For how polarizing a performer Bray Wyatt may have been in the professional wrestling ring, with some fans hating his otherworldly personas, spooky vignettes, and quite possibly the most controversial character in WWE history, The Fiend, it's hard for even the most old-school, by-the-books wrestling fan to not see the passion he brought to his family business.

The brother of Bo Dallas, son of Erwin R. Shyster, and grandson of Blackjack Mulligan of NWA, Jim Crockett Promotions, and WWF fame, Wyatt was effectively born to be a professional wrestler, which made his first release from WWE, reportedly due to “budget cuts” during the COVID-19 pandemic so hard. Still, Wyatt didn't let it sour his love of the business, with the former Universal Champion going to Twitter back in August of 2022, two months before his return at Extreme Rules, to romanticize the sport that he and so many others love vociferously.

“Wrestling is not a love story, it's a Fairy Tale for masochists,” Bray Wyatt said on Twitter. “A comedy for people who criticize punchlines. A fantasy most can't understand, a spectacle no one can deny. Lines are blurred. Heroes are villains. Budgets are cut. Business is business. But it can also be a land where Dead men walk. Where Honor makes you Elite. Where Demons run for office. And Rock bottom is a reason to rejoice. WOOOOO! It's an escape. A reason to point the blame at anyone but yourself for 2-3 hours. An excuse to be a kid again, and nothing matters except the moment we are in. Wrestling is not a love story, it's much more. It's hope. And in a world surrounded in hate, greed, and violence, a world where closure may never come. We all know a place that has hot and cold hope on tap. For better or for worse.”

After making his return to the WWE Universe at Extreme Rules, Wyatt largely used the proceeding months to build up the lore surrounding his new Wyattverse, with Uncle Howdy arriving to take part in a now-unfinishable storyline but did wrestle one televised match before his career and life were ultimately cut short, securing a win over LA Knight at the Royal Rumble in a Pitch Black match sponsored by Mtn Dew.

Though the match in question wasn't considered an all-time classic by any regard, with Dave Meltzer giving the bout a .75 star rating, Wyatt was incredibly positive about the prospects of his career moving forward, telling the reporters in attendance that he feels as though wrestling as an industry has a little “something for everyone.”

“There are some people that like new concepts and people who take risks and things, and then there are people who don't just because they don't,” Wyatt said via WrestleZone. “It's a sport to some, it's a show to others. The beautiful thing about wrestling and this industry is that there is something for everyone. I've always prided myself on the fact that I'm willing to take risks and do things that no one has ever done. In my opinion, if you're not willing to do that then what are you doing here? It's about leaving a legacy, for me, and I'd do pretty much anything, especially if no one has ever done it before because I know people will notice, and it's fun for me.”

And that, unfortunately, was that; though Wyatt did appear on multiple episodes of SmackDown after the Royal Rumble and even went to bat with Hit Row in a non-match beatdown to the cheers of seemingly the entire WWE Universe, his match with Bobby Lashley was dashed for WrestleMania 39 without an official statement -a new version of “The Muscleman Dance” however, did make it to air – and his story now fades into legend as a result. RIP to a true original.

Recalling the sadness and hope of Bray Wyatt's final interview with Ryan Satin.

In the lead-up to his 2023 Royal Rumble appearance, Bray Wyatt decided to sit down for the rare shoot interview with Ryan Satin, who does Out of Character for Fox.

Asked about why he decided to return to WWE and to professional wrestling in general despite seemingly having offers from other promotions and even external production companies outside of the industry to share his creativity with the world, Wyatt noted that despite his own internal struggles, he wants to do right by the fans who followed him along the way.

“I despise the way my mind works, and that’s the truth of it all. I’m the first person to ever tell you all my flaws,” Wyatt said. “I refuse to watch myself back. I’ve never seen pretty much anything that I’ve ever done, I can’t watch. I’m just that kind of head case, man. It’s also kind of my superpower. What makes me me is the obsession, and when I’m geared on something, I’m so deep into it that there is no separating life from anything else. It just is,” Bray Wyatt said via WrestleZone.

“When I dive deep like that, it’s what makes me connect, and it’s the reason that I have fans that are so into what I do, it feels like it’s part of their life too. If I didn’t have such passionate fans, I wouldn’t be here. I really wouldn’t. It’s them that led me back here.”

When Satin complemented Wyatt's promos after returning to WWE, discussing his personal loss to nearly 2 million fans a week on national television, Bray opened up about the loss of multiple people in his life during his time away from WWE but again credited the fans for helping him to get past himself and back into the entertainment industry.

“There was so much going on,” Wyatt said. “With all of that, it was out of nowhere. I wasn’t prepared for any of that. I lost my childhood best friend, I lost Brodie, I lost my best friend for college Mark Olive. It was something that I think I didn’t deal with very well . I think Brodie’s wife Amanda dealt with it and the kids have dealt with it better than me and Rowan did. There’s something there that reminds me of him every single day,” Wyatt explained.

“I think that time period was just a conundrum for me. I wasn’t myself, and it took me a while to remember what makes me, me, and it was a long journey, but it’s led me here and to this moment. This is the best I’ve ever felt.”

Much will be said about Windham Rotunda as a wrestler, as a friend, a father, and a man over the forthcoming days, but listening to those words of loss, sadness, and ultimately hope unrealized is incredibly heartbreaking.