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As an evil cult leader whose psychological warfare casts a spell over friends and foe alike, Bray Wyatt is one of the most unique characters in WWE.

The term 'character' isn't one favoured by 29-year-old Windham Rotunda however, when he talks about his performances in the squared circle.

The charismatic heel, from Brooksville, Florida, seldom speaks to the media and when he does, is reticent to step away from his in-ring persona.

Nevertheless, the 6ft 3in leader of the Wyatt Family has plenty to say about his quest to end a six-year title drought on SmackDown Live.

Wyatt is following in the footsteps of his grandad, the late Blackjack Mulligan, his dad Mike Rotunda, and two of his uncles, Barry Windham and Kendall Windham,

The third generation superstar spoke to the Mirror about feuding with Randy Orton, facing AJ Styles, the Wyatt Family's rivalry with The Shield and WWE's forthcoming UK tour.

(Image: © WWE)

You were drafted to SmackDown in the WWE Draft on July 19. How pleased have you been with the move so far?

Extremely happy, because SmackDown is the better show, period. Bottom line. It's a better show and type of product. All the big dogs are over here on SmackDown. It's been very, very good for me and very good for everyone on it. We view it as a war you know, it's a war with Raw and we're winning. It's just a better show man.

You are in the middle of your first major feud with Randy Orton. How have you found working with him?

I think me and Randy have got in a collision course at the right time on SmackDown. I have history with Randy Orton that I don't even really want to remember ha ha. I think a lot of people wanted to see me and Randy for a long time. I think we're very similar but very different in the same way, we're both categorised as some kind of weird sickos ha ha. But I welcome those kind of titles. Getting into this with Randy Orton, I expect to come out victorious, I want to go out there and beat a legend. And he's a legend and a legend killer baby. Going out there with him is something I always wanted to do. Things are going smooth, getting Luke Harper back and getting the first W over him, that's a good start and now I've just got to end his career.

By history, I think you were referring to a punt in the head. [Orton attacked Rotunda during his previous incarnation as Husky Harris, on Raw in January 2011, writing him off television indefinitely].

I don't recall ha ha.

(Image: © WWE)

A scheduled match between the two of you at Backlash in September didn't go ahead, after you ambushed Randy backstage [who was legitimately injured after facing Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in August]. Instead you faced Kane in a hellacious No Holds Barred match, which Orton cost you by interfering and hitting an RKO. The match with Kane was very physical and included you driving him through a table with a running senton. Do you particularly enjoy that kind of No Holds Barred environment?

Oh that's for me. I think over the years and when I'm done, whenever my tenure is through here, I think the matches of mine that will be remembered the most will be those. I don't really see myself as someone who cares too much about my own well-being, because I don't. I'm like a kamikaze missile, you know? I've just got to go - to the death. That's me in those type of matches. I think those are definitely my favourite type of matches. When people go in there with me, they expect a certain kind of physicality, as I hope the fans would. Those street fights and things of that nature, those are what made me and that's where I've made my home and I'm going to stay there.

It seems those encounters suit your character, thinking of some of your best matches against Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, which took place in that kind of environment.

That's a huge misconception. There is no character man. I just am. I love it when people are like 'your character, your character'. I just am.

At No Mercy this month you and Randy Orton did meet one-on-one. It was an unusual situation where the card was almost flipped on its head, with the world title match opening the show and your bout going on last in the main event. What were your thoughts on that opportunity and how it panned out?

Me and Randy Orton are main event material. You know, bottom line. We didn't have a title match, it wasn't a triple threat with no rules, we played by the rules and we put on a main event. At any show I think people would accept Randy Orton versus Bray Wyatt as their main event. That's what we wanted and I was more than happy to accept the main event spot. That's not a position I have been thrust into a bunch of times on pay-per-views. So given that spotlight and given that chance, I was more than happy to walk away with a victory. I was honoured.

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You won the match with the help of the returning Luke Harper. How glad are you to have someone as talented as him back alongside you, especially after he had been out of action for six months with a serious knee injury?

Luke Harper is sharp as a knife. Ever since the Wyatt Family have been the Wyatt Family, it has been me and Luke Harper. Without Luke Harper it's like a piece is missing. It just wasn't the same. With Roman and Braun, that's the strongest we've ever been, but the core of the Wyatts is me and Luke Harper. Together we are focused and driven and we feel stronger than we have in a long, long time. With him back, I feel like I'm immortal. He's my brother and having him back is something I was anxiously awaiting. Given that time and as we've said the main event on No Mercy, it's really set the wheels off for where we want to be on SmackDown. SmackDown is our brand, it was always going to be our brand, all these names, the 'face that runs the place', whatever they call themselves, it doesn't matter. The boys backstage, they know it's the Wyatts show ha ha. That's what it is.

