High school wrestling tournament renamed Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational to honor late wrestling star

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - Professional wrestling fans knew him as Bray Wyatt or "The Fiend", but those closest to him simply knew him as Windham Rotunda, a name that will now be attached to one of the longest-running high school wrestling tournaments in the state. 

"We've always wanted to do something to honor Windham's legacy here," Hernando High School Head Wrestling Coach David Pritz said. "His banner's in our room."

The backstory:

That banner is a 2005 heavyweight state championship banner. Rotunda won 110 matches during his high school career. 

"There was something very special about Windham's energy," Windham's younger sister, Mika Rotunda said. "Even in a high school gymnasium, the whole gym would stop to watch his match, and it was usually one of the last matches of the night. He just always had that awe factor to him."

Family and friends said that because of his "larger-than-life" personality, they knew big things were on the horizon. His talent and creativity eventually got him to WWE, where he played a handful of on-screen pro wrestling characters, most notably villainous cult leader Bray Wyatt and supernatural split personality "The Fiend."

Other News: USF names Ohio State offensive coordinator as new head football coach

"Windham was the biggest personality on the team. He was fierce on the mat, a dominant competitor, but in the practice room, like a big brother, a big goofball," Pritz said. 

Pritz was Rotunda's teammate in high school. He's been the head wrestling coach for 14 years. 

Dig deeper:

Pritz's father started the Kiwanis Invitational 44 years ago. It's one of the longest-running high school wrestling tournaments in the state. 

"It's now the Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational," Pritz said. "I grew up at this tournament my whole life, so this is a big deal, and I thought there was no better way to honor his legacy than to change the name, and hopefully we can run this tournament another 40 years."

The tournament medals feature a lantern, a staple of Rotunda's WWE characters. A championship belt and most importantly, a scholarship will be given out in his honor each year. 

"Hearing Windham's name be on this tournament is such a cathartic experience for us as a family," Mika Rotunda said. "Obviously, we miss him every single day, but seeing his legacy carried on for what could be generations to come by this tournament being an annual event is something that's very healing for us and exciting because he was somebody who touched so many lives, and this is a way for him to continue to do that for generations."

What they're saying:

Windham Rotunda passed away unexpectedly in August 2023, a shock to family, friends and the Brooksville community. 

"I really just hope that people, our local team, can see that a guy came through this program, wrestled on these same mats and made it as larger than life as he did, and people can see that there's someone behind even the character that they saw on TV," Pritz said. 

This weekend's tournament will feature 20 teams with around 400 wrestlers from around the state, all seeing and reading the name Windham Rotunda. 

"We are thinking of Windham every single day and to see the community get excited about also honoring him. I think all too often, with grief is we lose somebody, a funeral happens, and then you stop talking about them," Mika Rotunda said. "This is a way that annually we derive strength from this as a family to watch him continue to be honored, as well as his four children, and that's the most important thing to me is his four children as they come through the high school, they get to be part of it, whether they're wrestling or not, and then it just will kind of bleed to the next crew that comes through."

What's next:

The Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational kicks off on Friday and runs through Saturday.