Bo Dallas on 'The Horrors Of The Wyatt Sicks' And Bray Wyatt's Legacy (Exclusive)

Although an imposing, dark, and terrifying figure as Uncle Howdy on WWE programming, Bo Dallas is a genial, jovial, and welcoming man. When speaking to him, there exists both excitement and profound sadness woven into his discussions about his brother, Bray Wyatt, and the universe they share together.

In the years before they both became WWE Superstars, one of Wyatt's dreams was to have a haunted attraction inside "Halloween Horror Nights", an event Universal Studios has put on for over three decades. Dallas lovingly recalls when Wyatt would see the billboards throughout the Florida areas they'd drive and would tell him he'd have a haunted house there one day.

"This is long before he ever developed a Bray Wyatt character or anything in the horror genre as a character," Dallas says. "That was one of his endgame dreams, like something he always wanted to do. We always loved Halloween Horror Nights, and we'd make it there every year, no matter what."Dallas tells me that the idea of even bringing this world of theirs to life in "Halloween Horror Nights" was "mind-blowing". The opportunity to do this was incredible, and he praises Universal Studios for their attention to detail with Wyatt's vision.

The team at Universal has been unreal. They're not only fans of the WWE, they loved my brother and everything that he did and stood for. The level of detail and love that went into this is unmatched. You're going to have to go through the house a hundred times just to see all the details and the Easter eggs left.

Michael Aiello, Sr. Director of Entertainment Creative Development for Universal Orlando Resort, was instrumental in bringing the Wyatt Universe to the event. Dallas tells me he's grateful for Aiello's guidance and persistence towards bringing it to life, as he and Wyatt had spoken frequently over the years to bring the house to existence, and praises both him and the entire Universal Studios team.

He's been amazing to work with, and he's let me have my input where I can. But just to see what they've created, they took my brother's ideas and didn't change them, but twist them and made them bigger and more light and love. Nothing is outside of what my brother would have wanted done. They just took something that was his idea and turned it into something that they can present. It's been unbelievable. I couldn't ask for a better team at Universal. They've been awesome.

Bo Dallas Carries On Bray Wyatt's Vision With A Little Help From Their Friends

After returning to WWE in 2022, Bray Wyatt brought with him a renewed focus and creative energy that was as inventive as it was terrifying. Stepping away from his Fiend persona, he presented a brand-new character approach: himself, haunted by the menacing devil on his shoulder figure called Uncle Howdy, who tortured Wyatt into "reveling in who you are." Bo Dallas, who had also returned to the company in 2022, portrayed Howdy in the vignettes and their in-ring work, finally getting the opportunity to work with his brother on screen.

His internal struggle culminated in a match against LA Knight at 2023's Royal Rumble, with a major and fiery ending that saw Howdy deliver a flying elbow off the top of the production area onto Knight. Wyatt began to see his partnership with Howdy flourish, setting up his next feud with Bobby Lashley ahead of WrestleMania 39, but an unknown illness sidelined Wyatt for the next few months, one that was eventually revealed to be COVID-19, which caused damage to his heart.

Although progress was being made in his health and with hopes of a return to the ring, Wyatt died suddenly on August 24th, 2023 at age 36. Wyatt’s death brought everything to a halt, and everyone involved in the Wyatt Universe worked to figure out a way to carry on his legacy and work. When the time was right, Jason Baker, owner of Callosum Studios and best friend and creative partner of Wyatt, worked to create new visions of the Wyatt Universe, carrying on the mission together to bring the Wyatt Sicks to life.

"I love Jason, he's a brother," Dallas says. "He's been there from the beginning of this. To have his input and to have him on the road and all the amazing things that he can do, this wouldn't have been able to happen without him. The level of detail, he's a world-renowned movie artist and does amazing things."

Dallas says he wasn't sure whether he wanted to carry on their work, or even if he could. He credits Baker, as well as WWE Director of Long Term Creative Rob Fee and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, for helping him continue the legacy together, and most importantly, keeping his brother with him.

If I didn't have Jason Baker, Rob Fee, Triple H, giving me the opportunity to tell the stories the way they needed to be told to keep my brother's legacy alive, I wouldn't have been able to do it, but because I had such an amazing team that I got to work with, it's grown into this is the closest I can be to my brother. With every step that I take in this journey, he's right there with me. That's how I get through each day. This is my life now.

I'm doing this for my brother, and he's there with me. It's people like Jason Baker, Rob Fee, and Hunter that have gotten me to where I'm at right now and able to turn the juices into something to be able to do this. It was hard, but now it makes me thrive, and it's what I look forward to each day.

The Wyatt Sicks Continues To Evolve And Bring Terror To The WWE Universe

Since his re-debut as Uncle Howdy, Dallas has become the new face of evil in WWE, leading the formidable Wyatt Sicks faction through both Raw and SmackDown. The group, consisting of Erick Rowan, Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, and Dexter Lumis, each represent one of the Firefly Funhouse puppets, animated and brought to life to wreak havoc on the WWE Universe.

Debuting with much fanfare after six months of QR code clues scattered throughout WWE programming, and a host of mysterious vignettes, the Wyatt Sicks premiered in a much heralded Monday Night Rawsegment, leaving multiple production assistants and Chad Gable beaten and bloodied. The group spent the remainder of 2024 feuding with Gable and American Made, before transitioning to SmackDown and winning the WWE Tag Team Championships from the Street Profits on the July 24th episode.