AJ Styles is currently the WWE World Champion, based on SmackDown. Is he someone you have your eye on and hope to clash with in the future?

Oh of course. And I want to preface this with I respect AJ Styles. He's a well-travelled veteran, he's incredible inside the squared circle. He's impressive. That is true, no-one can deny that. But I fear no man. I only fear God. And AJ is no God. So if and when we do cross paths, I see myself taking that from him, or whoever else has it at the time. My time is coming. I can just feel it in the air and I think WWE fans all around the world can just feel it in the air. My time is coming.

SmackDown's new general manager is Daniel Bryan, a one-time member of the Wyatt Family, with whom you probably had the best match of your career, when you defeated him at the Royal Rumble in 2014.

Yeah having Daniel Bryan there is something special and he's someone I view as being one of my greatest opponents. It's a shame that things got cut short and we never got to go back there. But having him around, there is always going to be that intrigue. I haven't had too many instances when I've got to be on camera speaking with him, but I look forward to those type of things, with Shane McMahon as well. Everything on SmackDown is superior to Raw and having Daniel Bryan and Shane running the show, I'm cool with that as long as they don't get in my way.

(Image: © WWE)

Another key moment in your career was facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 in April 2015. What are your memories of that?

Man, I tell you what, watching him walking down that aisle, that ramp, coming to the ring at WrestleMania, was one of the most breathtaking moments I've ever experienced. It was, it felt like you have travelled back in time to the Old West and you were about to square off in a gunfight with the baddest gunslinger in town. I think just the aura he brings, man, it's never duplicated. I have been in there with some real studs like The Rock [at WrestleMania 32 this year] who has that kind of aura, John Cena has his own aura, but The Undertaker, there is no duplicating that. It's just a feeling that he gives off man, which is just 'wow', it's just real man, and getting ready to square off with him, watching him walk down, I've never felt so alive. I couldn't wait for that bell to ring. Man, what a feeling.

WWE return to the UK this November for a six day, 10-event tour. How much do you respect the UK fans?

Man, you can ask anybody, when we go to the UK, they are their own thing over there. They are wild, into it. I liken it to the, although I've never been to a professional soccer game, you call it football. I can imagine going to one of those and just hearing the way they chant and do stuff, I can feel it's very similar to what they bring to ours. It's just really humbling and very, very cool. We all look forward to going over there because of stuff like them starting my fireflies [the mobile phone lights held up by fans during Wyatt's entrance, when the arena goes dark] and the way they chant. We can feel your presence when you are here at the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania or the day after Mania. The UK's presence is always felt and we all take that to our heart.

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When Raw came to Manchester in November 2013, UK fans got to see the beginning of one of the hottest angles in recent history, when The Wyatt Family and The Shield squared off for the first time. What are your memories of that? Did you realise what a special moment it would be?

I knew it all along. It was something that culminated and went deeper than just WWE television. Once upon a time I liked to call myself 'The Grandfather of NXT' because I was one of the first to come up as I was, from NXT [WWE's developmental division]. I remember being injured and I watched those three come up. The rivalry between us is very, very real... and that's why I think it comes off so well, because it is a real power struggle, it is very, very real. So when we finally met up with each other, we all knew it was going to be a spectacle. We just went in there to tear each other's heads off. It was a wonderful thing, I think the people wanted to see it really bad, and I think they would want to see it really bad again and they will probably get it.

I was lucky enough to be at the show that night and you could feel it in the crowd, it was a tangible buzz that went around the whole Manchester Arena. It was a magical moment.

And thankfully we got to share that with the UK. Like I've been saying, nobody can make it like they can.

You went on to have a series of stunning matches against The Shield, notably at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in February 2012, on Raw in March and on an episode of Main Event in April that year. What do you think made this feud so special? Was it that you were all striving to make your mark in the company?

Exactly. That's exactly what it is. At the time and place it was a power struggle for supreme dominance. I think it's another chapter that's left open. The Wyatts got the upper hand and we were the beginning of the end of The Shield, if you look back and see what it was. I look forward to them - if they can ever resolve their differences - getting back together. It would be wonderful. Even with them separately, I think most of my WWE matches have been against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. So, it's never really ended and it probably never will. I think we've always told each other that we were the Hatfields and McCoys of the WWE [two rural families of the West Virginia-Kentucky area who feuded in the 19th Century] destined to fight for eternity, when we all die and meet up in a never ending war in heaven. Kind of like Valhalla.

WWE Live returns to the UK this November. Tickets available now from www.bookingsdirect.com