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WWE superstar Windham Rotunda - better known by his in-ring name Bray Wyatt - died in 2023 from a heart attack, the result of an existing condition that had been exacerbated by a COVID-19 infection. He was only 36, and the sudden death of a beloved performer hit the wrestling world hard at the time. Now, just over a year later, WWE 2K24 is paying tribute to Bray by recreating the character he never got the opportunity to bring to the ring.
After Rotunda's death, the Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal documentary gave us a look at what would have been the next iteration of his Fiend character. Makeup effects artist Jason Baker revealed that he and Rotunda had been collaborating on a new iteration of the Fiend costume that was effectively complete, including a creepy lantern shaped like the character's mask, complete with animatronic eyes.
On the October 4 edition of Smackdown, a brief teaser trailer for a WWE 2K24 update debuted, showing this new version of the Fiend, which had never previously appeared on WWE TV. Today, the devs have shown the character's full entrance video. It's unclear if this is set to be a free update or paid DLC, but either way the devs are teasing an October 16, 2024 release date.
Welcome To My World ⭕️ 𐏑θ/𐏑꘦/ƻᔯ pic.twitter.com/tk7myx7DMYOctober 8, 2024
While Rotunda's character gimmicks over the years tended to effectively be slasher movie villains, he was keen on including some very sweet details. This final iteration of the Fiend includes stitches around the mouth - gruesome at a glance, but they're actually in the shape of Roman numerals, representing what would have been his December 6 wedding anniversary with fiancé JoJo Offerman. The pinstriping on his pants also includes the names of his children. It's a little difficult to tell in the grainy social media videos 2K has provided so far, but these details appear to be faithfully recreated in the game.
"If I can give this to his fans, which meant the world to him, then not all of him is completely gone," Baker said when showcasing Windham's Final Creation, as it's labeled in the documentary. "So if I get to help my friend live on in some way or capacity, I'll be okay with that. I can do that."
Today, Baker's response to 2K's introduction of this version of the Fiend is elated. "I can't stop crying at this! It is so beautifully bittersweet seeing @Windham6 in the new Fiend gear & knowing how excited he was about bringing his iconic character back to WWE," he says on Twitter. "You’ve given all us fireflies an amazing look at what should have been. Best Birthday present ever!"
