‘He was gone’ – WWE star Bray Wyatt reveals pain after wrestling legend uncle suffered massive heart-attack

WWE superstar Bray Wyatt revealed legendary uncle Barry Windham suffered heart failure and “was gone” for almost 20 minutes before he was revived.

WWE Hall of Famer Windham, 62, collapsed in Atlanta and was rushed to hospital where he was thankfully saved, but his nephew Wyatt claims it was a very close call.

WWE star Bray Wyatt opened about his legendary uncle Barry Windham’s heart attack

The Eater of Worlds, 35, broke character – something he never does due to his dark persona in the ring – and issued an emotional message on Instagram regarding his relative’s health.

The three-time world champion revealed his uncle didn’t have a pulse for almost 20 minutes until he was revived by bystander Michael Todd Laylick, whom Wyatt thanked.

The ex-WWE Champion said: “Normally, I keep a lot of my outside life separate from anything I do on here or in the ring.

“I just wanted to let everyone know I’m incredibly thankful for the support and the love I’ve received since I’ve been back and throughout my career.

“Wrestling has been a part of my life always. When I was a kid, I looked at my dad and my uncles, and my grandfather, who were all professional wrestlers.

“I looked at them like they were Greek gods, like they couldn’t feel pain, they were immortal, and they’d always be just like that.

“As we get older and I become a man myself, you start to understand that’s just not the case. Nothing is forever.

“This week, my uncle Barry Windham had a massive heart failure in Atlanta, he went down and he didn’t have a pulse for 10 to 20 minutes. He was away, he was gone.

Barry Windham suffered a heart attack and was without a pulse for almost 20 minutesRex

“I wanted to thank one specific man, Michael Todd Laylick, who was there. A random citizen, he gave him CPR for that entire time before everyone else could get the EMTs to him, and he stayed with him, and he’s the reason we still have Barry.

“He’s alive, with us, and Barry Windham has given his life to his profession, you know.

“His whole life has been about this, just like mine. You put everything into it, and I just wanted to share that I’m incredibly thankful to have him back.”

Wyatt comes from a well-known wrestling family as he is the grandson of Blackjack Mulligan, son of Irwin R. Schyster (IRS) and brother of Bo Dallas.

Windham came to prominence as part of the Hall of Fame group The Four Horsemen, which was led by Ric Flair.

The American grappler’s stunning 26-year career kicked of in 1979 and saw him winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championships.