26 WWE Raw, just three days after the first anniversary of Wyatt’s passing. He defeated Chad Gable.
Offerman’s full virtual signing is available below:
