Windham Rotunda

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Windham Rotunda
Windham Rotunda.jpg
Husky Harris as part of The Nexus in November 2010
Ring name(s) Alex Rotunda[1]
Alex Rotundo[1]
Axel Mulligan[2]
Bray Wyatt[3]
Duke Rotundo[1]
Husky Harris[4]
Windham Rotunda[1]
Billed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[5]
Billed weight 295 lb (134 kg)[5]
Born (1987-05-23) May 23, 1987 (age 26)[6]
Brooksville, Florida[1]
Billed from Brooksville, Florida[7]
Lafayette, Louisiana[5]
Trained by FCW staff[1]
Debut 2009[1]

Windham Lawrence Rotunda[1][6] (born May 23, 1987)[6] is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE and works in NXT Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory, as Bray Wyatt. He also wrestled in WWE as Husky Harris, wrestling as part of The Nexus. Alongside his younger brother Bo Rotundo, he has held the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on two occasions.

Contents

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE [edit]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2009–2010) [edit]

Rotunda debuted in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in April 2009 with a victory, using the name "Alex Rotundo".[8] He later changed his name to "Duke Rotundo".[8] In early 2009, he formed a semi-regular tag team with Vic Adams.[9]

In June 2009, Rotundo began teaming with his brother, Bo.[9] At the FCW television tapings on July 23, The Rotundo Brothers defeated The Dude Busters (Caylen Croft and Trent Barretta) to become the number one contenders to the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship.[9] That same night, they defeated Justin Angel and Kris Logan for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship.[8][9] They went on to successfully defend the championship against Dylan Klein and Vance Archer and the team of Curt Hawkins and Heath Slater.[9] At the FCW television tapings on November 19, the Rotundos lost the championship to The Dude Busters (Hawkins and Croft).[9] In early 2010, the Rotundos began feuding with The Usos (Jimmy and Jules), and their manager, Sarona Snuka.[10] They lost to The Usos on January 14, but defeated The Usos and Donny Marlow in a six-man tag team match, with Wes Brisco as their partner. In a straight rematch on March 11, the Rotundos defeated The Usos.[10] In April, they moved into a feud with Jackson Andrews and Curt Hawkins, which began when Bo faced Andrews in a singles match and won by disqualification when Hawkins interfered.[10] At the television tapings the following week, the Rotundos teamed up with Eli Cottonwood in a loss to Hawkins, Andrews, and Leo Kruger.[10]

After this, Rotundo returned to singles competition, wrestling against and defeating Kruger, Johnny Curtis, and Tyler Reks.[10] In June 2010, he changed his ring name to 'Husky Harris' to coincide with his debut on NXT under that name. He went on to defeat Drake Brewer and Derrick Bateman, before unsuccessfully challenging Alex Riley for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship on June 20.[10] In September, Harris feuded with Percy Watson, losing to him via countout when Harris refused to continue the match and left.[10] Harris later lost to Watson in an unsanctioned, Falls Count Anywhere match on September 15.[10] The following week, a match between the two ended in a double disqualification, resulting in a 'non-sanctioned come as you are bunkhouse brawl', which Watson won to end the feud.[10]

NXT and The Nexus (2010–2011) [edit]

See also: The Nexus (professional wrestling)
Harris (left) with David Otunga (center) and Heath Slater (right) as part of The Nexus in December 2010.

On June 1, 2010, Rotunda was announced as a competitor in the second season of WWE NXT under the name "Husky Harris", with Cody Rhodes as his mentor.[4][11] Harris made his debut on the June 8 episode of NXT, competing in a tag team match with Rhodes against Montel Vontavious Porter and Percy Watson, which they lost.[12] After a rocky start with his pro Cody Rhodes, Harris turned heel on the June 22 episode of NXT by attacking announcer Matt Striker, just as Rhodes had done the previous week.[13] The following week, Harris lost to Porter in a singles match, and was ranked seventh out of the eight rookies in the first poll.[14] In the second poll, Harris moved up to sixth place, narrowly avoiding elimination.[15] On August 9 the rookies appeared in a six-man tag team match on Raw, which Harris' team won when he pinned Kaval, but his team lost a rematch the following night on NXT.[16][17] In the poll later that night, Harris climbed to fourth place out of the six rookies.[17] Harris was one of two rookies eliminated from NXT on August 17. Following his elimination, Harris and Rhodes attacked Kaval, resulting in a brawl also involving Porter and Kofi Kingston.[18] Harris reappeared in the season finale of NXT with the other eliminated rookies and joined in on the attack on the NXT winner, Kaval.[19]

