The second a moth leaves the cocoon, life begins anew. Gone is the caterpillar. Cherished be the ways of reincarnation and life’s cycle of love and misery.

August 24, 2023, brought the tragic news of Windham Rotunda’s untimely passing. Everyone mourned – family, friends, fans, all. Even those highly critical of his work and portrayal of Bray Wyatt wrote their glowing praise and grieved someone who made an impact in wrestling. 

Yet he left enough to the professional wrestling world that would last longer than he did in Earth’s near-infinite rotations to come. 

The most obvious example of this is the rising megastardom of LA Knight, but there is one more. 

Uncle Howdy.

As silly as it is for me to use that name dramatically, this is part of a plan that Windham and his brother Taylor had mapped out through 2022-2023 until Windham’s passing. There was to be a stable of wrestlers on the roster to form and embody members of the Firefly Funhouse, but before WrestleMania 39, these plans had to be postponed due to Windham’s declining health behind the scenes. They were almost postponed forever. 

After months of grieving and healing, this story resumes, albeit slowly and heavily altered. 

The first step in both Bray’s return and the debut of the Wyatt Sicks were QR codes. Those who bit the hook and visited where these QR codes took them were treated to mysterious photos and videos.

Tinged with horror attributed to Bray Wyatt’s legacy, these tidbits featured elements seemingly inspired by the likes of Mark Z Danielewski’s House of Leaves novel and analog horror series common on YouTube. Some elements reminded me of one of my favorite online artists, Omega Black Art.

Credit: Omega Black Art – support them on their Patreon!

Throughout the appearances of these vignettes, themes of nostalgia, religion, existentialism, and pain were prominent. As art, horror can draw from human experiences to deliver emotions that draw upon the parts of life we find uncomfortable. Windham as Bray executed just that in a personal, heartfelt direction, and it resonated because the things he went through are human experiences. So, with bated breath, fans of his waited to see how this vision would be executed without his presence.

As time yawned forth like a ghost train into the night, these codes increased in frequency, often interrupting segments and matches on-screen. The dread was growing in the background. Ultimately a deadline was set for the Monday Night Raw episode to follow the Clash at the Castle event, with hints of a target with the initials ‘CG’. 

As was foretold, the Raw after Clash, things were off. Glitches in production, the crowd’s growing dimness, and the titantron’s darkening during the main event as Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, and Finn Balor vied for a Money in the Bank Ladder Match opportunity.

Following Jey Uso’s win, the fireflies in the crowd that had taken to him bore witness as one by one, the arena grew dark. Amid the fervor of fans, a solitary piano key rang out. One note. A familiar tone from “Shatter”, Bray’s last theme song.

Uncle Howdy returns with sinister friends: Raw highlights, June 17, 2024

A shining door from beyond opened, beaming forth a lantern, placed in front of a masked woman. Sister Abigail, played by Nikki Cross. She directed the camera to a giant Rambling Rabbit portrayed by Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan wielding a giant hammer reading ‘Help”. At his feet were the bodies of the assaulted backstage members and talent. In Gorilla Position sat Mercy the Buzzard, embodied by Dexter Lumis. Huskus the Pig in the form of a gas mask held his head, which hid the visage of former NXT alumni Joe Gacy. At the end of this was Uncle Howdy, who tipped his hat. One by one, they gathered and one by one, they matched to Sister Abigail at the entrance. The circle was unbroken. Howdy closed this stable debut grabbing the lantern at Abigail’s feet, declaring “We’re here,” as he blew out its light.

This was something special. A great first impression. Magical and emotional with the context; it was artistically done, and done so in the theatrical way wrestling had been, turned to 11. Depending on who you asked, that’s either a good thing or a bad thing. 

For those who loved it, it was as though Bray Wyatt never left; he was sitting in Gorilla, beaming with pride, waiting to hug Taylor once he removed the Uncle Howdy mask. The Wyatt Sicks debut played out reminiscent of Bray’s return at Extreme Rules 2022. It felt as personal for everyone involved as it was for him as he held back tears on that night. I imagine that there were no dry eyes behind some of those masks.

