Tag: Uncle Howdy

All the hints in the latest Uncle Howdy tease (we think)

Here’s what the latest QR code on WWE Raw contains in the way of messages hinting toward the return of Uncle Howdy.

If you’ve been watching WWE programming since WrestleMania 40, you’ve likely seen or read about glitches that have been popping up on monitors and graphics reminiscent of when the late Bray Wyatt made his last WWE return in the fall of 2022. The assumption is that these are teases for the return of Bo Dallas as Uncle Howdy, though that’s still conjecture at this point.

The latest of these Easter eggs came during the April 15 episode of Raw, when a QR code popped up during the entrance of The New Day.

Quick thinking viewers and wrestling journalists were able to reveal a number of interesting tidbits for those who followed the QR code:

  • It displayed the image seen above, with the file name “PATIENCE_ItsAlmostTime.jpg”
  • A message in the source code for the page the QR code leads to reads “An open door is a welcome that makes a stranger into a friend.” (h/t @itsbybansheee for that)
  • A video plays with the messages “TIME TO WAKE UP … TAKE MY HAND … THINGS WILL BE BETTER … TRUST ME” followed by some symbols

The file name clue, in particular, means we could be seeing Dallas/Howdy soon, and given the love the WWE fandom still holds for Wyatt, he should be greeted warmly if and when he appears.

Bo Dallas could be returning to WWE soon, possibly as Uncle Howdy

Whether as Uncle Howdy or himself, a Bo Dallas return would be popular among WWE fans.

That teaser at the end of the “Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal” documentary may have been exactly what WWE fans hoped it was: a sign that Bo Dallas is on his way back in the not too distant future.

Dallas is the brother of the late Wyatt, and is one of the WWE wrestlers interviewed for the project. At the end of the movie, however, there’s a short clip that plays on Wyatt’s trademark “Run!” catchphrase and reveals a shadowy figure that many have suggested is Uncle Howdy — the masked character played by Dallas during Wyatt’s last WWE run.

According to Fightful Select (subscription required), that guesswork is spot on, and Dallas could be back in the fold shortly, though any plans for his return remain unknown.

WWE sources have told Fightful it’s a teaser for Bo Dallas’ eventual return. We don’t know when that will be, but that it was a deliberate inclusion. We also haven’t learned what a return could look like as of yet.

One WWE rep noted to Fightful months ago that they didn’t want to rush Dallas back after the untimely passing of his brother Bray Wyatt.

Though it might be emotionally difficult for understandable reasons, the thought that Dallas might portray Uncle Howdy again as a way to honor Wyatt would almost certainly be received warmly by many fans. Or he could simply pop back up as himself, as awareness that he was Howdy is pretty high, and it’s not hard to imagine Dallas would be over either way.

Regardless of how it happens, WWE fans will be glad to see Dallas back, and it’s something to keep in mind for the weeks following WrestleMania 40 for sure.

[lawrence-related id=47447]

Wyatt 6 stable, or something like it, reportedly discussed for Bray’s most recent return

Some interesting past and current WWE wrestlers were reportedly pitched to be part of a “new-style version of the Wyatt Family.”

When Bray Wyatt made his most recent WWE return in the fall of 2022, he didn’t come alone.

Wyatt’s initial appearance during Extreme Rules 2022 included both previous versions of his former gimmicks, as well as life-size versions of his Firefly Fun House puppets. Combined with some cryptic social media hints (and with Bray, are there any other kind?), they had some fans convinced we were going to see a stable called the Wyatt 6 with henchmen for Bray based on those puppets.

Instead, we got just one new character: Uncle Howdy, a menacing masked figure played by Wyatt’s real life brother, Bo Dallas. But as it turns out, there really were plans to expand into something like the theorized Wyatt 6.

According to Fightful Select (subscription required), there were pitches to involve both Eric Young, who recently was granted his requested release from WWE, and someone Wyatt had worked with before in a “new-style version of the Wyatt Family.”

Young was to be involved in a new-style version of the Wyatt Family with both Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas, who had been portraying Uncle Howdy on WWE TV. We’re told the creative plans were set in January, and would have kicked off after WrestleMania. However, Bray Wyatt was sidelined with an undisclosed illness, and neither he and Bo Dallas have yet to return to television. By the time the angle would have started, Young asked for his release, citing moral and creative reasons tied to working with Vince McMahon as a reason he wanted to leave.

There were also pitches for Alexa Bliss to join before her maternity leave, which were nixed when it was obvious she wouldn’t be around for all of 2023.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Young, Bliss or anyone else would have ended up playing the Firefly Fun House characters come to life. However, Fightful’s report also suggests there was an idea several years back for Mike Bennett (now performing in AEW’s Ring of Honor) to join forces with Wyatt, potentially playing the mythical Sister Abigail.

It doesn’t take all that much imagination to get from ideas like that to a full-fledged Wyatt 6, especially with the teases at Extreme Rules. With Young gone and Bliss out until after she gives birth, not to mention Wyatt’s own status uncertain, it’s likely this is an idea whose time has passed. But it’s still interesting to note that there was some fire to this particular smoke, enough to make Wyatt’s most loyal fans wonder what might have been.

