Original Plans For Tonight's WWE SmackDown Scrapped In Favor Of Tribute To Bray Wyatt

The original plans for Friday night's episode of "WWE SmackDown" have been scrapped after the death of Windham Rotunda, known to WWE fans as Bray Wyatt. According to Fightful Select, there will be a "significant tribute element" to tonight's show. It was not reported what segments on the show were scrapped and if any planned will actually go ahead, despite the tribute elements.

It was also reported many talent flew in on short notice to the show, which is taking place in Louisville, Kentucky, following the announcement of Rotunda's death. Paul "Triple H" Levesque broke the news on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday night and tributes to the star have been pouring in from those he worked with. Rotunda was 36 years old.

As of this writing, WWE.com has not yet been updated to reflect any changes to the plans "SmackDown" as of this writing, with the site listing a women's championship match pitting IYO SKY against Zelina Vegas and United States Champion Rey Mysterio versus Grayson Waller in a non-title match. The website's main article is a tribute to Wyatt with photos, his greatest moments, and even full matches. WWE announced that the company will be donating proceeds of Wyatt's merchandise to his widow and children.