At the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in October, a disguised Harris and Michael McGillicutty interfered in a match between John Cena and Wade Barrett, and helped Barrett win, forcing Cena to join Barrett's faction The Nexus per the pre-match stipulation.[20] Harris' and McGillicutty's identities were revealed on the following day's episode of Raw, though Barrett claimed he had not asked for their help and refused to make them full time members of The Nexus.[21] The following week, Harris and McGillicutty cost Cena a match against The Miz, prompting Barrett to give them the opportunity to win membership in The Nexus.[22] On the October 18 episode of Raw, Harris and McGillicutty failed to earn a place in The Nexus when they lost to Cena and Randy Orton in a tag team match.[23] The following week on Raw, however, Harris and McGillicutty were inducted into The Nexus, in spite of their loss.[24]

In January 2011 CM Punk took over Nexus and had each of its members put through an initiation. Harris passed his initiation, a lashing from the rest of the group, and was allowed to remain a member of The Nexus, alongside Punk, McGillicutty and David Otunga.[25] Three weeks later, on the January 31 episode of Raw, Harris and McGillicutty unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov for the WWE Tag Team Championship. After the match Randy Orton attacked them as revenge for them interfering in his WWE Championship match against The Miz and costing him the championship, and punted Harris in the head.[26] This was a scripted injury to write Harris off WWE television, and return him to FCW.

Return to FCW and NXT (2011–present) [edit]

Following the attack by Orton on Raw in early 2011, Rotunda returned to FCW and used a new character on March 18, that of the hockey mask-wearing "Axel Mulligan".[2] Thereafter, he reverted to the Husky Harris name and character.

After Harris' brother Bo Rotundo was injured, his FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship was vacated and a tournament set up to determine the new champion.[27] Harris defeated Big E. Langston to make it to the final, a fatal four-way match against Leo Kruger, Damien Sandow, and Dean Ambrose. During the match, won by Kruger, Harris was accidentally superkicked by Richie Steamboat who was sitting ringside.[28] On the following episode of FCW television, Harris won a triple threat match to earn a match for the championship against Kruger, and was attacked again by Steamboat.[29] On the October 24 episode of FCW television, Harris unsuccessfully challenged Kruger for the championship, and Steamboat again interfered in the match.[30] As a result, Harris and Steamboat began feuding, with their first match ending in a no contest.[31] Kruger later defeated the pair in a triple threat match to retain the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship, and the following week, Harris defeated Steamboat in a No Hold Barred match.[32][33] After the pair continued to attack each other backstage and during matches, FCW General Manager Maxine announced on the December 19 episode of FCW television that she had suspended both men for 30 days.[34][35][36] Upon their return, Harris defeated Steamboat in a Bullrope match to end their feud.[37]

On February 2, 2012, Harris and his younger brother Bo Rotundo defeated Brad Maddox and Eli Cottonwood, who was substituting for the injured Briley Pierce, to win the Florida Tag Team Championship for the second time.[38][39] The brothers held the championship until March 15, when they lost it to Corey Graves and Jake Carter.[38]

The following month, Rotunda debuted a new character on FCW television, that of Bray Wyatt, a Cape Fear-esque character, who associated himself with Eli Cottonwood.[3][40] As Wyatt, he returned to NXT at the inaugural tapings at Full Sail University on May 17 and defeated Aiden English in a singles match.[41] In early July 2012, Rotunda suffered a torn pectoral muscle, necessitating surgery.[42] Despite the injury, Wyatt continued to appear on NXT and founded a faction known as the Wyatt Family, with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.[43][44] Wyatt had his first match back from injury on the February 21, 2013 episode of NXT, defeating Yoshi Tatsu.[45] He suffered his first loss in a singles match against Chris Jericho on the May 2 episode of NXT tapings.[46]

Personal life [edit]