Bray Wyatt, Uncle Howdy still with WWE

A new report suggest the only reason Bray Wyatt wasn’t listed on the latest internal WWE rosters is that he’s still not healthy.

Bray Wyatt has been gone from WWE TV for some time, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone from the company.

Fightful Select (subscription required) published a report today to calm down fears that Wyatt had left WWE or been released after rumors had been circulating that internal rosters didn’t list him. According to Fightful, Wyatt is still with WWE and that “the particular roster that was referenced in the report omitted Wyatt due to injury — specifically the illness he’s been dealing with for months.”

Indeed, that illness has kept Wyatt on the shelf for more than two months. His most recent televised appearance came in the somewhat infamous Mountain Dew Pitch Black match at Royal Rumble against LA Knight, though he continued to work matches against Knight at house shows through Feb. 26.

The illness has also sidelined Wyatt’s on-screen tormenter/ally Uncle Howdy, played by his real life brother Bo Dallas. When it still appeared that Wyatt was going to have a WrestleMania match against Bobby Lashley, Howdy appeared on several more episodes of SmackDown to keep the momentum going. But when it became clear that plans would need to change as Wyatt would not be available, that program quietly was shelved, leaving Dallas off TV since early March.

Fightful noted that both men are still with the company and that Wyatt wants to return, though there has been no update on his health or an ETA on when he might be back. WWE notably left Wyatt (and Howdy) out of the recent WWE Draft, possibly signaling that it didn’t expect Bray back soon.

Wyatt’s fans are unfortunately used to waiting patiently for signs that he’s healthy and in the right headspace to perform, but this looks like yet another time they’ll have to hold tight. At least for now, they can rest easy that he hasn’t parted ways with WWE again.

Who is Uncle Howdy? Let’s go over some popular guesses

Bray vs. Bray? Maybe, maybe not.

When Bray Wyatt returned at Extreme Rules, the expectation was that he would go back to his dark, villainous ways, a perception that was only enhanced by Wyatt carrying a lantern and removing a mask. From a strictly behavioral standpoint, it was like not that much had changed.

But Wyatt is nothing if not clever at reinvention, and with a new regime in charge of WWE creative, there has been more of a tendency to zig when fans expect them to zag. In that vein, Wyatt has shown a side of himself the past few weeks that is new: Just plain old Bray, speaking from the heart. He’s also reportedly listed internally as SmackDown’s top face, which is logical since fans are so happy to see him back.

That doesn’t mean Wyatt won’t be a tortured soul, however. After some of his promos were interrupted by a mysterious figure with a distorted voice, fans learned on the most recent SmackDown that Bray’s tormenter had a name: Uncle Howdy, a moniker WWE had trademarked not long before.

The interesting part is that it definitely was Wyatt’s voice speaking for Uncle Howdy. That’s made the question of his true identity an even more compelling puzzle. Will this be a case of Wyatt literally being his own worst enemy? Or is there something else going on here?

Let’s take a quick spin through the most common guesses as to who Uncle Howdy might be.

Uncle Howdy is the dark side of Wyatt’s own persona

This seems like what WWE wants us to think right now, and the seeds for it were planted in Wyatt’s own past. After all, he had a split personality before when he manifested The Fiend, who could be the person Uncle Howdy referred to when he said Bray “sent him away.”

Obviously, Wyatt can’t get in the ring against himself, so the idea here would be that Bray would continue to do the voice of Uncle Howdy in promos, but then if they ever met in the ring, someone else would stand in. Or perhaps Howdy is never intended to be an actual wrestler but more of a supernatural manager of sorts, someone who will send other people after Wyatt.

Call this split personality concept the leader in the clubhouse for now, but again, Wyatt and WWE appear to be having fun playing with assumptions so you can’t bank on this as the final reveal.

Uncle Howdy is Wyatt’s real life brother, the artist formerly known as Bo Dallas

Besides Wyatt himself, who could justifiably claim to know him so well that they could accuse him of lying to the world? How about Taylor Rotunda, Wyatt’s actual brother, who was known during his prior time in WWE as Bo Dallas?

The fun thing about this possibility is that along with it working from a logical standpoint (and yes, even a supernatural-tinged story should have some elements of logic to it), it allows WWE to create another potential star. In other words, Wyatt by himself is great, but if Triple H and company can get people interested in Dallas as Uncle Howdy too, that’s doubling the effectiveness of this saga.

Uncle Howdy is a returning Randy Orton

This fun suggestion has been bandied about in a number of places around the internet, with some fans even thinking Uncle Howdy sort of looked like Orton. The Viper has been on the shelf for some time due to a back injury that’s been said to be serious enough to possibly jeopardize his in-ring career, but again, he could play the role without necessarily facing Wyatt in a match.

Orton has a long history with Wyatt in all of his previous incarnations, and even kind of vanquished The Fiend by setting him on fire. It’s not that big a stretch to think he could still find ways to mess with Bray, just with their previous face/heel roles reversed. This one isn’t really likely to be the truth, but you can’t deny it’s fun to consider.

[vertical-gallery id=14196]