As SmackDown rapidly approaches, WWE fans the world over are preparing for the sort of all-encompassing tribute show that will all but surely push all previous plans aside in favor of celebrating the life and career of Bray Wyatt.

Matches will be wrestled, likely with tributes to Wyatt and fellow fallen former Superstar Terry Funk, tribute videos will be played, and in the end, the lantern will be blown out one final time, signifying the end of one of the most unique performers in WWE history as legions of his peers pay tribute on screen.

One performer, however, who will not be in attendance at the show will be the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, who has opted against attending the show for the best reason possible: some advice from the “Eater of Worlds” after the passing of his former tag team partner Brodie Lee.

“Windham was a unique cat; he was simple yet deeply complex individual, and I loved him, I loved him; I loved working with him, but most mostly, I just loved being around him. He was always joyful, just these eyes that would draw you in and a smile and a laugh and a presence that made you happy, and we're all gonna miss that,” Seth Rollins said.

“I've been thinking mostly about his family, his kids, and I wanted to, I thought about going to SmackDown tonight, but that would entail leaving my family a day early, and I just keep going back to this conversation I had with Windham on the phone when Brodie passed a few years ago and, you know, I just called him to check on him and he, you know, we talked, and he was okay, and I was okay, and neither of us were really okay, but I just remember him, we ended the conversation with ‘I love yous' and ‘Goodbyes' and he just, he said, and I remember this very specifically, ‘You just go hug on that baby girl,' talking about my daughter, and so I just feel like that's what I should be doing, so Windham, I love you, man, I will miss you, we will all miss you, and I'll see you down the road, hot boy.”

Would it have been cool to see Rollins at Wyatt's tribute show? Sure, the story of The Fiend cannot be told without the “Visionary,” and folks will be talking about their Hell in a Cell match for decades to come, for better or worse. Still, his four-minute tribute video says more than his silent presence on the SmackDown stage ever could, and the advice he passed along from Wyatt should be heeded by any fan of professional wrestling.

Bray Wyatt's 2020 tribute to Brodie Lee is all the more touching in hindsight.

Speaking of the passing of Brodie Lee, who died of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on December 26th, 2020, Bray Wyatt took to Instagram that very day to pay tribute to his fallen friend; a tribute that feels incredibly prescient after his own passing.

“You were my best friend. My brother, my partner, my Terry Gordy. We changed this whole game because we refused to do it any way but OUR way. We were always at our best when we were a team I think we both knew it. We fought like brothers because we were. I’m so godd**n pissed. This isn’t how it was supposed to be, it was supposed to be us fat, bald, and useless running Wyatt Family spots in high school gyms in our 70’s,” Bray Wyatt wrote on Instagram.

“Where do we go now? What do I do knowing I’ll never hear your condescending sarcasm as I am riding high. I miss you so f**king much already. I would do anything just live through our worst moments again I can’t believe you’re gone. I’m so sorry brother. I’m so sorry. You will always be a part of me, whether I like it or not without you, everything is different, and I hope Amanda truly knows that I am here not just to say it but because I love them too. I will make sure your son knows the incredible man you were. Not the legends people will tell but the real you that very few people got to see. I promise I’ll put him over clean in dark matches when he’s old enough just like I promised. I’m hurting so bad. I wish I had a chance to say goodbye. But then again, it’s Saturday and you know what that means…. save me a seat next to you wherever you are, that’s where I belong. I’ll be there when it’s my time. Goodbye forever Brodie. I love you.”

This isn't how it's supposed to go. Lee and Wyatt are supposed to be running Wyatt Family spots in some high school gym 30 years from now like Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson of the Rock ‘n' Roll Express, not passed into wrestling lore before they were afforded a chance to see their respective storylines through. While their legacies may live on forever, losing them so young is a cruel way for those legends to end.