Released WWE Star Sends Cryptic Message After 8/8 Raw
Is Joseph Rudd (FKA Erick Rowan) the next former WWE Superstar to make his way back to the company?
Rowan sent out a cryptic tweet barely minutes after the 8/8 "WWE Raw" concluded, as seen below.
Patient persistence sometimes leads to interesting doorways... pic.twitter.com/hs98V8OeIW
— Joseph Ruud (@ErickRedBeard) August 9, 2022
"WWE Raw" went off the air with cops escorting the returning Dexter Lumis out of the arena. Seeing as Rowan's tweet coincided with the Lumis sighting, it's possible he was reacting to the former NXT star's comeback to WWE.
The idea of Rowan returning to WWE should not be dismissed, considering the amount of new hires being made by the Triple H-led regime. Since The Game assumed the role of WWE's Head of Talent Relations, the likes of Lumis, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, IYO Sky, Dakota Kai have all made their comebacks, and Johnny Gargano is rumoredto return to WWE as well.
There has also been chatter on social media of Bray Wyatt's eventual WWE comeback. Wyatt fueled the rumor mill over the weekend by penning down a soliloquy about his love-hate relationship with pro wrestling.
Rowan's tweet Monday immediately led to speculation of a potential Wyatt Family return to WWE. It's well-documented that the original Wyatt Family, comprising of Bray, Rowan and the late Brodie Lee, laid the groundwork for their stable under the leadership of Triple H and Dusty Rhodes more than a decade ago in FCW and later in NXT.
Earlier this year, Rowan shockingly revealed that WWE originally had plans for Bray to debut as a solo act. According to Rowan, he was "close to quitting" until a brainstorming session at the WWE Performance Center changed everything and gave birth to The Wyatt Family.
Rowan, going by the name Erick Redbeard, wrestled a one-off match for AEW at the Revolution pay-per-view earlier this year. The big man teamed up with PAC & Penta Oscuro in a Trios Match loss to Malakai Black's House of Black stable. He has also been active on the indie circuit, wrestling matches for promotions such as NEW, CYN, and Battleground Championship Wrestling.
Since his WWE release in April 2020, Rowan has also landed several acting gigs, making cameos on an episode of "Mayor of Kingstown" and 2021 film "Ghost of the Ozarks."