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A few months ago when I walked into the Cageside offices for the first time, my colleagues were surprised to hear that the ongoing storyline between Solo Sikoa’s MFT and the Wyatt Sick6 was one of my favorites at the time. Being a fan, in general, of faction warfare probably predisposed me to being a fan of this feud, but I thought the stark contrast in styles between the two groups was intriguing. Besides that, there were some underlying similarities between the groups that I truly thought were slam dunks to be mentioned and incorporated into their run-ins on Friday Night Smackdown. The tag team championships and Bray Wyatt’s lantern, I thought, could serve as meaningful props to further the feud and make it more personal.
For weeks (or maybe months) now, Cagesiders have been pretty adamant that the whole feud needed to just end. While I thought there were still some redeemable qualities, the Wyatts looking like bumbling buffoons and consistently regaining and losing and regaining possession of the lantern made me begin to lose hope that the storyline could be saved.
Then, last night, I finally hit my breaking point with the whole thing.
Where I Thought They Could Go
The very first time Solo Sikoa’s MFT and the Wyatts had a run-in, I immediately thought it was an intriguing fit that could really lead to some character growth for the two leading men, Solo and Uncle Howdy. While the presentation of the two couldn’t be more different, both Sikoa and Bo Dallas share a common bond in that they are trying to establish their own careers after years of living in their older brothers’ shadows.
After a brief run in NXT, Solo Sikoa made his way to the main roster in September of 2022, interfering in his cousin Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship defense against Drew McIntyre. For the better part of a year, Solo would serve as the silent heavy for the Bloodline, interjecting himself in battles fought by his cousin Reigns, as his brothers, Jimmy and Jey Uso. As the cracks in the Bloodline started to emerge, Solo began taking on a more prominent role, which culminated with his brothers leaving the group and Solo becoming second in command to the Tribal Chief. It appeared Solo was set for a huge push in November of 2023 when he defeated John Cena at Crown Jewel, brutalizing the soon-to-be Never Seen 17 with almost a dozen Samoan Spikes.
Then, the following April, after Roman lost to Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania, Solo took over as the de facto Tribal Chief, creating a New Bloodline in his own likeness. It was during this time that he brought in the Tongans, Jacob Fatu, and eventually Talla Tonga, a group that would eventually become known as MFT, or My Family Tree. It could be argued that Solo did more living in his cousin’s shadow than his brothers’, but there is undoubtedly history with the Usos that could have been incorporated into his story with the Wyatts.
Uncle Howdy, on the other hand, has found himself in his brother’s shadow more directly. After spending time in NXT as Bo Dallas, even holding the Black & Gold brand’s main title in 2013, Dallas took his happy-go-lucky motivational character to the main roster, where he would spend the better part of six years before taking time off and eventually being released. Dallas was brought back in 2022 as the Uncle Howdy character, and would begin to haunt his real-life brother, Bray Wyatt. This storyline never really got off the ground, as Howdy would be taken off of WWE programming when Wyatt fell ill. Bray, of course, would tragically pass away in August of 2023, and vignettes for a return of the Uncle Howdy character began in April of 2024 on the RAW after WrestleMania 40.
In June of 2024, Uncle Howdy would finally reappear live and was joined by Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, and Nikki Cross, who had taken up the personalities and became real-life versions of the puppets Bray Wyatt had in his Firefly Funhouse. The group made a memorable debut, leaving the entire backstage area and gorilla position decimated at the end of an episode of RAW. Despite impactfully announcing their presence on the scene and their ties to a beloved character like Bray Wyatt, the Wyatt Sick6 have generally been a bit of a disappointment.
The nostalgia connected to his late brother have allowed the Wyatts to keep some of their original aura, but their booking since arriving on the scene has left many wanting more and better for them. After forgettable feuds with American Made and The Final Testament, Uncle Howdy and the Wyatts became embroiled in their current feud with Solo Sikoa’s group last fall.
The common bond of living in their younger brother’s shadows has never really been a focal point of the feud, and I see that as a tremendous missed opportunity. In search of ways to carve their own paths, both Solo and Howdy have surrounded themselves with people that are unconditionally loyal to them. Solo calls it his “family tree” despite not being related to any of his stablemates. Howdy talks about how the Sick6 are his family regularly in their staticky VHS tape promos, despite none of the Wyatts having any sort of connection to Bray except for Erick Rowan.
These commonalities between two younger brothers who are different in just about every other way could’ve been an interesting way to progress both of their characters and create some entertaining television. Instead, we got a months long tug-of-war over a symbolic Party City prop with little to no explanation of why Solo even cares so much about it in the first place.
Where It Should Go Now
At this point, the hot potato’ing of Bray Wyatt’s lantern has become the focal point of the story and it’s way too late in the game to introduce any real deep story threads here. WrestleMania feels like it’s going to finally be the end of the MFT/Wyatts feud, and as someone who saw potential in this story, it pains me to say that I sincerely hope ‘Mania is when it ends.
Whether it be on WrestleMania proper or on the episode of Smackdown the night before, an 8-man tag team match should be how this feud finally ends. Earlier on in the feud, I even thought the Wyatts enlisting Braun Strowman’s services to even the odds and set up a 5-on-5 match could’ve been an interesting development, but now I just want it to be over with.
A few more weeks of fighting over the lantern like its a kickball on an elementary school playground doesn’t really appeal to me, so they need to find some other way to stretch this out. My suggestion is that Damian Priest and R-Truth get their shot at the WWE Tag Team Titles on Smackdown next week or the week after. The Wyatts interfere and cost MFT the gold, setting up their final battle and freeing up Priest and Truth to potentially get their own WrestleMania match with some gold up for grabs.
What do you think Cagesiders? Will the MFT/Wyatts feud finally end this WrestleMania season? Or will they find a way to extend it further than that? Let us know how you see it playing out in the comments below!
