Rowan (wrestler)
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Joseph Ruud (born November 28, 1981) is an American
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
wrestler performing as Erick Redbeard. Having previously wrestled in Japan, where he trained and performed for
Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...
, Ruud signed a contract with WWE in 2011. He was sent to its developmental territory,
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(FCW), before debuting on the
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
brand in 2012 under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Erick Rowan, a member of the Wyatt Family. He went on to become a one-time
NXT Tag Team Champion The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 23 ...
(with Harper) and a two-time SmackDown Tag Team Champion (once with
Luke Harper Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Luke Harper (later simply Harper) from 2012 to 2019, and in All E ...
and once with
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan may refer to: * Bryan Danielson (born 1981), American professional wrestler who formerly used the ring name "Daniel Bryan" * Dan Bryan (1900–1985), Irish soldier * Daniel Bryan (Big Brother), contestant on the British reality televi ...
). Ruud was released from WWE in April 2020, returning to the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
.


Early life

Joseph Ruud was born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, on November 28, 1981. He grew up in
Montrose, Minnesota Montrose is a small city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. Montrose is surrounded by farmland, prairies, and lakes. The population was 2,847 at the 2010 census. History Montrose was platted in 1878, and named after Montrose, in Scotl ...
. He is of Norwegian descent, with his ancestors having emigrated to the U.S. from Nannestad. He attended the
University of Minnesota Morris The University of Minnesota Morris (UMN Morris) is a public liberal arts college in Morris, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and was founded in 1960 as a public, co-educational, residential liberal arts college offering ...
, where he played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (2003–2011)

Ruud began his
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
career after training with Eddie Sharkey in 2003. He debuted under the ring name "Thoruf Marius", competing for various promotions throughout the
Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
until 2007. He was invited to go to
Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...
's (NOAH) dojo in Japan to live, train, and wrestle. During this time, he competed in both
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
and singles matches. Following his tour in Japan, Ruud returned to the United States in 2008 and began competing for the Minnesota-based F1rst Wrestling promotion. Albeit, without much success. Upon joining the promotion, he began feuding with Big Brody Hoofer, with the pair exchanging wins across several events.


World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE


Florida Championship Wrestling (2011–2012)

In February 2011, Ruud signed a developmental contract with
World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWE) and was assigned to their
developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(FCW) under the ring name "Erick Rowan". He made his ''FCW TV'' debut in August 2011 with a win over Kenneth Cameron, while being accompanied by Byron Saxton and James Bronson. To tie in with Saxton's feud with
Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr. (born April 29, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is the Global Ambassador of WWE and also performs for the promotion as a wrestler under the ri ...
, Rowan and Bronson lost to O'Neil and Leakee in a tag team match. Although Rowan continued to compete in both singles and tag team matches with Bronson, he was not involved in any further feuds and did not challenge for any titles on ''FCW TV''.


Wyatt Family (2012–2014)

