Similar to the build-up to his return, WWE is definitely taking a slow-burn approach to shedding light on many of the mysteries surrounding Bray Wyatt's comeback. Over on RAW, Alexa Bliss once again appears to be falling under his spell, while on SmackDown, Bray is being haunted by the sinister Uncle Howdy.
Despite initially appearing to be Bray in an admittedly goofy-looking mask, Uncle Howdy has since been confirmed as a separate entity, and speculation is running rampant about who he really is.
According to Fightful Select, "Whoever Uncle Howdy is, WWE is playing it close to the vest. Fightful has inquired repeatedly about who has portrayed the Bray Wyatt-contingent gimmick. We were told that thus far, the person who is in the outfit doesn't take it off backstage in front of other people to reveal themselves."
Clearly, secrecy is key here, and now he's ditched the mask and is showing at least part of his face, we're bound to learn more about who, or what, this dastardly new heel is soon. Given what's been happening on SmackDown in recent weeks, a reveal at this month's Royal Rumble seems most likely.
Bo Dallas remains the most likely possibility, though some have argued that it would make no sense when the last time he wrestled a match for WWE was in November 2019.
Under the new Triple H regime, however, we can easily imagine The Game giving his former NXT Champion another shot on the main roster, and a complete character repackage like this seems the way to go. On the other hand, there are plenty of wrestlers down in NXT and the WWE Performance Center who could have been enlisted to play Uncle Howdy.
We'll see, but the endgame here appears to be Wyatt in charge of a formidable new stable of Superstars. Hopefully, Triple H's plans won't come to nought if Vince McMahon muscles his way back into a creative role following his recent shock return amid various sexual misconduct allegations and scandals.
Stay tuned for updates.