WWE Director Of Longterm Creative Rob Fee: 'Tonight Is Gonna Be Really Special'

WWE's Director of Longterm Creative Rob Fee teased on X this afternoon that tonight's "WWE SmackDown" will be something to watch. Fee worked closely with the late Bray Wyatt, possibly indicating that tonight's episode will be heavily re-worked to feature tributes to the WWE star, whose real name was Windham Rotunda.

Tonight is gonna be really special ❤️

— rob fee (@robfee) August 25, 2023

Earlier today, Fee posted some words about Rotunda to X, recalling his first promo after being re-hired by WWE last year. According to Fee, Rotunda wanted to be as real as possible in his return and was nervous leading up to the big moment.

"He was always creating," Fee wrote. "He loved calling and talking for hours about obscure 90s made-for-TV horror movies or YouTube videos with 400 views that inspired him. He loved that 'Cover! Spear! Bray wins!' is a meme. He loved giving the fans pieces of a puzzle and joyfully watching as they assembled it. He truly loved that you all loved him."

Rotunda died yesterday due to a heart attack, reportedly related to complications from an earlier COVID-19 infection. The former WWE Universal Champion had been out of action since February with an undisclosed illness.

While his work as Wyatt was always a lightning rod for controversy, often regarding whether or not Rotunda's creativity was being properly utilized, his WWE return in 2022 was by and large lauded by fans. In the hours since news of his passing emerged, figures from across wrestling and outside of the industry have spoken about Rotunda's kindness, thoughtfulness, and passion for making art. Fans will have to tune into "SmackDown" tonight to see how WWE pays tribute to one of the industry's most memorable performers.