Bray Wyatt was a creative genius who wasn't afraid to take risks, and it more than paid off

In this era of wrestling, it's hard to accomplish what Windham Rotunda did.

Since he debuted in NXT more than 10 years ago, Rotunda — better known by his ring name, Bray Wyatt — was able to keep a mysterious, even evil, aura around him, from his beginnings with the Wyatt Family to "The Fiend," in a time where it's hard to maintain kayfabe thanks to social media, media appearances and various shows that go behind-the-scenes of wrestling.

Wyatt was able to keep his character up the same way The Undertaker did for his entire career, something the WWE legend admitted few superstars are able to maintain nowadays. Every time Wyatt appeared on screen, fans were tuned in, ready to be captivated by the next sinister thing he'd do. People were ready for him to come back this year after he reportedly dealt with a "life-threatening" illness.

But on Thursday, Wyatt died at the age of 36.

His sudden death shocked the wrestling world, and while he is a star gone too soon, he leaves a lasting legacy in wrestling. Wyatt should be remembered as one of the most intriguing stars of this generation with his ability to push boundaries while captivating fans at every single point of his career.

The 'menacing' Bray Wyatt

Wyatt catapulted himself, along with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, to the top of WWE as the leader of the Wyatt Family. They made their main roster debut by attacking a WWE great in Kane.

The ability to preach sinister ideals through creepy vignettes combined with their impressive in-ring ability is what made them such an instant threat to every star. Wyatt was also a genius on the microphone. They started off strong, but the group really hit its stride in 2014 when Wyatt feuded with John Cena leading up to WrestleMania 30.

Who could ever forget the chilling moment when a children's choir showed up with the family to sing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" to Cena in a moment that felt like something you'd see in a horror movie.

You can't forget about his "menacing" WrestleMania entrance that year, either, as he walked down through the darkness with his signature lantern.

The greatness of the Firefly Fun House and 'The Fiend'

When Wyatt returned in 2019, the Firefly Fun House was a puzzling sideshow that left people wondering what direction he was going. Still, the ability for Wyatt to break the fourth wall during the segment was some of the best storytelling going on. When he continued to drop hints about a dark alter ego he was hiding, fans were anxious to see how dark it could get.

Once "The Fiend" made its debut, everyone was hooked with how dangerous the character appeared and its ability to make fans feel uncomfortable while reaching supernatural levels. It was a polarizing and risky move for Wyatt to go all-in on this character after building up such anticipation, but it more than got over.

When WWE went with no fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wyatt took full advantage of being able to do more cinematic, chaotic things. The Firefly Fun House match with Cena at WrestleMania 36 was a masterpiece with its surreal callbacks to so many moments in Cena's life. It was the first time WWE went that big on a cinematic match, and it paid off with a majority of fans praising it.

Wyatt continued taking risks with the Firefly Inferno match against Randy Orton in 2021, and although their match at WrestleMania 37 was odd, it showed Wyatt was able to stay creative in front of a live audience.

Passing the torch

Besides the return of Cody Rhodes, Wyatt had the biggest return in WWE in 2022 when he reappeared at Extreme Rules. Fans knew he was a creative genius, and his return marked a chance for him to offer another layer to his stunning character.

This time around, it felt like it was the true Windham Rotunda we were getting. His vulnerable and honest promo he gave was one of the best performances of the year. It felt authentic, and the introduction of Uncle Howdy meant Wyatt was ready to deliver another insane plot line for fans to go crazy about.

But before his final match in WWE, Wyatt's biggest career moment happened with none other than The Undertaker. Instead of delivering a chokeslam to LA Knight, The Undertaker handed him off to Wyatt to deliver a Sister Abigail.

It was the passing of the torch from the greatest supernatural star in WWE history to the next great. It signified a new leader, something well deserved since Wyatt was able to achieve what The Undertaker did for so long.

But just eight months after that moment, Wyatt is gone.

The wrestling world won't be the same without Wyatt. There likely won't ever be someone that can reach and maintain the edgy status he achieved. His care and creativity for his characters was second to none, and he kept fans wondering what he would do next every single week he appeared. After his final WWE match, Wyatt said he wanted to take risks with himself because he wanted to leave a legacy and was willing to do anything, "especially if no one's ever done it before."

He did that, and left a lasting legacy. He will always have the whole wide world in his hands.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Remembering Bray Wyatt: Top moments and how risks built his WWE legacy