The Spooky Horror Connection Between The Black Phone And WWE's Late Bray Wyatt

Horror and WWE are frequent bedfellows, and some of the wrestling promotion's biggest superstars wouldn't be out of place in a genre flick. The most famous example is The Undertaker, an undead cowboy controlled by a mystical urn who also led a Satanic cult-like faction known as The Ministry of Darkness. That said, 'Taker isn't the only wrestler who led a cult, as the late Bray Wyatt, a true icon of horror in wrestling, was a backwoods preacher who eventually found a new calling as a twisted children's entertainer with a demonic alter ego known as The Fiend. 

Wyatt — real name Windham Rotunda — was also a big fan of horror movies, and he tapped some genre heavyweights who worked on Scott Derrickson's "The Black Phone" to create his scary iconography. The mask worn by Ethan Hawke's character in "The Black Phone" was conceived by Tom Savini (the legendary effects artist and actor who has worked with everyone from George A. Romero to Quentin Tarantino) in collaboration with Derrickson. However, the mask itself was brought to life by fellow special effects whiz kid Jason Baker, who, along with Savini, has worked with WWE on designing masks and props for years.

While Savini and Baker have created a diverse range of masks for WWE stars (including some beauties for Triple H and Asuka), the terrifying face garb worn by The Fiend really stands out. It even gives the mask adorned by Hawke's child-abducting villain, The Grabber, in "The Black Phone" a run for its money — and it paved the way for one of WWE's spookiest factions to emerge from the shadows and cause chaos.

Jason Baker's work with Bray Wyatt was his most hands-on in terms of the mask designer's contributions to wrestling. Not only was he responsible for creating the demonic Fiend mask (pictured above), but he also helped bring to life a bunch of creepy puppets who starred in Wyatt's Firefly Fun House segments, which saw the character appear in human form as a Mr. Rogers-esque children's show host before unleashing his inner monster. However, while Baker's contributions to wrestling and cinema prove that he is a creative, twisted genius, he's credited Wyatt's imagination for making the Fiend's imagery so terrifyingly memorable. As he once told Soundsphere:

"Honestly, I feel like you're giving me more credit than I deserve. It just all goes back to Bray. It's his barbecue, and I'm just glad I get to come and eat at the table! He's just so inventive, and he's also collaborative, so I'm just blessed to make monsters with one of my closest, dearest friends in a genre that doesn't usually have these types of characters."

Wyatt's tragic death in 2023 shocked the wrestling world, but his memory lives on courtesy of the Wyatt Sicks faction, led by the late wrestler's real-life brother, Taylor Rotunda (who portrays Uncle Howdy on WWE television). That group also wears creepy masks, which Baker helped create. So, the next time you watch WWE and wonder who's behind some of the show's most haunting aesthetics, raise a toast for Jason Baker.

"Black Phone 2" opens in theaters on October 17, 2025.