He first wrestled in WWE from 2009 to 2011 where he competed under the name Husky Harris and was a part of the stable, The Nexus. He competed on the 2nd season of WWE NXT but was eliminated 5th. Rotunda stayed in WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), and made his debut as Bray Wyatt in FCW in April 2012. He stayed in FCW through its name change to NXT Wrestling (now WWE NXT), and returned to the main WWE roster in July 2013. The Wyatt Family quickly became some of the company's biggest heels ("bad guys").