Hernando Wrestling Tournament Renamed to Honor Bray Wyatt
Hernando High School announced on December 4, 2025 that its long running Kiwanis Invitational will be renamed the Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational to honor Windham Rotunda, WWE’s Bray Wyatt, who had ties to the community. Organizers said the change preserves a decades old tournament tradition and creates an annual scholarship to award one senior wrestler each year, a move that matters for local athletes and community support.
Hernando High School confirmed on December 4, 2025 that its storied Kiwanis Invitational will be renamed the Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational to honor Windham Rotunda, known professionally as WWE’s Bray Wyatt, who had ties to the area. Tournament organizers framed the change as both a tribute to Rotunda’s legacy and a way to sustain the decades old event that draws teams across Florida.
The announcement also included plans to establish a scholarship in Rotunda’s name to be awarded annually to a senior wrestler from the tournament, formalizing a direct benefit for student athletes. The creation of a named scholarship connects the memorial moment to longer term support for local students seeking to continue their education or wrestling careers beyond high school. Organizers described the renaming as an effort to preserve a community tradition while honoring a notable former wrestler with local roots.
Rotunda’s family responded emotionally to the news, according to the organizers, reflecting the personal resonance the change carried for relatives and community members. The tournament itself is one of Florida’s long running high school wrestling invitationals, and the new name links that institutional history to a contemporary figure who had an association with the community.
For Hernando County the decision has immediate cultural and practical implications. Local tournaments of this scale typically bring visiting teams, coaches and families to town, supporting hotels, restaurants and retail near the school during event weekends and reinforcing the role of high school sports in community identity. For athletes, the addition of a scholarship increases the financial and symbolic stakes of participation, while signaling local investment in youth sports pathways.
Looking ahead the Windham Rotunda Memorial Invitational will continue the county’s decades long wrestling tradition with a renewed emphasis on legacy and support for seniors about to graduate. The renamed tournament creates a recurrent platform for local recognition, and the annual scholarship embeds a tangible benefit that could influence college access and athletic continuity for Hernando County wrestlers in the years to come.