After FCW was
rebranded Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
to NXT Wrestling, Rowan made his debut on the December 12, 2012 episode of ''
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
'' as a follower of Bray Wyatt, who introduced Rowan as his "second son". As a member of The Wyatt Family, Rowan formed a
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
with Wyatt's "first son"
Luke Harper Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Luke Harper (later simply Harper) from 2012 to 2019, and in All E ...
, and they defeated
Percy Watson Nicholas Christopher McNeil (born August 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Percy Watson, is an American professional wrestler, commentator, and former professional football player. He is best known for his time with WWE as a commentato ...
and
Yoshi Tatsu Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...
on the January 9, 2013 episode of ''NXT''. On the January 23 episode of ''NXT'', Harper and Rowan again defeated Watson and Tatsu in the opening round of the NXT Tag Team Championship tournament. Following a win over
Bo Dallas Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blac ...
and
Michael McGillicutty Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...
in the semi-finals after Wyatt's interference, Harper and Rowan were defeated in the finals by
Adrian Neville Benjamin Satterley (born 22 August 1986), better known by his ring name Pac, is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he was the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion. He is one-third of the ...
and
Oliver Grey Joel Pettyfer (born 21 February 1987), is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Joel Redman. Pettyfer is best known for his work on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom, where he is a former Unified British T ...
. On the May 2 episode of ''NXT'', Harper and Rowan won a
triple threat elimination tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
by last
pinning Pinning may refer to: * Pinning, the effect of certain weapons that cause their targets to be pinned down * Pinning ceremony (nursing), a symbolic welcoming of new graduates into the nursing profession * Pinning force, a force acting on a pinned ob ...
Adrian Neville. On the May 8 episode of ''NXT'' (which was taped on May 2), Harper and Rowan defeated Adrian Neville and Bo Dallas (who was filling in for the injured Oliver Grey) to win the NXT Tag Team Championship, Rowan's first professional wrestling championship. On the June 5 episode of ''NXT'', Harper and Rowan successfully retained their championship against
Corey Graves Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling color commentator and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a commentator and analyst for ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' under the ring name Corey Graves. He is a ...
and
Kassius Ohno Cassius may refer to: People * Cassius, an ancient Roman family name, see Cassia gens **Gaius Cassius Longinus (died 42 BC), Roman senator and a leader of Julius Caesar's assassination ** Avidius Cassius (130–175), usurper Roman Emperor * Cassi ...
, and on the June 19 episode of ''NXT'', The Wyatt Family defeated the team of Neville, Graves and Ohno. On the July 17 episode of ''NXT'' (which was taped on June 20), Harper and Rowan lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Neville and Graves. From the May 27 episode of ''
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'', WWE aired
vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
promoting the upcoming main roster debut of The Wyatt Family. The vignettes showed The Wyatt Family's backwoods origins and Rowan wearing a sheep mask. On the July 8 episode of ''Raw'', The Wyatt Family made their debut by assaulting Kane. Rowan made his WWE in-ring debut on the July 26 episode of '' SmackDown'', where he teaming up with Harper to defeat Tons of Funk (
Brodus Clay George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA Worlds ...
and
Tensai Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler and professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Bloom ...
) in a tag team match. Over the next few months, Rowan and Harper competed as a tag team and went on a winning streak over many teams, until
Cody Rhodes and Goldust Cody and Dustin Rhodes (also known as Cody Rhodes and Goldust, The Brotherhood, The Rhodes Brothers, and Gold and Stardust) were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes. They are also known for th ...
handed them their first loss on the October 11 episode of ''SmackDown''. In early 2014, Rowan took part in The Wyatt Family's feud with The Shield, while also supporting Bray Wyatt in his feud against John Cena. While Cena and Wyatt's feud continued, Rowan and Harper also started a feud with The Usos, unsuccessfully challenging for the
Tag Team Championship A championship or title in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rivalri ...
at Money in the Bank and Battleground.


Feud with the Authority (2014–2015)

Beginning on September 29, vignettes were shown of Rowan and Harper being "set free" by Wyatt, marking the dissolution of The Wyatt Family and the transition of its members into singles competition. On the November 17 episode of ''Raw'', Rowan turned face and had a brief feud with the Authority when he joined Team Cena for Survivor Series, going after his former Wyatt Family partner Luke Harper, who had joined Team Authority. At Survivor Series, Rowan scored no eliminations and was himself eliminated by Harper, with the assistance of Seth Rollins; however, Team Cena later won the match. Afterwards, Rowan started a feud with
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
, the team member who had betrayed the rest of Team Cena at the event. At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Rowan was defeated by Big Show in a stairs match. On the January 5, 2015 episode of ''Raw'', Rowan, along with Dolph Ziggler and
Ryback Ryback Allen Reeves (né Ryan; born November 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Ryback. One of the eight finalists on WWE's '' Tough Enough 4'', Reeves l ...
were (
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...
) fired by The Authority for being a part of Team Cena. On the January 19 episode of ''Raw'', Rowan, Ziggler and Ryback were rehired after Cena won a 3-on-1 handicap match against Seth Rollins, Big Show and Kane following assistance from
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
. On the January 22 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rowan lost to Luke Harper in a qualifying match for the 2015 Royal Rumble. Despite this, Rowan appeared during the Royal Rumble match and attacked number 6 entrant Curtis Axel, before Axel could make his entrance to the ring, sparking a brief The Wyatt Family reunion with Harper and Wyatt, before all three men brawled. At Fastlane, Rowan teaming up with Ziggler and Ryback in a
six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
against Seth Rollins, Big Show and Kane, which they lost. Rowan participated in the second annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31, but was eliminated by Big Show.


