When news broke that Bray Wyatt passed away from what was later deemed a heart attack, it left more than a few fans feeling especially bad for Erick Rowan, as it marked the second time in 30 months that the former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion said goodbye to one of his Wyatt Family members following the loss of Mr. Brodie Lee, aka WWE's Luke Harper, in December of 2020.

Reflecting on his career in The Fed and the friends he lost along the way on Counted Out With Mike and Tyler, Rowan fondly recalled the journey he shared with Lee over their run together, going from developmental to WWE and even the championship circle along the way.

“It was the journey from FCW to NXT to the main roster to having singles runs to being put back together, to having singles run to being put back together and being repackaged, to finally be able to achieve what we both had tried to achieve what we had tried to achieve from the moment we got there, it meant a lot,” Rowan said via Fightful. “So it was a moment that I’m glad we got to share, and I’m glad he got to share with me when he was still around. It’s one of those things that you get to look back at in pictures and whatever, but in the moment, it felt good.”

Asked about appearing on Brodie Lee's memorial show on AEW Dynamite, his first of three appearances on AEW thus far, Rowan explained that, after everything he'd been through with The Exalted One, he had to show support for his fallen friend.

“It was in the middle of COVID, and everyone’s grieving,” Rowan recalled. “It was a big loss, and it’s one of those things where, if I wasn’t invited, I would have been devastated. I wanted to say goodbye, and that was the only way to do it at that time, to be around people that loved him and that love you. There’s no funeral. That’s your moment to say goodbye. Fortunately, the world got to see and hear from people he loved, and it was a public forum of a celebration of his life, not only in wrestling but as a person.”

Though Lee and Rowan opted to take things in different directions after their releases from WWE, with the former going full-time in AEW whereas the latter opted to dip his toe far slower into the indie scene, their time together both in the Wyatt Family and as the Bludgeon Brothers will live on forever in the hearts and minds of professional wrestling fans the world over.

Erick Rowan says goodbye to Bray Wyatt in a heartbreaking tribute.

For as beautiful a tribute as Erick Rowan paid to Brodie Lee on Counted Out With Mike and Tyler, it wasn't the first farewell he had to say as of late, as he also took to his Instagram on September 1st to say goodbye to Bray Wyatt.

“Writing this down makes my soul foggy and my heart ache,” Erick Rowan wrote on Instagram. “Over 12 years ago from the island of FCW we would talk of our mutual love of horror movies and music before embarking on this crazy journey that brought us around the world with Jon. In the process something happened, this family we portrayed weekly in the wrestling world became a real life bond. We spent more time together over the next few years than we would our own families. Strengthening our bond as we dealt with life trials and tribulations together. Eventually this family grew with the introduction of Adam. As did our love for one another. Life is sometimes unfair, I want to pick up the phone and talk to my brothers. For when I think of Windham It makes me think of Jon then the reality of the crazy truth that they are no longer with us. Though I know they are always listening and smiling. With their sudden passings I can not state enough how much they loved their families. My heart hurts for their kids, for Jojo for Amanda for their brothers and sisters or anyone lucky enough to call them a friend. I love you both so much. This is only Goodbye for Now, I will see you down the road.”

Between the losses of Lee and Wyatt, it's hard to imagine how hard Rowan has been hit over the past few years. Whether he continues to be a part-timer on the indies as he pursues acting or he opts to return to wrestling full-time, let's hope something good is in the Redbeard's future, as he's been through a lot so far this decade.