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Wyatt Sicks Post-WWE Release Appearance Reveals New Ring Names

Many members of the Wyatt Sicks are reverting back to their old ring names after being released from WWE.
Rick Ucchino|
The Wyatt Sicks
The Wyatt Sicks | WWE

The Wyatt Sicks are heading to WrestleCon.

One of the largest wrestling fan conventions will take place at the Hilton Minneapolis during WWE SummerSlam weekend. The event will run Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2, offering meet-and-greets, autograph sessions and photo opportunities with various stars from across the industry.

Guest announcements began this week with Sting, sans his now-retired iconic white and black face paint, set to appear at the convention from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday only. Late Tuesday evening, it was revealed that the five members of The Wyatt Sicks will be in attendance for all three days.

Bo Dallas, also known as Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross, Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy were all part of the post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts that took place on April 24. Given their popularity with the fanbase and their marketing potential, they were among the more surprising names to be released from their contracts.

“It was just felt that the group had run its course," Dave Meltzer wrote in a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. "Even at first there were those who saw it as a short-term idea. It was basically a tribute to Bray Wyatt, and was over big at first, but it was limiting how they could be used with that gimmick over the long haul.”

Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Kairi Sane, Zoey Stark and Alba Fyre were also let go that day, along with numerous NXT and developmental wrestlers. A little more than a week later, the New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were granted their release from WWE after reportedly being asked to renegotiate their contracts.

New names revealed for The Wyatt Sicks

Wyatt Sicks
Wyatt Sicks | WWE.com

All of the released main roster talent have a 90-day waiting period before they can sign elsewhere, but some are starting to accept non-wrestling independent bookings.

The New Day have been announced for GalaxyCon in Oklahoma City later this month, and now the Wyatts for WrestleCon. And the promotional material for their appearance at SummerSlam weekend in Minneapolis has revealed their new ring names.

  • Uncle Howdy – Taylor Rotunda
  • Nikki Cross – Nikki Storm
  • Erick Rowan – Erick Redbeard
  • Dexter Lumis – Samuel Shaw
  • Joe Gacy – Joseph Sawyer

Taylor Rotunda is Howdy's legal name, while Storm, Redbeard, and Shaw were all previously used outside their days in WWE. Joseph Sawyer is a brand new name for the former Joe Gacy.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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