For those who aren’t as on board for the Wyatt Sicks, it stems from many things. The takes from the side that are relevant to this discussion, however, question how it will all work from a wrestling sense. 

According to a report by Fightful Select, there is a way around that. The report states: “WWE thinks there’s a real chance this will work with modern wrestling…a heavy talking point was that it was often difficult to make Fiend and Wyatt programs work in the ring.” WWE knows that there was a rough transition between the incredible in-betweens of Bray Wyatt-centric appearances and the matches that would dictate the stories. The report then stated, “That wouldn’t be an issue, as there doesn’t appear to be supernatural elements as currently planned and presented.” Aiming for a grounded approach is genius, narratively as it shows that Bray and his supernatural powers are gone, and presentation-wise, as it enforces the most important part of pro wrestling: the wrestling itself.

But how could it work?

While squashing enhancement talents, lower and mid-card wrestlers, and even main event talent could emphasize the threat of the Wyatt Sicks, there’s already a formula for keeping everyone strong. The Bloodline for instance would knowingly lose matches via disqualification to send a message; while that’s certainly a viable option, that can grow old, fast. So would no-contest finishes. That’s why these matches would need to represent survival if opponents were to win. Let’s face it, at some point, members of the group would have to lose. And there’s even a story there, of loss making people more dangerous. Loss is a driving factor wrought with pain.

Fortunately, the members of the Wyatt Sicks have shown to be average to great in the past when it comes to the graps. 

Bo Dallas, the character behind Uncle Howdy, has shown to be a quite fine wrestler before his comedy gimmicks. Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, and Nikki Cross were all incredible on the independent circuit prior to WWE and during their time in NXT. Erick Rowan himself has proved to be a great tag team wrestler in the past with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. They know what they’re doing. With how personal this story is for each member, there’s already a passion to make this work.

The great first impression is there. There is a lot of pressure to see this ambitious project succeed. Among the catharsis, healing, and pain, there must be a mountain of nerves to work through.

With indications that this story is to reverberate across WWE brands, this has the makings of a large-scale story not seen since the heights of The Bloodline. This cannot fail. 

There have to be impactful moments because of this. For instance, Chad Gable, a victim of this chaotic debut, could benefit from being an even more sinister villain, opting to be a calmer version of himself and less verbally abusive, using his haunting experience to manipulate Alpha Academy to his will through sympathy and pity. The New Day could further split with Xavier Woods seeing how serious things can be contrasted to Kofi Kingston. 

Seeds should be sewn, and discontent among wrestlers before and during this angle could lend itself well to the emotional impact. Bonds as strong as blood being tested in the face of uncertain doom make for a terrifying premise.

But questions will need to be answered. Actions must be taken. How are Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis going to address this? Could there be uneasy alliances among enemies? Will it be a slow burn or a total chaotic invasion? Who is the sixth member? (Please don’t let it be Hogan.)

Every small touch is needed here. It doesn’t have to beat fans over the head, just leave enough for fans to know this is a widespread problem. WWE could benefit from taking a page from the past such as when Bobby Heenan left WCW Monday Nitro commentary for his own safety during the early NWO angles. 

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Why not go a step further? WWE is seeing partnerships with other companies such as GCW, TNA, Marigold, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Have talent use these in kayfabe as a way to get away from the harm in their home promotion. 

There are so many opportunities. Certainly, there’s enough to outshine my silly fantasy booking angles seen above. The potential is here to make something unforgettable.

Pulling back the curtain, I hope this brings everyone what they want out of this. I hope when Taylor Rotunda removes his mask and wipes away his tears, he feels it’s worth it. As a longtime fan of Bray Wyatt, I am fully in support, especially with the family’s blessing. I hope this quells some skepticism

Of course, this shouldn’t be a total takeover. After all, sticking solely to this instead of other stories will stale, fast. Just leave enough morsels to know the roster members are working under these conditions.

Bray Wyatt’s story is full of hurting and healing. This backstage mania represented that. There’s a lot of hurt in loss. Words unspoken and dreams unfulfilled. Lashing out at the pain only to find healing at the end, that’s where this could lead. 

The fact that this angle is still being discussed no matter how polarizing just shows how he still has the whole world in his hands; he never loosened his grasp.