Dallas says that working with them, who were all handpicked by Wyatt himself to be a part of the stable, has been a dream. Although they came together under sad circumstances, he says everyone was grateful and honored to carry on the mission.

We had one goal. Above all [was] to keep my brother's legacy alive. To all be a part of that group that has that same goal and to grow over this past year, year and a half, we've gotten very close and we're all into our own more and more each time we put on that mask. It's no longer characters. It's becoming us, and we're feeling it, and it's growing every single day. They're just as enthusiastic about getting what we need to get done, done. It's been a really amazing experience, and they've all been unbelievable from top to bottom. I couldn't ask for a better group, and I love them, and we're going to continue to kill it.

Dallas tells me there are exciting things on the way for the Wyatt Sicks, including additional defenses of their Tag Team Championships after a phenomenal TLC match at this year's SummerSlam, where they retained over The Street Profits, #DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, and Andrade and Rey Fenix. One potential opponent of the Wyatt Sicks is the retiring John Cena, who is one of Wyatt's most formidable opponents, last facing off in the exceptional Firefly Funhouse Match at WrestleMania 36.

When asked if there was unfinished business to clean up with Cena, Dallas tells me, "never say never."

There's always a possibility. I'd say just keep watching. There's a lot of big stuff that the Wyatt Sicks is going to be getting done really soon.

Bray Wyatt's Vision Transcends The WWE Universe

The intersection between WWE fans and horror fans is large, and it's not out of the ordinary to see the two fan bases work in tandem. A majority of the most popular characters featured in WWE over the past 30 years have some darker and demonic elements to their stories, including The Undertaker, Mankind, and the Judgment Day.

Integrating a realistic fear factor combined with elements of the underworld and the duality of good and evil, Bray Wyatt and his universe have resonated with fans in a way that's transcended the WWE Universe. It's a relatability with his characters who struggle with the balance of good and evil inside, and those who interface with him, including Finn Balor, LA Knight, and most notably John Cena.

"I don't know if I can pinpoint an exact thing, but I know it's different," Dallas says when asked what he thinks resonates so much about Bray Wyatt and his universe with the mainstream, and says that the reactions from the fans now has been unlike anything he's seen before in the 18 years he's been with the company.

It was always great. The WWE Universe has always been great to me, and anybody I've met on a personal level has been great. But the original vignettes and then the debut and meeting people outside in the real world that has seen this, it's like we're on this journey together. This is like I said, this is what keeps me going. This is my baby, and this is what keeps me moving forward. But it's not only my baby, this is our baby. This is the WWE Universe, and this is what they wanted.

With profound sadness and sorrow layered over his exuberance at his new life's purpose, Bo Dallas is his brother's keeper. The protection he has over Bray's vision is shared with the WWE Universe, and it's a vision shared together to honor and remember Bray Wyatt.

They don't want Bray's legacy gone as much as I don't, and I think people can feel the realism, and they know that I'm telling the truth, and they can see it and feel it whenever I'm talking. I'm not just saying this because, for whatever reason, this is what keeps me going. This is what's keeping me alive, and I feel like people can resonate with that.

The Horrors Of The Wyatt Sicks Will Make You Emotional And Scare The Hell Out Of You

With the introduction of "The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks" at Halloween Horror Nights, another goal in the life of Bray Wyatt has come to fruition, made possible by Bo Dallas and those who loved him. Already being hailed as one of the more terrifying houses in this year's offerings, the Hollywood and Orlando locations offer two different experiences that bring the totality of the Wyatt Universe to life, and will ultimately scare the bloody hell out of you.

Dallas says Wyatt would be thrilled to see his visions become a reality, especially as part of "Halloween Horror Nights".

"I talk to him every day about it," Dallas says, emotion heavy in his voice for his brother. "I can't believe I'm doing this without you, man. This is one of his dreams, and I know he's looking down smiling right now and loving every second of it. I really do."

Dallas reveals that his most diabolical and famous incarnation, The Fiend, will be involved in both houses, giving fans every single aspect of the Wyatt Universe in one location. Dallas tells me that Wyatt was so much more than just the scary characters on the screen. Above all, he was so much like the rest of us: fighting demons inside himself only he could see.

This is saying something I think that not a lot of people would know. You would think he loves these evil or demonic or terrible things, but it's almost the exact opposite with all the stories that he's telling, that all of us have this beast in us. All of us have this evil in us, and this is him fighting it. He was a God-fearing man, and that's the story that he tells. It's easy to look at the feed and say, What is this guy? Almost like a monster, Marilyn Manson.

Dallas says that, for new fans of the Wyatt Universe and for those who may discover him after the haunted house, the one thing he wants people to remember about his brother and his world is to look beyond fear. Underneath the terror, dig deeper to find the story being told, a story that he says is more meaningful than a regular wrestling storyline would be.

There's a lot that goes into it, and everything that he did had more meaning. That's what I try to do every single day. I'd say, look into the character and what they're saying and not just stop at the forefront. Dive deeper because there's a lot there.

Universal Studios' "Halloween Horror Nights" runs from August 29th through November 2nd at its Orlando location, and from September 4th through November 2nd at its Hollywood location. TheSportster will be bringing you its on-location review of "The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks" after our visit on September 20th.