Paul Heyman is lauded as one of pro wrestling’s visionaries. He’s spent five decades honing that vision, from launching ECW to mentoring future Hall of Famers. So when Heyman speaks about Bray Wyatt’s brilliance, he does so with reverence for what was never fully realized.
Wyatt died unexpectedly in August 2023 at age 36. He had returned to television 11 months earlier, immediately thrust into the spotlight after his previous release. Wyatt was arguably the most gifted actor of his generation. He became a bayou cult leader, a nightmarish monster, a twisted children’s host, and, eventually, an empathetic version of himself.
“He understood that character and the characters that were all built within the character, better than anybody else,” Heyman told CBS Sports while promoting WWE 2K25. “Better than any producer, writer, director that we had on staff or someone else from the outside.”
Wyatt’s eccentric perspective often befuddled other creatives. Heyman admits that Wyatt’s approach even confused him occasionally. The vulnerabilities conveyed in his split personality character — The Fiend and “Firefly Fun House” host — and his more grounded 2022 return gave many pause.
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“Anyone that I know who has been in a creative capacity in this or any other industry would tell you, ‘Don’t do that. Whatever you do, don’t do that.’ In fact, that’s the last thing you should do,” Heyman told CBS Sports. “Why would you allow the vulnerabilities of that character to be shown, especially at this moment upon your return? Yet he did it. With such authenticity that he made us all look bad by saying, ‘What’s he doing? Why would he do this?’ Because he’s so committed.”
Check out the full interview with Paul Heyman below.
Wyatt’s untapped creativity remains a source of inspiration. A tribute faction, The Wyatt Sicks, led by his brother Bo Dallas (performing as Uncle Howdy), currently holds the WWE tag team championships. Players can unlock The Wyatt Sicks by pre-ordering WWE 2K25’s July 23 Nintendo Switch 2 release. Last year, WWE produced a two-hour documentary, “Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal”.
Wyatt’s career is an unfinished canvas; his peers and fans agree on that. Heyman takes it one step further, believing it’s too soon to comprehend the complete scope of Wyatt’s work.
“It’s a body of work that has yet to be truly examined,” Heyman said. “Years from now, when we look back and start to micro dissect what he did, I think we’ll realize he’s even far more brilliant than any of us ever realized.”
