Erick Rowan: The Forgotten Wyatt

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

As anyone who isn't living under a rock knows, Bray Wyatt is one of the fastest rising stars in WWE today, with big victories over Daniel Bryan and even John Cena. His mic and promo manufacturing skills are superb, he brings an in-ring style unlike any other in the business today, and is the stand-out act of the Wyatt Family. Luke Harper also receives a lot of praise for his brawling acumen, drawing comparisons to the legendary Bruiser Brody.

And then you have Erick Rowan, an individual not many people seem to voice their opinion on, whether positive or negative.

Personally, I think Erick Rowan is a solid big man wrestler, and he uses his body size to the best of his abilities; as a man that overpowers his opposition as opposed to the brawling style of Luke Harper, and that sets him apart quite well from Harper. Sure, the brawling style is more unique and is therefore going to be more popular among the IWC (as well as Harper's previous work in the major indies, such as ROH), but I don't believe the lack of discussion of Rowan to be entirely justified. In fact, all that people seem to know Rowan as is "the one that wears the sheep mask." I think if the Wyatts were to split up (which I believe won't happen for a very long time at least), Rowan has enough to set himself apart from previous big men to be a credible monster further up the card. He'll never the top dog, but he might possibly be the guy that the top dog needs to put down every once in a while. And, looking at Kane and Big Show's longevity in the business, that's far from the worst career you can have in the WWE.

What do you guys think of Rowan?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Rowan's role is limited but when you compare him to Harper and Wyatt, it's because Rowan is limited. Wyatt's greatest skills obviously lay in cutting promos and Harper is far smoother inside the ring than Rowan. Harper has really been the surprise of the group as he's consistently been impressive whether in tag team or singles competition. I don't think most people were expecting a whole lot from either Harper or Rowan, but Harper's definitely shined.

That's not to say that Rowan isn't good in his role. He's ultimately supposed to stand there, look intimidating and play the role of a silent bruiser. He's got the look, he's got the presence and he's not bad in the ring. He's also pretty fast for a guy of his size as well. If there's a weak link in the group, however, Rowan would be the one.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

His size and scary appearance are positives, and he's not awful in the ring. He's definitely a few notches below Harper, but he's much better than a lot of the "monsters" the WWE has pushed over the years. (Snitsky & Heidenreich come to mind).

So I think there is a very good chance he'll be on the roster for many years. Especially when you consider all the dead weight the WWE carries around. There is a definitely a role that he can fill that not many other people qualify for.

 

[BenChillin]

There's a reason Rowan wears the mask. To be a miscellaneous wrestler/body with the group to basically get the mask over more than the wrestler. It works.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

Rowan's role is limited but when you compare him to Harper and Wyatt, it's because Rowan is limited. Wyatt's greatest skills obviously lay in cutting promos and Harper is far smoother inside the ring than Rowan. Harper has really been the surprise of the group as he's consistently been impressive whether in tag team or singles competition. I don't think most people were expecting a whole lot from either Harper or Rowan, but Harper's definitely shined.

That's not to say that Rowan isn't good in his role. He's ultimately supposed to stand there, look intimidating and play the role of a silent bruiser. He's got the look, he's got the presence and he's not bad in the ring. He's also pretty fast for a guy of his size as well. If there's a weak link in the group, however, Rowan would be the one.

I'm not going to deny that Rowan arguably is the weakest of the group, most probably because WWE have a fair amount of big men at the moment, along with Harper's unique style and Wyatt's mic work, but he definitely helps the group more than he hinders it, and it's strange that no-one seems to talk about him, especially in a base as vocal as the IWC.

To me, Rowan's in-ring work reminds me a lot of Kane's. I don't think he's capable of putting on a masterpiece, but he's more than capable of putting on solid matches. He also possess the same amount and sort of agility Kane has too, and the psychology is visible in his matches.

If the Wyatts were to split, I do see Wyatt and Harper both having chances to be champion one day, albeit Harper is less likely. But I don't think Rowan should be counted out as a credible monster heel, and even picking up a short monster run with the title.

He's still noteworthy amongst his peers.

 

[CyberPunk]

Erick Rowan has the same problem many big wrestlers have had in the past: he seems pretty one dimensional. The sheep mask does add to his intrigue, but apart from that, he does what any other big man would do. His in ring skills are not bad. He does what he's supposed to do. However, as I said, it doesn't set him apart.

Also, he's never been given the mic. He's the silent one from the Wyatts. That's were Harper scores over him. Harper has a more fluid style and does more than just being a big brawler. While I do think Rowan adds to the group, he doesn't really stand apart if taken out of the group. Whenever the Wyatts dissolve (which I don't think would happen for a long time, if ever), he would be the one used to put guys over. After all, beating a man of his size would always be impressive.

At this time though, he is perfect in his role and would continue being a key player in the Wyatts.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Erick Rowan is the most bland member of the stable, but that's not saying much because the other two are only a hair more interesting. I'm absolutely astonished they've stayed on the main roster this long and haven't been sent back to developmental to improve their atrocious in-ring abilities. But I guess in a world where Fandango was allowed to beat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, even wrestlers as ungodly awful as The Wyatts will get their 15 minutes of fame.

