As the world of professional wrestling continues to mourn the unexpected death of WWE superstar Bray Wyatt, details about the 36-year-old's passing have come to light. It now seems that the "Eater Of Worlds" and former WWE and Universal champion was hospitalized just a week before his death, and that's not all.
A new report from TMZ has revealed that Bray Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, was hospitalized just a week before his passing due to heart issues that surfaced after a bout with COVID-19 in March of this year. According to the report, the sickness resulted in Wyatt developing a "weak lower part" of his heart, possibly explaining why he was pulled from WrestleMania 39 in April.
Following his hospitalization and on the morning of his death, Wyatt attended a follow-up appointment with doctors who advised him to continue wearing an external defibrillator. The device is meant to treat people who are susceptible to sudden cardiac arrest and was found in his car the day of his passing.
Bray Wyatt's longtime girlfriend, former WWE in-ring announcer JoJo Offerman, reportedly noticed something was wrong when the superstar laid down for a nap but didn't respond to his alarm an hour later. She allegedly walked in to check on him and noticed he was turning blue. Offerman called 911 while her mother attempted to perform CPR. Wyatt, as we now know, ultimately passed away from a heart attack in his sleep.
Many in the WWE continue to mourn the loss of Bray Wyatt, including World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, who made a lovely tribute over the weekend. Rollins' tribute followed an episode of SmackDown dedicated to his memory as well as the passing of superstar Terry Funk. Viewers were shown a tribute video of Wyatt's greatest moments and given a reminder as to why his rumored return at upcoming WWE events was so anticipated:
Even rival wrestling company AEW paid homage to Bray Wyatt at its All In pay-per-view, which set the record for the largest paid attendance at a wrestling event ever. Tributes to Wyatt continued on Monday Night Raw, as well as on social media, as other wrestlers continued to share memories of the man who was known by fans for his creepy characters and massive charisma.
One question that remains for fans following his passing is whether or not the WWE will honor Bray Wyatt with an induction into its Hall Of Fame ahead of WrestleMania 40. I don't think there's much opposition to seeing Bray Wyatt inducted, especially considering all that the superstar achieved in the relatively short time he was involved in the company compared to some other inductees.
It's even possible The Wyatt Family could be inducted as a whole, considering former member and Wyatt's friend Brodie Lee only passed away a few years prior. We will have to wait and see what the company does, but I have little doubt there will be more tributes to Wyatt as we draw closer to Mania season.
Monday Night Raw airs on USA Network on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and SmackDown is on Fox on Fridays at the same time. Now would be a great time to revisit Wyatt's memorable matches with a Peacock Premium subscription, especially for those who have stepped away from wrestling and aren't familiar with his work.
