Ex-WWE Writer Claims Charles Manson Wanted to Meet Bray Wyatt

.A former WWE writer has shared one of the most unbelievable stories about the late Windham Rotunda—better known to fans as Bray Wyatt.

During an appearance on Wrestling with Freddie, Nick Manfredini revealed that cult leader Charles Manson once saw Bray Wyatt’s promos from prison and wanted to meet him. Manfredini explained that Wyatt’s early character was directly inspired by real-life figures like Manson, and he and Wyatt spent a lot of time studying the cult leader’s interviews and behavior to build the Bray Wyatt persona.

“He was very Charles Manson-inspired, right? My YouTube search history back then was just Charles Manson and cult leader for anybody who looked it up. So I’ve probably seen every Charles Manson quote, every video, every promo that he ever cut. We were trying to take little pieces from each one, and that was the style we wanted to go for.”

Things took an even stranger turn when one of Wyatt’s old college football teammates became a prison guard at the facility where Manson was being held. That guard allegedly showed Manson some of Bray’s WWE promos—and Manson wanted to meet him.

“Windham’s teammate, former teammate in college football, became a prison guard at Charles Manson’s prison. Allegedly, this guy showed Manson the Bray Wyatt promos, and he wanted to meet him, and this was a whole thing. I swear. It is 100 percent true.”

According to Manfredini, the story made its way to Bray’s father, longtime WWE producer Mike Rotunda, who brought it to WWE leadership. Once the idea reached Vince McMahon or Triple H, it was immediately shot down.

“Mike Rotunda knew about it, and I think he brought it up to somebody. I don’t know if it was Hunter or Vince or someone, and they immediately squashed it. Obviously, that’s terrible… Because they were like, ‘Can we shoot a Network special with Charles Manson?’ It was immediately squashed.”

Manfredini admitted he briefly considered visiting Manson with Wyatt during a trip to California, but quickly realized how bad of an idea it would’ve been.

“Afterwards, I was like, ‘Let’s just go. Next time we’re in Northern California, me and you, let’s just put on a hat or something. Nobody will know it’s you. Let’s just go meet him.’ I thought more about it and obviously it was a terrible, terrible idea. Would have been a good story but, a bad idea… Bray Wyatt probably would have never seen TV again if we did that.”

Bray Wyatt’s legacy was never just about the matches—it was about the mind behind the madness. From drawing inspiration from Charles Manson to nearly meeting the infamous cult leader in prison, Wyatt’s creativity pushed boundaries like no one else. Even in stories told after his passing, it’s clear nobody thought—or performed—like him.

What’s your wildest memory of Bray Wyatt’s career? Do you think WWE should share more behind-the-scenes stories like this? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.