Arn Anderson Describes WWE Bray Wyatt Character As '300 Lb. Charles Manson'

Bray Wyatt was undoubtedly one of the most memorable characters in modern WWE history, from the early days of the Wyatt family through his 2022 return to the company. Speaking on "ARN," former WWE producer Arn Anderson discussed what he feels helped inspire the late Windham Rotunda while developing the Wyatt character.

"That's a 300-pound Charles Manson," Anderson said, explaining why Wyatt got such a strong push upon his main roster debut. "That's what I get from that character." The former WWE star also compared Wyatt's way of speaking to the fictional Max Cady, portrayed by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's 1991 film "Cape Fear." Cady was creepy but charismatic and has a murderous streak in the movie.

"[Wyatt was a] great athlete underneath that 300 pounds," Anderson continued. "He could move around that ring. And the character — he had it so down. Again, that's another one of those guys — very Terry Funk-ish." A little earlier in the podcast, Anderson talked more about the original genesis of the character, including how the late Windham Rotunda deserves more praise for his contributions.

"After they shut the Nexus down and everybody kind of went their own way, ... Bray Wyatt's [character] was not created in a booking meeting," Anderson said. "He created all that, you know? And I don't think he gets enough credit for the fact that he created that character. I'm sure he had a lot to do with [Erick Rowan's] and [Luke Harper's] character development."

Rotunda died on August 24, 2023, due to a heart attack. After making his WWE return last year as Wyatt, Rotunda was taken off WWE programming earlier this year due to a reported illness. Upon his death, it was revealed that Rotunda experienced a COVID-19 infection that worsened an already-existing heart condition.