Not long ago, the Wyatt Sicks’ impressive debut would have been greeted with equal parts excitement and trepidation.
But not in this golden era of WWE storytelling under Triple H.
As long as everyone involved avoids a critical error.
Under different creative controls that fans experienced over the decades, the Sicks would have suffered from inconsistent stories, potentially transformed into boring (or perhaps even comical) characters, and struggled in the ring to find a balance between the realistic and the supernatural.
The group’s inspiration, Bray Wyatt, was proof enough of that. This was especially true of The Fiend’s streak of dominance. While it was fun to see the supernatural character in weekly one-off segments, fans are familiar with the character’s notorious recruiting successes.
In particular, that epic stinker against Seth Rollins that ruined the Fiend’s credibility and even sent Rollins into a tailspin and ultimately saw him rework his entire character.
With Fiend, the WWE of yesteryear made its famous overwhelms fans with this one-time big hit. He was nearly invulnerable in and out of the ring while also chasing WWE gold, which seemed oddly out of place. Once Fiend had the gold, the notorious moment where Goldberg beat him for the title was an all-time stinker.
SoThe critical mistake WWE can’t make with booking Sicks is simple: take it easy.
The group’s killer-looking debut was an incredible start (and a testament once again to the amazing overhaul of WWE’s presentation). They can’t go around brutalizing the backstage area and notable Superstars on a weekly basis, but as a way to say hello, it was pretty momentous.
Fortunately for fans, this golden era of modern professional wrestling has been marked by the company’s new respect for methodical, long-term storytelling.
The best example is the Bloodline around Roman Reigns, of course. Sure, some fans regretted decisions here or there over the course of their ongoing epic career, but it’s pretty hard to argue that things like Sami Zayn’s rise and whatnot weren’t fantastic.
The Bloodline casts a historical shadow. But it is far from the only example. Similar care helped improve The Judgment Day and continues to do so even with Rhea Ripley out thanks to the inclusion of Liv Morgan around Dominik Mysterio. That, while other intergroup dynamics like Damian Priest’s solo career also remain compelling.
Other notables, to name a few, include the measured pacing of everything involving Chad Gable and the feud between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk despite the complete absence of a match.
So no, WWE doesn’t think Uncle Howdy will be going around powering up his demon anytime soon. Ok, maybe Erick Rowan does that here and there, but it would make some sense. Any actual match would take into account the other superstars involved who are also tasked with fighting something supernatural adjacent.
What you could do, however, is carefully build up the anticipation until the reveal of a possible sixth member (Alexa Bliss would seem to be a favorite, right?). Gradually, the group could encourage members of the roster to team up to defeat them, preferably in a way that doesn’t simply lead to something like a branded PLE like Survivor Series.
What it could also do is introduce fans to some of these Superstars that more casual audiences might not understand yet. Everyone knows Nikki Cross, sure, but letting Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis really shine could be a good thing.
That has been another benefit to this new creative era. Jey Uso doesn’t even hint that he could become what he is today without the Bloodline saga. The obstacles for Zayn, Cody Rhodes and others have also been dramatic. Priest probably won’t ascend, nor will Mysterio really find this niche. Examples abound.
Then, who knows? In a few years, maybe something similar will happen to the Superstars involved here. Perhaps Howdy himself will enjoy a professional renaissance.
For fans, it must feel good to know that something so critical, important, and with so much historical potential is in good hands. Unlike Bloodline and others, it’s not a guinea pig to see what works.
If anything, it has the potential to be the victory lap and crowning achievement of the new era.
