WWE fans have been trying to figure out who Uncle Howdy really is for months, but there’s still no confirmation.
The mystery figure, who appears to be aligned with Bray Wyatt despite attacking him earlier in the year in a bid to bring out his darker side, has been an enigma, while recent reports have mentioned names like Bray’s real brother, Bo Dallas.
Practical effects guru Jason Baker, who runs Callosum Studios with his friend, mentor and Hollywood legend Tom Savini, is the man behind the Uncle Howdy mask, but he told exclusively to Metro.co.uk that he doesn’t want to know in advance.
“No idea,” he laughed when asked if he had been told before making the mask.
‘I was just told: “Do this”, and I say to myself: “Of course!” Just Bray calls, “Hey man, I’m thinking about that,” he explained, noting that the wrestler’s talent as an entertainer makes everything that much easier.
“The nice part is that Bray is a phenomenal artist, he’s an amazing artist, so he’ll actually do a lot of our concept art for us, which speeds up the whole process a bit,” he admitted. .
‘He’s like, ‘I’m thinking about this’, and it’s like, of course! We’re going to sculpt it and work on it, and send it pictures and say, “What do you think? “Perfect. Let’s do it!”
“I don’t know who’s wearing what or what’s going on who. We just do it, and that’s half the fun!
Regarding Uncle Howdy specifically, Jason noted that while it’s still a “collaboration” with Bray, he’s simply following his friend’s instructions, having previously teamed up with him on the Firefly Fun House puppets and other masks.
He said: “At the end of the day, it’s your job to please your customer. There are still logistical issues that you will bring up, “Maybe if we change this or do that, what about that?”
“But that’s their whole vision, and that’s what they want to see. It’s up to you to bring it to life.
Jason, who works extensively in the film industry and has worked extensively with WWE over the years, noted that he enjoys being kept “out of the loop” so he can be “surprised like everyone else” and stay a fan.
“One of the things that comes with working in the film and entertainment industry is that you kind of know everything before everyone else,” he pointed out.
“So whenever there’s something you don’t know, it’s always a lot of fun. I like to be surprised like everyone else.
He hit out at wrestling folks who post spoilers online, noting that it doesn’t happen the same way in the film or TV industry.
“If someone else did that in another industry, people would hang them in public,” he laughed. ‘Can you imagine if someone leaked that Iron Man was dead at the end of Endgame? People would be furious!
“It would be like, ‘Fuck off, I hate you! What are you doing?” So the fact that there are guys here like, “Oh yeah, that guy is coming back,” or, “This is how WrestleMania is going to end.” Shut the fuck up! as fans!
Of course, Jason doesn’t always have the “luxury” of being out of the loop, but he appreciated the reaction to Bray’s epic return to Extreme Rules when his Firefly Fun House creations appeared life-size in front of a molten crowd.
‘[WWE] know how beloved Bray is, his fan base is second to none. I’ve been so honored and privileged to meet so many of them, to reach out to them and tell me how wonderful it is, they appreciate everything we’ve done for them,’ he said. smiled.
“It means the world to me, so knowing he was back where they wanted him to be was a really cool feeling. Seeing my friend do his thing again is wonderful. I love watching Bray wrestle, I love his character, I love everything.
“It’s fun times, man! I can create a monster with a friend of mine and bring it to a medium that no one has ever done before to this magnitude.
This makes WWE the perfect environment, given the freedom they are given to create something special and unique on a platform that doesn’t typically see those kinds of effects.
‘[They] allows us to bring our cinematic level effects to the world of professional wrestling and sports entertainment,” he beamed. “It’s a real honor to be able to do this.”
WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport.
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