Return of the Wyatt Family (2015–2017)

In May, Rowan reunited with former tag team partner Luke Harper after attacking Harper's opponent Fandango, turning
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...
in the process. In late June, Rowan suffered a torn bicep, leaving him out of action. Rowan returned on the October 19 episode of ''Raw'' as a member of The Wyatt Family once again, against Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, which his team won by disqualification after Ambrose attacked new The Wyatt Family member Braun Strowman with a kendo stick. Rowan took part in The Wyatt Family's feud with
The Brothers of Destruction The Brothers of Destruction were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE composed of storyline half-brothers The Undertaker and Kane. With more deep-seated drama and dysfunction than other WWE tag team combinations, their relationship/brothe ...
, after they kidnapped
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...
at Hell in a Cell, and Kane on the October 26 episode of ''Raw''. At TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, The Wyatt Family defeated
ECW Originals The ECW Originals were a professional wrestling stable that has made appearances in various wrestling promotions, such as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and most famously WWE. The name of the stable derives from their affiliation with the origi ...
in an eight-man tag team elimination
tables match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, with Rowan being the only Wyatt Family member eliminated from the match. On January 24, 2016, Rowan would go on to compete in the Royal Rumble match with fellow The Wyatt Family members and was eliminated by
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
, but he would later return to the ring along with another members to eliminate Lesnar. On April 3, Rowan competed in his first ever WrestleMania singles match at WrestleMania 32 against The Rock, after the latter confronted The Wyatt Family. Rowan was defeated by The Rock in six seconds, breaking the record for the quickest WrestleMania match of all time; after the match, when The Wyatt Family attempted to attack The Rock, a returning John Cena came to his aid. The next night on ''Raw'', The Wyatt Family attacked The League of Nations, starting a feud between the heel factions. Rowan and Strowman were set to compete in a match at
Payback Payback may refer to: * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Payback may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...
, but Wyatt suffered a calf injury as well as Harper, who dislocated his
patella The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...
and tore his
medial patellofemoral ligament The medial patellofemoral ligament is one of the several ligaments on the medial aspect of the knee. It originates on the superomedial aspect of the patella and inserts in the space between the adductor tubercle and the medial femoral epicondyle ...
in late March. These injuries resulted in the suspension of the feud between The Wyatt Family and The League of Nations. The Wyatt Family (minus Harper) returned on the June 20 episode of ''Raw'', subsequently getting into a feud with The New Day, who interrupted Wyatt during his return speech. The feud culminated at Battleground, where The Wyatt Family defeated The New Day. On July 19, as part of 2016 draft, Rowan was drafted to SmackDown
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
along with Bray Wyatt, while Braun Strowman was drafted to
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
. While Rowan kept wrestling with Wyatt, in October Rowan underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and would be out of action for eight months. He made his return on the April 4, 2017 episode of ''SmackDown Live''. On April 10, The Wyatt Family disbanded again when Wyatt was moved to the Raw brand as part of Superstar Shake-up. The short rivalry between Rowan and Luke Harper was ended at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
on May 21, where Harper defeated Rowan.


