As the wrestling community mourns Bray Wyatt’s tragic death, the current NWA Heavyweight Champion EC3 has shared a heartfelt story of his time at the late great Wyatt’s burial. Additionally, he related an emotional exchange he had with his close buddy Braun Strowman.
The untimely and terrible death of Bray Wyatt shocked the whole wrestling community. The flood of passionate tributes revealed the significant influence Wyatt had on the industry as fans, friends, and coworkers mourned the passing of “The Eater of the World.” WWE also devoted a SmackDown edition to him, bringing tears of joy and smiles from the audience.
In an exclusive interview with The Wrestling Outlaws, EC3 recounted the solemn yet uplifting occasion of attending Bray Wyatt’s funeral, which he described as a “celebration” of the most “wonderful” person he had ever encountered. The NWA Heavyweight Champion emotionally reflected on this experience, saying, “It was the best worst day ever, and now I’m gonna cry. That happened, and it was a wonderful celebration of the most wonderful man we have ever met.”
Current champion recalls attending Bray Wyatt's funeral; opens up on chat with Braun Strowmanhttps://t.co/Sc5Dr06Ckj
— Sportskeeda Wrestling (@SKWrestling_) October 12, 2023
EC3 revealed that the funeral service was attended by a veritable who’s who of the wrestling business. Those unable to be present in person expressed their grief and solidarity through heartfelt text messages. Notably, EC3 also shared a heartfelt conversation he had with Braun Strowman, during which Strowman emphasized the importance of coming together not only in times of tragedy but also for more joyous reasons.
EC3 recalled Strowman’s words, conveying the sentiment: “A lot of top names. Going down the list, if you name a person, I probably would be like, yeah. And people who couldn’t come but wanted to be there… a lot of them texting out and so heartbroken that they couldn’t go. What I gathered from that, too, I was actually talking to Braun, and he mentioned something like, ‘We shouldn’t get together in times like this. There should be something that brings us together once in a while.'”
Matt Hardy’s Reflection on Bray Wyatt’s Funeral
EC3’s recollections mirror those of his fellow wrestlers who attended Bray Wyatt’s funeral, including AEW star Matt Hardy. On an episode of his podcast, The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, he opened up about this somber yet cathartic experience. Hardy shared that being with Bray Wyatt’s family during this time was not without its difficulties, as they grappled with the enormity of their loss.
“It was tough, it was sad, it was strange, it was weird… my heart is shattered for his family. Some of them spoke, and I can’t imagine the grief that they are going through. It’s just so hard to understand how someone 36 years old dies and someone that you know and who you assumed was very healthy. He leaves behind four kids -– two very young, which is just heartbreaking as well… I can’t even imagine,” said Hardy.
Uncle Bo and Braun Strowman have promised to spend more time with Bray Wyatt's children and fill that void in their lives. Bo and "Uncle Braun" (their godfather) take them to dinner every week and according to Jojo's sister, the kids are never unhappy when they're around. pic.twitter.com/DTFAswpBLC
— SMLMELTON ON TIKTOK (Shane Hardy) (@SMLMELTONONTT) October 12, 2023
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Additionally, Hardy expressed gratitude towards Tony Khan, owner of All Elite Wrestling, who arranged for a jet to transport members of AEW to Bray Wyatt’s funeral service as a gesture of compassion and solidarity during a time of profound loss.