Rotunda is a third generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blackjack Mulligan, father Mike Rotunda and uncles Barry and Kendall Windham were all professional wrestlers. He has a younger brother, Taylor, who is also a professional wrestler, and a younger sister, Mika.[6] Rotunda was named after his uncle, Barry Windham.[8]

Rotunda attended Hernando High School, where he won a state wrestling championship at 275 pounds (125 kg) in 2005.[6][8][47] He graduated from high school in 2005.[8] He also played football as a defensive tackle and guard. Rotunda played at the College of the Sequoias for two seasons, earning second-team All-American honors as a sophomore offensive guard.[47] He earned a football scholarship to Troy University, where he played collegiate football for two years.[6][8] He left Troy University 27 hours before earning a Bachelor's degree after deciding to become a wrestler.[47]

In wrestling [edit]

Championships and accomplishments [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Husky Harris profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved February 7, 2012. 
  2. ^ a b c Autor Invitado (March 20, 2011). "Windham Rotunda rinde homenaje a su abuelo con su nuevo personaje en Florida Championship Wrestling: Axel Mulligan". SuperLuchas Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved March 21, 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Namako, Jason (April 27, 2012). "FCW Results – 4/22/12". WrestleView. Retrieved May 1, 2012. 
  4. ^ a b Caldwell, James (June 1, 2010). "WWE News: NXT Results – Season Two announced, Pro & Rookie pairings revealed". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 1, 2010. 
  5. ^ a b c "Bray Wyatt". NXT Wrestling. Retrieved December 26, 2012. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Windham Rotunda – 2007 Football". Troy Trojans. August 3, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2013. 
  7. ^ "Husky Harris bio". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved October 26, 2010. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h LaRiviere, Derek J. (November 26, 2009). "Brooksville's Rotunda brothers follow dad Mike into professional wrestling". Tampa Bay Sports. Retrieved June 2, 2010. 
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Florida Championship Wrestling (2009)". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Florida Championship Wrestling (2010)". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved March 6, 2011. 
  11. ^ Bishop, Matt (June 1, 2010). "WWE NXT: Barrett wins show's first season". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved June 2, 2010. 
  12. ^ Bishop, Matt (June 8, 2010). "WWE NXT: New rookies pay as Season 2 opens". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved June 12, 2010. 
  13. ^ Bishop, Matt (June 22, 2010). "WWE NXT: Rookies look to make impact as first poll nears". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved June 30, 2010. 
  14. ^ a b Bishop, Matt (June 29, 2010). "WWE NXT: Surprise! First elimination on tap". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved June 30, 2010. 
  15. ^ Bishop, Matt (July 27, 2010). "WWE NXT: Second rookie goes home; New No. 1". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved July 28, 2010. 
  16. ^ Plummer, Dale (August 10, 2010). "RAW: Team WWE makes a stand". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 10, 2010. 
  17. ^ a b Bishop, Matt (August 10, 2010). "WWE NXT: Eliminations coming fast and furious". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 11, 2010. 
  18. ^ Bishop, Matt (August 17, 2010). "WWE NXT: 2 more rookies sent packing as tensions rise". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 18, 2010. 
  19. ^ Bishop, Matt (August 31, 2010). "WWE NXT: Kaval wins show's 2nd season, gets beat down". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved September 2, 2010. 
  20. ^ Hillhouse, Dave (October 4, 2010). "Hell in a Cell: Betrayal, fan interference, and flying shoes". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved October 4, 2010. 
  21. ^ Caldwell, James (October 4, 2010). "Caldwell's WWE Raw results 10/4: Complete "virtual time" coverage of Raw with Hell in a Cell fall-out – John Cena joins Nexus". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 5, 2010. 
  22. ^ Tylwalk, Nick (October 12, 2010). "Raw: Team Raw assembles while Cena stews". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved October 18, 2010. 
  23. ^ Plummer, Dale (October 18, 2010). "RAW: Smackdown! superstars invade Monday Night". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved October 19, 2010. 
  24. ^ Wilkenfeld, Daniel (October 25, 2010). "Caldwell's WWE Raw results 10/25: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live Raw following Bragging Rights, Bryan vs. Ziggler". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 26, 2010. 
