Former WWE creative mastermind Nick Manfredini has revealed intimate new details about the late Windham Rotunda’s—better known as Bray Wyatt—final creative passion project: a non-wrestling television series in development just weeks before his untimely death in August 2023[3]. Speaking on the Wrestling with Freddie podcast, Manfredini, who worked closely with Wyatt both in and out of WWE, described a visionary mind racing ahead with TV ideas, and revealed that the duo always saw wrestling as a launching pad for Rotunda’s broader ambitions in storytelling.
The Unfinished Vision: Bray Wyatt’s Next Chapter
While Bray Wyatt’s name will forever be linked to iconic WWE characters like The Eater of Worlds, The Fiend, and Uncle Howdy, few fans know about his ambition to break into traditional TV production. According to Manfredini, “We always looked at WWE as a springboard—a place to build our profile and eventually move into something bigger. That’s exactly what Windham wanted to do. He wasn’t just thinking about the next match or the next feud; he was already imagining the stories he could tell outside the ring”[3].
Sources close to Rotunda confirm that by June 2023, Wyatt was actively pitching, storyboarding, and meeting with Hollywood producers, with Manfredini collaborating directly on the project. “His mind goes 100 miles an hour,” recalled Manfredini. “He kept saying, ‘We gotta do this, do this, do this.’ We had a lot of WWE stuff that never got used, and he didn’t want any of his ideas to go to waste. He was determined to make something lasting for his family and fans”[3].
Creative Fire: The TV Series That Never Was
Details about the show’s format or genre remain scarce, but insiders suggest Wyatt aimed to blend his signature horror-tinged, psychological storytelling with dramatic narrative arcs—a natural evolution from his WWE personas. According to a WWE insider, “Windham was constantly jotting down notes, sending voice memos, and sketching characters. He wanted to create a show that was as unpredictable as The Fiend, but on a much bigger scale. It was clear he was ready for the next level, and he had the talent to back it up.”
This was not Wyatt’s first flirtation with episodic storytelling outside WWE. Karrion Kross, a former tag team partner and close friend, previously revealed that he and Wyatt had developed an entire pilot for an episodic wrestling show during the pandemic layoff period—complete with a season-long arc between their characters[4]. That project was shelved when Triple H called both men about a WWE return, but the experience only fueled Wyatt’s hunger for creative control in television.
A Legacy of Unrealized Concepts and What Could Have Been
Wyatt’s WWE career was marked by high-concept characters and elaborate, ongoing narratives—many of which were never fully explored due to creative changes or corporate decisions. For instance, Matt Hardy recently revealed that Wyatt had an “amazing story” planned for joining The Hardys after his family-themed cult, The Wyatt Family, dissolved in WWE—“he’d lost all of his family and wanted to earn his way into the House Hardy family. It was super creative and wildly entertaining. But… it never made TV”[1].
Similarly, before his 2023 return, WWE’s creative team had plotted a major faction involving Wyatt, Uncle Howdy (Wyatt’s real-life brother, Bo Dallas), and ex-NXT star Eric Young—another idea that never made it to air[5][6]. “The original idea was me, Bray, and Bo as a trio. That’s what was told to me from Hunter [Triple H],” Young explained in a recent interview. “It would’ve been creatively just an unbelievable opportunity, obviously a huge part of the show at that point… but it just never happened”[5][6].
The Fiend: A Glimpse into Wyatt’s TV Ambition
Wyatt’s most enduring WWE character, The Fiend, was itself a TV-ready creation—a supernatural force of chaos with cinematic entrances, mask transformations by Hollywood FX artist Jason Baker, and a storyline that played out more like a psychological thriller than a traditional wrestling feud[4]. According to Karrion Kross, there was even talk of exploring “a symbiote version of The Fiend” as a visual effect—another idea that hinted at Rotunda’s desire to push boundaries beyond the confines of weekly wrestling television[4].
“He had all these ideas that weren’t used,” Manfredini reflected. “I don’t want them to go to waste. I want to finish some of that for him, with his family. Not on my own, but together. It’s hard, but it feels right to try—to make his dream come true, even if it’s not with him here”[3].
The Final Months: A Creative On the Brink of Breakthrough
By mid-2023, the WWE Universe was buzzing with anticipation for Wyatt’s return after a months-long absence, with rumors swirling about a major angle at SummerSlam or Payback[9]. What few knew was that behind the scenes, Wyatt was simultaneously working on his most ambitious creative project yet—a TV series that would have seen him step fully into the role of writer, showrunner, and star.
A creative source within WWE noted, “There was excitement whenever Windham was in the room. He had a way of making everyone believe in something even bigger than wrestling. By the end, he was as much a filmmaker as a wrestler, and it felt like everyone knew he was about to do something special—in or out of WWE.”
Honoring a Visionary: The Road Ahead for Wyatt’s Legacy
Wyatt’s untimely death at age 36 cut short not just the return of one of WWE’s most beloved stars, but the launch of what could have been a groundbreaking new chapter in genre storytelling[2]. WWE is now commemorating his legacy with a new documentary, Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal, premiering April 1 on Peacock, featuring interviews with John Cena, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, and members of Wyatt’s real-life family[2].
But for those who knew him best, the greatest tribute to Windham Rotunda may yet be found in those unrealized TV scripts, character bibles, and voice notes—dreams that, according to Manfredini, deserve to see the light of day. “Hopefully we can finish what he started,” Manfredini said. “It would be the best way to remember him—not just as a wrestler, but as the creative force we all knew he could be”[3].
Conclusion: A Creative Mind Unfinished, But Not Forgotten
Bray Wyatt’s legacy in WWE is secure, but his ambition always reached far beyond the squared circle. In the weeks before his passing, he was on the verge of a new adventure in television—one that promised to redefine his career and bring a new audience to his unique vision. As the wrestling world continues to celebrate Wyatt’s memory, his final creative dreams remain a poignant testament to the creative ambition that set him apart.
As one backstage source put it: “Windham never saw a ceiling. He just saw the next story he wanted to tell—and for a while, even in those final weeks, it looked like he was going to get to tell it.”
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