Erick Rowan On Who's To Blame For His WWE Release

Former WWE star Erick Rowan has opened up about his WWE release and who's to blame for it. He revealed to the "Heated Shenanigans Podcast" that he blames himself for being released by WWE, taking it on 100% as a failure in his own head.

"If something doesn't work, I blame myself, I don't blame creative," Rowan said. "I do whatever they ask me to, to the best of my ability. If they say talk, I'll go out there and talk. if they say don't say a word, I go out there and don't say a word. I try to do things to make myself interesting with whatever parameters they give you."

Rowan reflected on the final big storyline he was given which saw him bring a mystery cage to the ring each week, which was ultimately revealed to be a spider. He revealed that he pitched many different things with that, but it came at a time when he had been starting to build himself up.

"I was upset because I was just coming off a run where I was able to open my mouth, speak, actually have some character," he said. "They kind of just swept it all underneath my feet ... So, in my head that not working was a failure to me."

Rowan had even asked Paul Heyman at the time if his job was safe, which he was assured it was. However, the pandemic changed things, but his entire perspective on those matters has begun to change due to his work post-WWE.

"In my head that was a failure," he said. "But then I started with the acting stuff and now I'm wrestling a lot more and I think people get too hard on themselves."

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