There are so many terrifying worlds hidden within the fog during Halloween Horror Nights. And this year at HHN, we’ll discover a dilapidated wooden cabin left to rot, a rocking chair with an illuminated lantern on its wicker seat and the lazy glow of a thousand fireflies dancing in the trees. This particular world originates from one of the most creative minds in modern wrestling history: Windham Rotunda, aka Bray Wyatt.
For years, Superstars within the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) have donned the mantle of different characters. Wrestling isn’t just about the match — it’s about creating elaborate backstories and constantly redefining what the world of pro wrestling can look like. And for many WWE fans, when it came to incorporating horror in wrestling, no one did it quite like Bray Wyatt. That’s why Halloween Horror Nights and WWE are teaming up to bring you the twisted creations of Bray Wyatt and his brother, Taylor Rotunda, known as Bo Dallas.
Join Uncle Howdy and his family out for revenge, but if you meet the Fiend — don’t let him in! Encounter the forgotten and the discarded, here for the reckoning at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort as WWE Presents: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks. Follow the lantern and behold the new face of fear!
Looking for the full HHN lineup? Check out what’s coming to Universal Studios Hollywood right here, and what’s coming to Universal Studios Florida right here.
A Legacy Beyond the Squared Circle
Bray Wyatt’s WWE career was full of twisted and unpredictable gimmicks. He was the lantern-carrying leader of the Wyatt Family, a cult that lived deep in the Louisiana bayou. After that, he took on the role of a man consumed by darkness, switching between the lovable host of a children’s television show called the “Firefly Fun House,” to the evil monster known as The Fiend.
“When he evolved into this amazing character called The Fiend, it was a very, very scary looking character. He was bringing this kind of clownish looking maniac into his storyline,” says Mike Aiello, senior director of entertainment and creative development at Universal Orlando Resort. “I really gravitated toward it. So, when he reemerged as this character, I just posted on my social media account, ‘Oh my god. The Fiend is back.’ And he responded, “When’s the HHN house?’”
With so many elaborate personas, Wyatt was able to keep his fans (lovingly called fireflies) clinging to the edge of their seats way before he even stepped into the ring. Wyatt began to imagine what his characters and storylines would look like outside of the ring and within the fog of an HHN haunted house.
After Bray Wyatt’s passing, his brother Bo Dallas took up the mantle and created a new group: the Wyatt Sicks. “It was really fascinating to me how Bray and his brother approached inventing characters and their storylines,” says Universal Studios Hollywood creative director and executive producer John Murdy. “It was almost like how you’d make a horror movie.”
Led by Uncle Howdy, the Wyatt Sicks made their grand entrance during Monday Night Raw in summer 2024. Prompted by Abby the Witch, the cameras gave the audience a look backstage at the horror and destruction the Wyatt Sicks had committed backstage. “The entire area had been destroyed, and it looked like a Horror Nights house what they had done.” Mike says. “So, I immediately called my good friend Marty Miller, who leads all the live production, and I tell him, ‘You guys just did a Horror Nights house on live TV.’ And that got the ball rolling.”
Step Inside the Wyatt Compound
There is a supernatural realm that exists just on the other side of the Monday Night Raw stage, and during HHN, we’ll get the chance to explore it. “In the first few meetings that we had with WWE, they acknowledged us as the masters of creating these incredibly immersive, themed environments,” says John. “What was really intriguing for us creatively was taking all of these characters and trying to create the worlds that they’d exist in.”
In close collaboration with WWE, the HHN creative team got to work. After an extensive amount of research, they absorbed as much information as possible on the characters’ storylines and inspirations. The result was a haunted house that will take us through the Wyatt Family Compound, a supernatural black void that will transport us to each of the Wyatt Sicks’ domains and even the “Firefly Fun House” set. At Universal Studios Florida, the facade for the haunted house will allow guests to step onto the Monday Night Raw stage (a WWE fan’s dream) before passing through a tunnel of televisions before exploring the Wyatt Sicks’ twisted domains. “What we’re doing in Orlando is bringing [the guests] into the backstage areas and we’re recreating that moment where the Wyatt Sicks wreaked havoc on the telecast,” says Mike.
“We’re Here!” — Meet the Family
Within WWE, the Wyatt Sicks are a faction led by Uncle Howdy and made up of characters based on the puppets seen in Bray Wyatt’s psychotic children’s TV show, the “Firefly Fun House.” These include Abby the Witch, Mercy the Buzzard, Ramblin’ Rabbit and Huskus the Pig.
But within the HHN house, The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks, guests will go beyond the world of the WWE and glimpse the twisted and psychotic terrors that the Wyatt Sicks commit outside of the ring. As guests walk through the attraction, they will also be followed by Bray Wyatt’s evil alter ego, The Fiend, asking you to, “Let… Him… In!”
There you are!
From Bray Wyatt’s iconic lantern leading us through the house, to the fireflies dancing in the dark, WWE fans will see this experience as something more than just an HHN house: It’s an homage to Bray Wyatt himself.
“We were doing our tech review the other day and on the inside of the shack, we have a projector showing old promo footage of Bray Wyatt.” Mike says. “I got a little emotional because it’s tragic that he’s not here anymore and it really hit me. I don’t doubt that what I felt is something that I think fans of his will be feeling when they go into that space.”
Come follow the lantern and keep your eyes peeled as you experience WWE Presents The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.
Are you excited to experience WWE Presents: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks? Let us know in the comments below!
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