Erick Rowan Reveals Original Plans For On-Screen WWE Pet

It was an intriguing time on "WWE Raw" in 2019, especially when Erick Rowan started carrying around a mysterious caged pet. While fans were not able to see the cage's contents, it was obviously something menacing, as it would bite Rowan on occasion. It was later revealed to be a large spider. Almost three years after the storyline debuted, the former "SmackDown" Tag Team Champion has disclosed the original plans for the peculiar caged-pet gimmick. 

"Seth Rollins was the big babyface at the time, and I was told, 'Hey, it's going to be a pet rat,' which was great because it tied into my last feud where I tried to kill a man, being Roman Reigns, with a vehicle," Rowan told NBC Sports Boston's "Ten Count" podcast. Rowan explained that he felt "great" about the storyline. The 40-year-old hoped that it would get more eyes on the product and deliver a great story, as Rollins was going to curb stomp the pet by accident. Rowan felt it was a great idea to start a feud, but Rollins turned heel a few weeks later and Rowan's story just kept getting "extended, extended, extended," until the spider reveal. 

Just over a month after the reveal, Rowan was released from his WWE contract. He would later make sporadic appearances for All Elite Wrestling under the name of Erick Redbeard. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Ten Count" Podcast with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.