  25. ^ Plummer, Dale (January 10, 2011). "RAW: CM Punk thins out the ranks". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved January 12, 2011. 
  26. ^ Plummer, Dale (January 31, 2011). "RAW: Jerry Lawler on the road to Wrestlemania". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved February 2, 2010. 
  27. ^ "Superstars of the Week: Leo Kruger". Florida Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  28. ^ Namako, Jason (October 10, 2011). "FCW Results – 10/9/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  29. ^ Namako, Jason (October 17, 2011). "FCW Results – 10/17/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  30. ^ Namako, Jason (October 25, 2011). "FCW Results – 10/24/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  31. ^ Namako, Jason (October 31, 2011). "FCW Results – 10/31/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  32. ^ Namako, Jason (November 14, 2011). "FCW Results – 11/14/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  33. ^ Namako, Jason (November 21, 2011). "FCW Results – 11/21/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  34. ^ Namako, Jason (December 5, 2011). "FCW Results – 12/5/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  35. ^ Namako, Jason (December 12, 2011). "FCW Results – 12/12/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  36. ^ Namako, Jason (December 20, 2011). "FCW Results – 12/19/11". WrestleView. Retrieved December 29, 2011. 
  37. ^ Namako, Jason (January 9, 2012). "FCW Results – 1/9/12". WrestleView. Retrieved February 7, 2012. 
  38. ^ a b "Champions Roll Call". Florida Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 3, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2012. 
  39. ^ a b Meltzer, Dave (February 2, 2012). "Two title changes at tonight's FCW tapings". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 4, 2012. 
  40. ^ Namako, Jason (April 11, 2012). "FCW Results – 4/8/12". WrestleView. Retrieved May 1, 2012. 
  41. ^ Parry, Josh (May 17, 2012). "WWE News: Spoilers – Complete results from first NXT/Superstar Showdown TV taping at Full Sail". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 18, 2012. 
  42. ^ Martin, Adam (July 6, 2012). "Developmental talent to be out of action for six months". WrestleView. Retrieved January 6, 2013. 
  43. ^ Bishop, Matt (November 8, 2012). "WWE NXT: Who will challenge Rollins?". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved January 8, 2013. "Bray announces this man as the "first son of the Wyatt family, Luke Harper."" 
  44. ^ Chiverton, George (January 7, 2013). "Chiverton's NXT Scouting Report – Year-End Review: Who are WWE's top prospects heading into 2013?". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 8, 2013. 
  45. ^ Namako, Jason (February 22, 2013). "WWE NXT Results – 2/21/13 (Big E. vs. O'Brian)". WrestleView. Retrieved May 18, 2013. 
  46. ^ Namako, Jason (May 3, 2013). "WWE NXT Results - 5/2/13 (Jericho vs. Wyatt)". WrestleView. Retrieved May 24, 2013. 
  47. ^ a b c Bernhardt, Jr., Chris (June 12, 2009). "Hernando High alumni ready to hit the ring". Hernando Today. Retrieved August 30, 2009. 
  48. ^ Caldwell, James (July 20, 2010). "Caldwell's WWE NXT Results 7/20: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of NXT Season 2, Week 7". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 23, 2010. 
  49. ^ a b Bishop, Matt (August 3, 2010). "WWE NXT: Awful show features one of worst segments in company history". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 4, 2010. 
  50. ^ Martin, Todd (January 25, 2011). "Raw is Rumble go-home show by Todd Martin". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
  51. ^ Martin, Adam (August 11, 2010). "WWE NXT Results – 8/10/10". WrestleView. Retrieved December 30, 2011. "McGillicutty sends him to the corner and Harris, who was tagged, annihilates him with an avalanche." 
  52. ^ a b Tedesco, Mike (August 18, 2010). "WWE NXT Results – 8/17/10". WrestleView. Retrieved December 7, 2011. 
  53. ^ Caldwell, James (June 29, 2010). "Caldwell's WWE NXT Results 6/29: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of NXT Season 2, Week 4". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved December 30, 2011. 
  54. ^ "Warrior's Way to No. 1". World Wrestling Entertainment. June 29, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010. 
  55. ^ "Achievement Awards: Feud of the Year". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2011. 
  56. ^ "Achievement Awards: Most Hated". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011. 
  57. ^ ""PWI 500": 101–200". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. August 8, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 

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