It’s been four months since WWE superstar Bray Wyatt suddenly passed away. The news had shocked the world as WWE had just given him creativity rights on a storyline that was bound to feature the Wyatt 6.
Windham Rotunda, 36, was better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt. The former WWE Champion tragically passed away due to a heart attack on August 24, 2023. Before that he had been diagnosed with Covid-19 which had kept him out of the ring for several months after his Mountain Dew Pitch Black match against L.A. Knight. The future had seemed bright for Wyatt with Paul “Triple H” Levesque leading the creative department.
In his first stint with the WWE, Bray Wyatt had won several championships:
- WWE Championship
- WWE Universal Championship (twice)
- RAW Tag Team Championship (with Matt Hardy)
- Smackdown Tag Team Championship (with Randy Orton and Luke Harper)
After the tragic news had broke, the WWE announced that they would continue to sell the wrestler’s merchandise. The entirety of the profits would go to Rotunda’s family. That’s not all however:
“I have to give credit to WWE,” Windham’s father Mike Rotunda told Wrasslin Talk. They have been amazing in helping our family with a lot of different things. They decided to sign Windham to a Legends contract, and all the proceeds go to the family. Windham has four children, and luckily this will be theirs.”
A Legends contract essentially gives the WWE the rights to a wrestler’s likeness. It allows the wrestling company to let the wrestler appear in video games, continue to sell their merchandise and more. Many Legends and Hall of Famers are signed to a Legends contract that allows them to make cameo performances. It’s not an exclusive deal as it allows the wrestler and his family to still do stuff with the name as well.
“They’ve released a collection of memorabilia and t-shirts, and I think they have more in the works. I’m not sure about everything that’s come out and they’re doing, but people can look up his name in WWE Shop. That will really help their kids. We’re trying to set up trusts to stay in their name. Their work is very much appreciated by us, and WWE has been more than gracious with their help toward our family.”
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