The Seth Rollins Tribute To Bray Wyatt Only Hardcore Fans Noticed

In the two years since Windham Rotunda — also known as WWE's Bray Wyatt — tragically passed away, the wrestling world has been awash in tributes to the fallen wrestler, with his widow even performing at AEW All In 2025. In the immediate aftermath of Rotunda's death, however, there were few as openly in mourning as Seth Rollins, who shared a close friendship with his fellow WWE star. It was impossible to miss the majority of Rollins' tributes to Rotunda, which included a lengthy video statement on his passing, opening the following episode of "WWE Raw" with the words "Yowie Wowie," performing Wyatt's moves during a match at a WWE live event, and wearing a pair of boots on an episode of "WWE SmackDown" that Wyatt had also worn. Amidst all of this, one small additional tribute likely escaped many fans' attention: a change Rollins made to what was then (and is now, as of this writing) his WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

In addition to the large central plate that makes up the main portion of a championship belt and rarely changes, title belts usually also include side plates — smaller plates set beside the large central one. These are typically customized and are swapped out for a wrester's personal symbol or logo shortly after they win the title. On the 8/28/2023 "Raw," even as he uttered his old friend's catchphrase four days after he died, Rollins sported a new side plate on the World Heavyweight Championship, displaying the masked face of Wyatt's monstrous alter ego, The Fiend, who had memorably (if not exactly to critical acclaim) battled Rollins in the past. It was a fitting way to honor the former WWE and Universal Champion, whose boundless creativity and capacity for evolution made him an eternal, undying champion to his legions of fans.