Something is hanging in the air for me in the wrestling world post-Bray Wyatt. A massive space is no longer here in the mortal form. In its wake is the same feeling we inevitably end up with, the same one that broke our hearts in August of 2023. 

In the midst of it all, there’s the unanswered question of what is to become of the stories regarding Uncle Howdy and Alexa Bliss. Will their arcs come in full force? Is there even a space for Uncle Howdy? What do we even do here, do we just leave it?

I’m a big Bray fan, still navigating my emotions about losing such a great talent. Someone I invested in and saw myself in, just a big gaping hole in my chest filled with numbness. A painful numbness that echoes a cacophonous symphony of eerie and emotional silence, that’s the best I can describe it.

In a sort of David Lynch-ian twist, the fact that there will be no closure for the story he was trying to tell leaves a bitter taste.

During his time as The Fiend, Bray had helped carry WWE during the pandemic and during that time he corrupted Alexa Bliss. The double-jointed superstar made so much out of the angle, her expressive eyes and ability to occupy a role all magnetic. Reminiscent of Batman’s Harley Quinn, Bliss was a demonic, child-like entity who followed The Fiend around Firefly Funhouse segments before betraying him during his WrestleMania 36 match against Randy Orton. Throughout this time, Wyatt and Bliss seemed to be having the time of their lives being spook-lords. They were a Hot Topic or Spencer’s dream (that’s a bit of mall culture for you). 

Uncle Howdy, however, was a different entity. He was a masked omen, a blend of Guy Fawkes and Barry Windham. While Bray himself was an average human being this time around, he was tormented by Uncle Howdy at every turn. When he wasn’t dealing with being in LA Knight’s game, Bray had to suffer the nightmare that kept summoning him to revel in who he was. Bray was not to escape it, but embrace it and surrender freedom.

Freedom and happiness, however, are to be fought out of.

I wonder if that was where we were headed, for Bray to break out of Uncle Howdy’s control and be himself. On the surface, Uncle Howdy was representative of what Bray was told to be, the people who wanted the same old thing; the swamps, the Family, the eating of worlds, the Firefly Funhouse. Early in his return, Bray was pouring his heart out again and again, while being asked to return to the what-was. Uncle Howdy, the fans, and even LA Knight were calling him to the horizon of the past. There was no escape when people stopped caring about the story and instead cared more about the marketable and the temporary dopamine rush of instant satisfaction in consumerist culture.

That is wholly my perception, though, it probably doesn’t match up to what Bray wanted. 

So, what of closure? Where do Bliss and Howdy go?

If we were to abscond with the past, Alexa Bliss could find herself in whichever new role she would want to encompass and leave it a memory. Uncle Howdy could cease to be. And that would be perfectly fine, and acceptable.

But should a tribute story to Wyatt dare to be told, perhaps it could be something fitting and emotional and in his usual storytelling style.

How so? 

For Bliss, perhaps she tries to live in a world where that which had held dominion over her soul is no longer there; she has free agency and control again. Or, she still has lingering memento of him lodged deep in her psyche and she has to let go. It could be a touching story of letting go of someone who has passed, something very real and emotional.

Uncle Howdy’s part in it could be minimal, but it could be a way to tie up loose ends. Maybe a farewell to the Firefly Funhouse, running through former enemies from Wyatt’s past. Throughout it all, the stories Bray told, and the issues he’d run into could factor in.

None of this needs to happen. In fact, there’s the very valid argument that this shouldn’t happen, that it would seem in poor taste. From how he was treated, many would think the company would go about this approach in a disrespectful way, like when Randy Orton told Rey Mysterio that Eddie Guerrero was in hell.

To counter this point, however, is the apparent love and care that went into Bray’s return and the tributes that poured in after his passing. Upon that iconic Extreme Rules appearance and the weeks after, there was a heartfelt sincerity to Bray’s words and presence. The tributes following his departure from across the company were filled with the utmost love. For all the tears shed by fans following the matches in his name, the retrospective vignettes, the testimonials, and the proceedings of his merchandise going to Windham Rotunda’s family, there’s potential for this to finally wrap up this story in an emotional and impactful way.

But again, this doesn’t need to happen.

It’s just a bit of ruminating because Bray Wyatt had something that not many wrestlers will have, but every wrestler desires – a sincere connection to the fans. For every “lore merchant” comment, for every joke about the admittedly silly Mountain Dew match, Bray had an impact.

The merchandise sales, the chants, the phones that would illuminate the arenas, they were his fireflies – things that we will no longer have again. No more lanterns and rocking chairs. No more Ramblin’ Rabbit, Mercy the Buzzard, Husky the Pig or Sister Abigail. 

The goodbyes on Monday Night RAW, SmackDown, and even AEW’s All In were enough. We don’t need the closure to the story, but perhaps it would add a final bow to what is a legacy that will accompany many nights filled with fireflies and buzzards.

But as for Uncle Howdy and Alexa Bliss, I see some mileage from them until their stories reach their rightful conclusions and they can tell new ones. 

To have two individuals with whom Bray left an imprint, and move on, is a closure I can live with.