Let’s talk about Uncle Howdy - Cageside Seats

Bray Wyatt was backmost connected SmackDown past nighttime (Oct. 28). He closed retired the show, the 3rd clip he’s done that since coming backmost successful that spot astatine Extreme Rules.

The erstwhile WWE and Universal champion again spoke astir his issues. Wyatt’s affectional and intelligence wellness has been a taxable passim his instrumentality run, and this promo built connected the intelligence illustration that was 1 of last Friday’s easter eggs. Bray either feels excessively overmuch oregon excessively little, and that’s taken him to immoderate acheronian places and led him to bash immoderate horrible things. But helium continued to picture what we’re seeing present arsenic the champion mentation of him, adjacent though he’ll apt bash horrible things again successful the future.

It was mostly a recap of what he’s said successful his different 2 recent promos, delivered successful Windham Rotunda’s signature charismatically arcane style. What we got much of this clip was the quality who’s been cutting disconnected and responding to Bray... a quality we tin present officially telephone Uncle Howdy.

Howdy is idiosyncratic successful a reasonably rough-looking mask* that seems to besides sometimes deterioration different disguise (which looks a full batch similar the 1 we saw Bray instrumentality disconnected successful Philadelphia past period erstwhile helium returned). In different callback to a recent hidden clue, helium refers to himself arsenic “the shade of the antheral who sold the world”. And with Wyatt seemingly being “the antheral who sold the world,” that makes Howdy Bray’s ghost, I guess?

The large takeaway present is that Wyatt is simply a liar. He claims to beryllium showing america his existent aforesaid without immoderate masks, but Howdy says he’s inactive wearing one. What Bray calls the champion mentation of himself, his “Uncle” says is conscionable a ammunition of his erstwhile greatness — apt due to the fact that Wyatt sent “him” distant (the surface rapidly flashes to what looks The Fiend arsenic Howdy delivers this line).

Our newest QR codification backs Howdy’s claims. It takes america to this representation that’s reminiscent of thing The Riddler would person sent 1 of his targets successful Matt Reeves’ The Batman...

And the root codification of the representation eerily proclaims the idiosyncratic liable tin “see” the existent Wyatt underneath his disguise of normalcy.

Whether oregon not the quality is yet played by idiosyncratic else, it inactive seems beauteous wide to maine that it’s Windham Rotunda providing the dependable astatine this point, and that astatine slightest the archetypal programme for Bray Wyatt’s latest WWE tally volition beryllium a feud with himself. How we get determination is anyone’s conjecture astatine this point.

Guesses are coming accelerated and furious, of course. Many person to bash with Rotunda’s existent beingness family. Lots of radical person pointed retired the Howdy mask’s resemblance to Bray’s uncle and namesake, Barry Windham:

And immoderate deliberation the information we could spot a transverse earring connected Uncle Howdy was an intentional tease of Bray’s supposedly returning brother, Bo Dallas:

One mentation floating astir would person rumored signees Vincent & Dutch playing Uncle Howdy-aligned characters who privation Bray to backslide to his Fiend-ish ways, with Bo & Barry Windham showing up arsenic the yet-to-be-revealed Uncle Harper’s soldiers successful a warfare for Wyatt’s soul.

Which, arsenic critics and others understandably jaded aft the mode WWE’s presented Bray’s ideas successful the past are pointing out, could beryllium a large mess! But we besides don’t cognize wherever thing is going a period into this run. And for folks who excavation this benignant of immersive storytelling and/or are conscionable intrigued by the effort to bash thing antithetic than a accepted pro wrestling angle, it’s beauteous cool. Plus, Wyatt hasn’t adjacent hinted astatine getting involved with thing other connected SmackDown, truthful if this isn’t for you, it remains easy to skip.

So if you’re into it, springiness america your guesses! If you’re not, bask what volition seemingly beryllium a Wyatt-free Crown Jewel!

* It made maine deliberation of this sketch from Tim Robinson’s superb I Think You Should Leave. Which connected the 1 manus truly kills the vibe Bray & institution are going for. But connected the different I could wholly spot Uncle Howdy despondently saying “We did excessively much... I don’t adjacent privation to beryllium astir immoderate more.”