Bludgeon Brothers (2017–2018)

On the October 10 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Rowan returned to television in a vignette where he was once again aligned with Luke Harper. The duo were dubbed as
The Bludgeon Brothers Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, later known as the Bludgeon Brothers, were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They were also known as being members of the cult faction The Wyatt Family, led by Bray Wyatt. After work at house shows from June ...
, where his ring name shortened to "Rowan". The team wrestled their return match on the November 21 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', defeating The Hype Bros ( Zack Ryder and
Mojo Rawley Dean Muhtadi ( ar, دين موهتادي; born July 17, 1986) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former American professional football player. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Mojo Rawley ...
). At the
Clash of Champions ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). ...
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
, The Bludgeon Brothers defeated Breezango ( Fandango and Tyler Breeze) in a
squash match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
. On March 11, 2018, The Bludgeon Brothers made an appearance at Fastlane, interfering during the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match between The Usos and The New Day. The team won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 34 from The Usos, a match also involving The New Day; this marked Rowan's first main roster championship win. They would go on to successfully defend the titles against The Usos at the Greatest Royal Rumble event, against
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson The Good Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. They are currently signed to WWE and perform on the Raw brand, where they are former two time WWE RAW Tag Team Champions. They also ma ...
at Money in the Bank, and against
Team Hell No Team Hell No was an American professional wrestling tag team in the WWE. They performed on the SmackDown brand consisting of Kane and Daniel Bryan. The team's name is a reference to the two wrestlers' personas: Kane is portrayed as a violent pyr ...
at Extreme Rules. The Bludgeon Brothers lost by disqualification in a championship defense against The New Day at SummerSlam, resulting in them retaining the titles. Two nights later on the August 21 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', The New Day defeated The Bludgeon Brothers in a no disqualification match to win the championships, ending their reign at 135 days. The following day, it was announced that Rowan had suffered a torn right bicep and would have surgery later in the week.


Storyline with Daniel Bryan (2019–2020)

Rowan returned from injury at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 27, 2019, interfering on behalf of
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan may refer to: * Bryan Danielson (born 1981), American professional wrestler who formerly used the ring name "Daniel Bryan" * Dan Bryan (1900–1985), Irish soldier * Daniel Bryan (Big Brother), contestant on the British reality televi ...
to help him retain the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
against AJ Styles, and forming an alliance with Bryan. On the February 26 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Rowan competed in his first match since August 2018, teaming with Bryan in a losing effort to Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens. On the May 7 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Rowan and Bryan defeated The Usos for the vacant SmackDown Tag Team Championship, beginning their first reign as a team, and Rowan's second reign individually. At Money in the Bank, Rowan and Bryan were defeated by The Usos in a non-title match. The following month at
Super ShowDown WWE Super ShowDown (originally stylized as Super Show-Down) was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, an American-based promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE's livestreaming service, the ...
event, Rowan competed in the 51-man battle royal, but failed to win. At Stomping Grounds, Rowan and Bryan retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Heavy Machinery (
Otis Otis may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Otis (Superman), in the films ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' and related DC Comics media ** Otis Graves, in the TV series ''Supergirl'' * Otis (The Walking Dead), Otis (''The Walking Dead' ...
and
Tucker Tucker may refer to: Places United States * Tucker, Arkansas * Tucker, Georgia * Tucker, Mississippi * Tucker, Missouri * Tucker, Utah, ghost town * Tucker County, West Virginia Outer space * Tucker (crater), a small lunar impact crater in the s ...
). At Extreme Rules, Rowan and Bryan lost the championship to The New Day in a triple threat match also involving Heavy Machinery, ending their reign at 68 days. In August, Rowan and Bryan became involved in a storyline with Roman Reigns, as Reigns was being targeted for attacks by a mystery conspirator. Reigns suspected Rowan as his attacker due to testimony from Buddy Murphy, as well as seemingly incriminating video footage, but Bryan instead revealed that the attacker was merely a man who resembled Rowan. However, Rowan later turned on Bryan and revealed that he was the attacker the entire time, ending the alliance between the two. During this time, his ring name was reverted to Erick Rowan. Rowan would then face Reigns in a no disqualification match at
Clash of Champions ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). ...
, which he won after interference from a returning Luke Harper. The feud concluded at Hell in a Cell, where Reigns and Bryan defeated Rowan and Harper in a
tornado tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ma ...
. As part of the 2019 draft, Rowan was drafted to Raw, disbanding his team with Luke Harper, who remained on SmackDown. Starting in November, he would revert to his previous ring name Erick Rowan and began coming to the ring carrying a cage with a hidden cloth over it, as he would squash various local competitors, and Rowan would be shown to be very protective and affectionate of the creature in the cage destroying whoever tried to look inside the cage. Despite this, the creature would bite Rowan on multiple occasions which would force him to take out his pain on his opponents. At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 26, 2020, Rowan entered Royal Rumble match at number 3, and was quickly eliminated by
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
. On March 2 episode of ''Raw'' in a backstage segment with No Way Jose, Rowan revealed the mystery creature inside the cage to be a large spider. The next week on ''Raw'', Rowan competed in his final match against Drew McIntyre, where mid-way through the bout, McIntyre crushed the cage with steel steps. On April 15, 2020, Rowan was released from his WWE contract along with several other superstars as a result of budget cuts in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
,ending his 9-year tenure with the company.


