“Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal” (Peacock) Movie Review by Rafy Mediavilla (@Rmediavilla) #BrayWyattDoc
Bray Wyatt is one of the most revered and mysterious characters in WWE history. The story behind that character and the man himself, Windham Rotunda, has never been documented until now. Using never-before seen interviews and exclusive backstage footage, Windham Rotunda’s inspiring story unfolds. This documentary chronicles Windham’s incredible rise to worldwide fame as a WWE superstar, and the struggles and success that came with being a creative visionary. Sadly, in August of 2023, Windham passed away at the age of 36. In the wake of his untimely death, Windham leaves behind a family still grieving with loss as they celebrate a lasting legacy that continues to create and inspire.
I was never the biggest Bray Wyatt fan, and this had nothing to do with the character or the person behind the mask, I just was not a fan of the direction the WWE was going overall with their stories since late 2015. I feel WWE has hit a wall as they try to recreate the spark that the Attuide Era had with their characters and to me Bray Wyatt was more than anything an Undertaker type of character.
With that being said, I cannot deny the impact Bray Wyatt as a character had in the current WWE Universe. Windham Rotunda a third-generation superstar had all the charisma in the world to conquer the Sport-Entertainment industry as he did. He is head was truly ahead of his time at moments, and he was truly also a huge fan of the business. That was what made him stand out above everyone and the main reason he made a lasting impact on the industry in such a short time.
Being a fan of WWE since 2000 I knew already who good is the production team in creating these style of movies. They have mastered the craft of telling an impactful, thoughtful, and emotional documentary throughout the years. Hell, even their somewhat short TV promos have the same impact of these feature documentaries. But what I wasn’t expecting was to have such an emotional connection with a character once they had passed away. I cried my eyes out with the Eddie Guerrero RAW special tribute show in 2005, mostly because I had an emotional connection with the character. With Bray Wyatt, my connection with his character was his little brother Bo Dallas (Taylor Michael Rotunda) as he spoke about his brother and his impact on his life and the industry. The last 30 minutes are just fully packed with raw emotions about someone who was taking way too soon.
As expected WWE knows exactly what to pick regarding the interviews done for these documentaries. I absolutely loved what Special Make Effects Maker, Jason Baker brought to the last couple of days working with Windham Rotunda, I love how he explained how they bonded with each other and their love for the craft. I loved the John Cena interview as he dives into recreating the Firefly Fun House Match for the pandemic version of WrestleMania. I love how John Cena, someone who I was not a fan of neither for in-ring ability, speaks on taking Windham Rotunda under his wing and embraces his weird creative ways of storytelling.
Ultimately “Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal” is one hell of a tribute to someone that impacted the industry and was taken from us way too damn soon. Regardless if you were a fan of Bray Wyatt or not. This documentary will hit you right the feels, and much like it for me, I will turn you into a Fied fan by the end of it all.
