On Monday, June 17th, 2024, as Jey Uso celebrated a victory, the lights began to come down throughout the arena in anticipation of the debut of the Wyatt SICK6.
Upon their debut, the trail of bodies that were left lying at the hands of these men and women were countless. Although their official debut occurred on this day, the lead-in to their arrival traces back months.
WYATT SICK6 – They’re Here
While the group’s origins can be traced back to its namesake, Bray Wyatt, that doesn’t mean that the vision for the group’s presentation was fully revealed then. After Wyatt’s passing in 2023, the sheer hurt the Rotunda’s was authentic.
But to understand the origins of Wyatt Sick6, it became important to understand the mindset of the person that Bray Wyatt called his brother. The one person who could explain his thought process was Mika Rotunda, Bray’s younger sister.
Windham talked a lot about hurting in his character. He would describe real-life pain and scenarios to harden, inspire, or shape his future. He turned pain into a positive through creativity and expression.
Mika Rotunda on his late son’s character’s ties to actual pain.
That very pain and suffering wasn’t simply reflected in Bray but one that helped to create something with which he equally loved and had pride, his brother Taylor Rotunda, who competed as Bo Dallas.
In fact, like Bray Wyatt’s return in 2022, this group appeared to be the brainchild of more than one person. The collaborative efforts of Windham (Bray Wyatt) and Taylor (Bo Dallas) Rotunda were creating something frighteningly beautiful.
“We were going to rule together. We were there. We had it,” Dallas said. “And then it was taken away from me. There is no one on this earth that feels more hurt than me from his loss.
Not one person on this earth feels what I feel. What am I supposed to do? … let everyone forget about what he stood for? What did he fight for? What he believed in?”
Bo Dallas to ‘Uncle Howdy’ on the motivation of the emergence of the Wyatt Sick6
When Bo Dallas returned, he would take the vision that he and Bray had initially had but built something that was as much a homage to the memory of Windham Rotunda as it was, giving it a new purpose.
But in the words of Windham and Taylor Rotunda’s sister, Mika, the re-debut of Uncle Howdy came with it the words of a sister proud of how his one son would show great pride in doing what he believed would make his late brother proud.
Taylor debuted for the first time as Uncle Howdy without Windham. This was their dream, their vision. Their fairytale to fulfill. He carried this on his back.
But more importantly in his heart. As siblings, we’ve always had a strong cord attachment to one another. As the lights when out in the arena and I watched from my TV, my pulse raised.
My eyes welled. I felt every ioata with him. While also feeling this warmth, that can only be described as Windham. I’m so incredibly proud of Taylor.
Mika Rotunda discusses the pride he has in his son Taylor, paying homage to Windham.
The Wyatt Sick6 would come to life in the names and faces of men and women who are connected to the late Bray Wyatt or breathe life into this faction.
The names and faces of those involved in the group wouldn’t be revealed on camera but as a single photo showcasing their identities unmasked. While at a Whataburger, Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis, and Bo Dallas sat as a collective.
So, while the group appeared in a candid off-camera moment, could it ultimately be a part of something greater? Was this circulating photo all a part of showing that behind the guise that comes from shielding their identities, this wasn’t a time to rage against?
The following week, the group set forth on their quest to begin a reckoning. They would pursue those false prophets who exploited their families.
Bray Wyatt’s legacy will be remembered, along with the only other person who was part of the vision of this allegiance: “Uncle Howdy.” In a series of recordings, Howdy would reveal himself as Wyatt’s brother, Bo Dallas/Taylor Rotunda.
In the following weeks, the female figure (the yet-to-be-unmasked Nikki Cross) would drop off a box to the announce desk on Monday Night Raw.
As each week passed, the boxes contained VHS tapes of conflicted Dallas conveying his feelings. Whether it was his place in carrying on his brother’s legacy to embracing the intent that he had.
But by the fourth tape released, we had the next closest connection to Wyatt outside of Dallas, Erick Rowan. Rowan’s emotional video was steeped in a great deal of truth.
He spoke of fallen brothers, and while he didn’t mention them by name, Luke Harper/Brodie Lee and Bray Wyatt were as close to one another as anyone could be inside the ring as they were outside of it.
The following week, a video was released of the female still barely recognizable or acknowledged for who she is. There is a semblance of the person fans had come to know as Nikki Cross is dressed in what could be described as akin to a zombie bride.
As the weeks passed, the Wyatt Sick6 continued to present themselves as ominous, frightening, and threatening figures, with their attention paid strictly towards Chad Gable.
But with no rhyme or reason for why they are targeting him, Gable, the Wyatt Sick6, would continue to present themselves in the spirit of the late Bray Wyatt. They would embrace the fireflies and walk in the darkness.
As the conclusion of the words uttered by the late Vince Price from Michael Jackson’s Thriller spoke, so do the actions of Wyatt Sick6.
Their stories were shrouded in sadness with the hopes of bringing them all to the light. So when Chad Gable’s newest alliance of himself and the Creed Brothers would attempt to intimidate Maxxine Dupree, THEY would arrive.
When “Ramblin Rabbit,” “Huskus the Pig,” and “Mercy the Buzzard” came to the ring and then unmasked, what followed was what many had hoped for the absolute annihilation of the Creed Brothers.
While Chad Gable proceeded to head back up the aisleway, Uncle Howdy once again confronted him. At this moment, Gable scurried in a different direction, completely avoiding Uncle Howdy.
Honoring the memory of a Windham or a loved one while navigating the path of grief is a profound and personal journey…
…Upholding Windham’s homage can be a source of comfort and strength. We hurt. We heal.
Mika Rotunda on what it means to have Windham Rotunda’s memory respected the way it has been.
The final stories have yet to be told about the Wyatt Sick6. Whether they win or lose becomes irrelevant. What fans are treated to is a dark, menacing love letter from a brother to his late.
With the possibilities of what they can do endless, one can hope that in the process, after they hurt, they heal.