Independent circuit (2020–present)

Following his release from WWE, Ruud began taking bookings under the ring name "Erick Redbeard". On October 21, 2020, it was announced that he would be competing in the United Wrestling Network World Title tournament. He would make his debut on October 31, losing to Fred Rosser in the first round of the tournament by disqualification.


All Elite Wrestling (2020, 2022)

Following the death of his former WWE tag team partner Luke Harper (who was performing in All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Mr. Brodie Lee) on December 26, 2020, Redbeard appeared on the memorial ''
AEW Dynamite AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...
'' episode " Brodie Lee Celebration of Life" on December 30, where he protected Dark Order members from being attacked by Wardlow during a six-man tag team match. After the match, he embraced the Dark Order, cried, and held up a sign that read: "Goodbye for now, my brother. See you down the road." Redbeard returned to AEW on the March 4, 2022 episode of '' AEW Rampage'' and aligned himself with
Death Triangle Death Triangle is a professional wrestling stable in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) consisting of Pac and The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix), alongside their manager Alex Abrahantes. The trio are the current AEW World Trios Cham ...
(
Pac Pac or PAC may refer to: Military * Rapid Deployment Force (Malaysia), an armed forces unit * Patriot Advanced Capability, of the MIM-104 Patriot missile * Civil Defense Patrols (''Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil''), Guatemalan militia and paramili ...
and Penta Oscuro). The trio would team against House of Black (
Malakai Black Tom Budgen (born 19 May 1985) is a Dutch professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Malakai Black. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Aleister Black from 2017 ...
, Brody King, and
Buddy Matthews Matthew Adams (born 26 September 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews as a member of the stable House of Black. He is best known for his time with WWE wh ...
) at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
's "Buy-In" pre-show event. The match would end with Redbeard getting pinned by Black.


Personal life

Since 2019, Joseph Ruud has been married to his wife Leah Ruud. He has two children with his ex-wife. In his spare time, he plays guitar.


Other media


Filmography


Film


Television


Video

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...


Championships and accomplishments

* French Lake Wrestling Association ** FLWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Insane Wrestling Revolution **IWR World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * '' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' ** Ranked No. 57 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the '' PWI 500'' in 2014 * ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...
'' ** Best Gimmick (2013) *
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
** WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with
Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Il ...
(1) and
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan may refer to: * Bryan Danielson (born 1981), American professional wrestler who formerly used the ring name "Daniel Bryan" * Dan Bryan (1900–1985), Irish soldier * Daniel Bryan (Big Brother), contestant on the British reality televi ...
(1) ** NXT Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with
Luke Harper Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Luke Harper (later simply Harper) from 2012 to 2019, and in All E ...
** Slammy Award (1 time) *** Match of the Year (
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
) –


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowan, Erick 1981 births 21st-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers American male television actors American people of Norwegian descent Living people NXT Tag Team Champions People from Wright County, Minnesota Professional wrestlers from Minneapolis University of Minnesota Morris alumni