 

[The Eighties]

Rowan is doing fine in his role as the basic muscle of the group, he promotes the sheep mask, he growls and he hits decent brawling offense in tag matches. I don't see any singles potential for him but I can see him having bodyguard roles and being a part of another monster team post-Wyatt's.

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

It's obvious that Bray Wyatt is the most important guy at the moment out of all three, even ever since this Wyatt family gimmick started. Over the months, Bray has shown impressive mic skills and unique in-ring work, therefore he is already set apart from anyone else.

Luke Harper is an ok guy. He is tall, not exceptionally big, but moves around really well and can get the crowd excited. I vividly remember him doing the suicide dive to the outside through the ropes at the Elimination Chamber PPV, and got the crowd pumped up. He is a good worker in the ring and in my opinion could go a long way further.

Now, to the matter of hand, Eric Rowan. I think he is good. First of all, he isn't bad. He is a big guy, with a lot of muscle. The thing is, he doesn't do anything "impressive" so to speak, to set him apart not just from the Wyatt family, but from any other big man out there. Sure, he might be good, he might be saving some good stuff for later on, but at the moment we don't know that, so we will go with the "he is another generic big man" opinion, and rightfully so.

Bray is unique. Luke does some semi-high-flying moves, when he is a big guy himself, along with the "yea yea yeaaaa" taunt. He also has a cool big boot and Discus clothesline finisher. Eric Rowan doesn't have anything special. Michael Cole always tries to put him over by saying "look at Rowan, the fists against the skull", but no one really buys that maneuver, and apart from that, nothing else sets Rowan apart from anyone on the roster.

 

[zomigosh]

He plays his part well; a mindless sheep controlled by Bray Wyatt. He doesn't need to be incredibly good in the ring or on the mic, his mere presence brings legitimacy to the group. At least to me. The look is scary, and works really well combined with Bray and Harper.

 

[Notorious718]

Erick Rowen certainly isn't by any means BAD. I certainly don't have any dislike for him. Like others here, I think he plays his role well and I do think he's a lot better in the ring than I initially expected but I do agree that he's been outshone by both Wyatt and Harper. It was said earlier, Rowen is pretty one dimensional and doesn't really have much of a role outside of being a hard hitting bruiser. But when you really think about it, does he really need to be much more than that? I think he's doing a fine job given what his role is. As for what happens after the Wyatts split (which mind you, I don't see happening for a long time), he's the one I can't see having much going for him in terms of a singles run outside of putting over talent. He does have an intimidating presence so going over him would make talent look good.

As for now, I like him. Rowen has done a fine job thus far.

 

[Judah's Lion]

Rowan does seem like the weak link at the time. but given the company he keeps, that not as big an insult as it could be if he were with 2 other random guys. and let's not forget that he's still new to our tv screens.

in the next 5 years or so, give or take, we're gonna see the retirement of guys like Kane, Mark Henry, Big Show and Khali. not a whole lot of big guys on the roster once you eliminate these 4.

give it time. i think he'll be fine. and maybe even surprise us down the road.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I'd have to agree with the argument that the reason he doesn't get the attention he deserves is because of the talent he's surrounded by, not because he isn't good. Rowan has impressed me and I enjoy his style in the ring, he is the definition of unique with his look, demeanor and ring work. He's a solid big man performer, he doesn't show you spots that are quite as impressive as Harper but again it's a different guy with a different way of doing things.
Now I love the Wyatt Family together and I hope through their careers they atleast stay somewhat linked, I would like to see Luke and Eric leave Bray at some point and go for tag team gold. But what I find most enticing is the idea of Rowan eventually being on his own without being constantly overshadowed by his colleagues. It'll be interesting to hear him expand his role on the mic if that's even going to happen, I wouldn't be torn up though if he kept it the way it's been and sticks to wrestling.

I hope and think that he'll stick around the WWE for a long time, I could see him almost in a(and I mean no insult) Khalil position in the future, he'll always be around and they'll throw him in a storyline now and then, maybe give him one world title crack and spend the rest of his time floating mid card as more of an attraction. Some of you may think this is an insult but a long career in the WWE always being on tv and doing your thing? Worse things can happen and I hope he atleast gets this.

 

[Stormlor]

I think a lot of you guys are missing the point of pro wrestling 101 when it comes to Rowan.

Bray - Mic Skills
Harper - Performing skills (weak selling skills)
Rowan - Selling Skills (Not the best performer)

It's the same with the Sheild

Roman - Strong performer
Dean - Mic Skills
Seth - Seller (who can perform at a high level)

Most wrestlers are only good at one part, not all three. Hogan for example was a terrible seller, but was a great performer and had good mic skills. Warrior was terrible on the mic, but was a great performer and had decent selling skills.

Every pro wrestler has their trait.