WWE has a second chance to make the Wyatt Sicks a huge success. However, they need to learn from the past and not repeat the same mistakes that led to the faction being absent from TV.
As a huge fan of the late Bray Wyatt, and someone who misses his contribution to WWE every day, I feel like so much of the universe he created has never reached its full potential. The Wyatt Family was one of the best factions in history, and The Fiend and the Firefly Funhouse had glimmers of brilliance, but were often bogged down by odd booking decisions, or storylines that suffered from poorly timed releases.
When Bray Wyatt returned to WWE before WrestleMania 39, repackaged with a new character, it was time for spooky wrestling fans to get excited again. Bray now had an even creepier figure dogging his steps and encouraging him to embrace his dark side – Uncle Howdy, portrayed by real-life brother Bo Dallas. So seeing how this story was going to play out was fascinating.
Alas, this wasn’t to be, and we know the rest. But even while our hearts were still heavy with the loss of Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt). Seeing Taylor Rotunda (Bo Dallas) stride back into the company, determined to continue his brother’s legacy, was heartwarming.”What am I supposed to do, let him become a mausoleum?” Bo asked while looking down at Bray’s Fiend mask, and every Bray Wyatt fan watching had the same thought – “No, Bo. Keep telling his story.”
Bray returned and was soon stalked by Uncle Howdy. Image credit: WWE
Bringing Back Bo
The return of the Uncle Howdy character, alongside the debut of the Wyatt Sicks, was undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments of TV I’ve ever watched. This carnage was absolutely what we had been waiting for. All of WWE was on notice, and even the runners and producers backstage weren’t safe. My mind raced with fantasy booking ideas and thoughts of “We’re so back” and “This is the stuff I live for, it was dark characters like this that got me into wrestling in the first place.”
I couldn’t wait for SmackDown, just to see what happened there, to see how WWE responded, to see how other wrestlers reacted. But there was one thing that concerned me: Chad Gable. Why was Chad Gable the only WWE superstar amongst the sea of battered unconscious bodies? Look, I’m not going to throw shade at Gable, I’m a massive fan. The guy is ridiculously talented both in the ring and with his character work. But is a wrestler with a deliberately goofy catchphrase, and someone who mostly engages in comedy, the right fit for the first Wyatt Sick’s feud?
Speculation started to appear that the faction was targeting superstars who had “betrayed their family”, which in WWE, pretty much puts everyone on the chopping block. But it creates a compelling motive for the Wyatt Sicks – and it means wrestlers in treacherous factions like The Bloodline, Judgement Day, and beyond need to be very afraid. Chad Gable also fit the bill after mistreating his Alpha Academy, so I went with it. I mean, if Gable was just the initial target for the Wyatt’s to set out their mission statement, then that makes total sense.
The Wyatt Sicks contain elements of the Wyatt Family and The Fiend. Image: WWE
Don’t be too rebellious
The next problem came on SmackDown, which was way too business as usual after how WWE’s last live broadcast had ended. Sure, they recapped it, and some extra security guards were standing by the commentators, but other than telling us to tune into Raw next week, the wild events of the Wyatt Sicks debut were ignored in favour of the usual blue brand storylines. This was a colossal missed opportunity, one which set the tone for the entire failure of the Wyatt Sicks’ first run.
So let’s break it down, these guys are a creepy masked death cult led by Uncle Howdy, and one that thinks nothing of brutally attacking everyone backstage, whether they’re wrestlers or just the guy who fetches Triple H’s coffee. They’re here to violently punish anyone who gets in their way and are even prepared to commit crimes on television – BUT – they wouldn’t dream of disobeying WWE’s brand split. No, that would be going too far, man. Like, we’re ruthless killer clowns, but we’re not monsters.
This was a major red flag for me. The idea that the one thing the Wyatt Sicks wouldn’t attack was WWE’s bureaucracy utterly de-toothed them within less than a week of their debut. The Chad Gable attack turned into a weeks-long angle that went nowhere, and the faction was never given time to shine on a premium live event. They sizzled when they were on screen, but they were never given what they needed: a compelling story or a reason to be there.
In the weeks leading up to their debut, we saw tons of analog horror and clever viral marketing, but none of this was referenced or paid off on the live shows. Eventually, the faction would disappear from TV altogether, and many of us feared the worst, that the experiment had failed. Of course, injuries played a role here, and that happens. The health of the performers should always come first. But does that mean every member of the faction needs to sit in catering or stay at home?
Bray Wyatt’s legacy lives on. Image credit: WWE
A Fresh Start
Fortunately, the wrestling gods are good, the Wyatt Sicks are back on SmackDown – and I’m here for it. But I worry that the damage is done. WWE gave them one of the greatest introductions (or re-introductions in some ways) in history and then squandered it within weeks. I don’t think all is lost, and I desperately hope WWE has great things in store for the faction, but they need to learn from past mistakes and do it right this time.
WWE has to do more than simply have the Wyatt Sicks pop up and say “Boo”. They need to give them a raison d’être and a purpose. Sure, they’re going to want to secure championship gold, this is a wrestling show after all, but they should also have an overarching story that not only connects to Bray Wyatt, but also sees them go after specific individuals and factions who’ve fallen foul of them in some way.
If I’m being honest, targeting superstars who’ve betrayed their families would be an excellent idea to cultivate. Not only would this put the Wyatt Sicks up against some of WWE’s biggest stars (Seth Rollins, for example), but it could tie in to so many stories. Heck, they could even target people like Jey Uso or Roman Reigns, characters who’ve reformed, but still have sins in their past from their time as Bloodline members. Heels like Solo Sikoa could be at risk, or even new babyfaces like Jacob Fatu. While Solo had it coming, technically, Jacob betrayed his family.
This is my greatest hope for WWE and the Wyatt Sicks faction, that the lessons of the past are applied. There is so much potential here, and it’s rare that we get a second chance at something like this. There’s a lot of goodwill out there for this faction, and most fans want to see them succeed.
So let’s do this, WWE. Let’s do it for Bray. And let’s do it right.
