ERICK ROWAN

Joseph Ruud is a 43-year-old professional wrestler from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ruud, whose ring name is Erick Rowan, is signed with World Wrestling Entertainment where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Rowan is part of The Wyatt Sicks.

Early Professional Wrestling Career

Ruud began his pro wrestling career in 2003, training with Eddie Sharkey and wrestling as “Thoruf Marius” across Midwest promotions until 2007. He then trained and competed at Pro Wrestling Noah’s dojo in Japan, gaining valuable international experience. Returning to the U.S. in 2008, Ruud joined Minnesota’s F1rst Wrestling, where he feuded with Big Brody Hoofer, trading wins in a series of intense matches.

Erick Rowan Signs with WWE

In February 2011, Ruud signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to their Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) territory, adopting the ring name Erick Rowan. He made a strong FCW TV debut in August 2011, defeating Kenneth Cameron while accompanied by Byron Saxton and James Bronson. As part of a storyline supporting Saxton’s feud with Titus O’Neil, Rowan and Bronson teamed up. They lost to O’Neil and Leakee in a tag team match. Despite competing regularly in singles and tag team bouts, Rowan did not engage in any major feuds or pursue championship titles during his time on FCW television.

Erick Rowan Joins The Wyatt Family

After FCW rebranded to NXT Wrestling, Rowan debuted on December 12, 2012. He debuted as Bray Wyatt’s “second son” and a member of The Wyatt Family. Teaming with Luke Harper, Wyatt’s “first son,” Rowan secured multiple tag team wins. These victories were over Percy Watson and Yoshi Tatsu. Harper and Rowan advanced to the NXT Tag Team Championship tournament finals but fell short against Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey. On May 2, 2013, they won a triple threat elimination tag team match, last pinning Neville.

In 2013, Erick Rowan won his first title, the NXT Tag Team Championship, with Luke Harper. After a successful run, they lost the titles in July. WWE then promoted The Wyatt Family’s main roster debut, with Rowan famously wearing a sheep mask. They debuted by attacking Kane on Raw, and Rowan made his in-ring debut on SmackDown, teaming with Harper for a dominant run. The duo feuded with top teams like The Usos, and Rowan supported Bray Wyatt in rivalries against The Shield and John Cena.

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Return of the Wyatt Family

In late 2014, Erick Rowan began his singles run after The Wyatt Family disbanded. He turned face by joining Team Cena at Survivor Series, feuding with former ally Luke Harper and later with Big Show. After a brief storyline firing by The Authority, Rowan returned to action, appeared in the Royal Rumble, and reunited briefly with Harper and Bray Wyatt. He went on to compete at Fastlane and in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31, where he was eliminated by Big Show.

In 2015, Erick Rowan reunited with Luke Harper, turning heel before suffering a torn bicep. He returned later that year to rejoin The Wyatt Family, participating in feuds against The Brothers of Destruction, ECW Originals, and competing in the 2016 Royal Rumble. At WrestleMania 32, Rowan lost to The Rock in six seconds—the shortest match in WrestleMania history.

Following a brief feud with The League of Nations, injuries to Wyatt and Harper halted the storyline. The Wyatt Family returned to feud with The New Day, winning at Battleground 2016. After being drafted to SmackDown, Rowan suffered a shoulder injury and returned in April 2017. The Wyatt Family disbanded soon after, and Rowan lost a short-lived feud to Harper at Backlash.

The Bludgeon Brothers

In October 2017, Rowan returned alongside Luke Harper as The Bludgeon Brothers. They quickly dominated the tag division, winning the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 34 and defending them at Greatest Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Extreme Rules. Their 135-day reign ended after a loss to The New Day on SmackDown Live. Shortly after, Rowan suffered a torn bicep and underwent surgery.

Erick Rowan returned at the 2019 Royal Rumble, teaming with Daniel Bryan to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. He later turned on Bryan, revealing himself as Roman Reigns’ attacker and feuding alongside Luke Harper. Drafted to Raw in 2019, Rowan introduced a cage gimmick featuring a mechanical spider. He was released in April 2020 due to WWE’s COVID-19 budget cuts, ending his nine-year run.

Post-WWE Career & AEW Appearances

After parting ways with WWE, Joseph Ruud adopted the ring name Erick Redbeard and began taking independent bookings. On October 31, 2020, he debuted in the United Wrestling Network World Title Tournament, where he lost to Fred Rosser by disqualification in the first round.

Redbeard made a notable return to national TV on the AEW Dynamite: Brodie Lee Celebration of Life (Dec. 30, 2020), honoring his late former tag partner, Jon Huber (Brodie Lee). He intervened to defend the Dark Order, later paying tribute with an emotional farewell sign.

He returned to AEW on March 4, 2022, teaming with Death Triangle to face House of Black at the AEW Revolution: Buy-In. The match ended with Redbeard being pinned by Malakai Black.

Return to WWE

On August 25, 2023, Erick Rowan returned during a SmackDown tribute to the late Bray Wyatt. In May 2024, he re-signed with WWE. Rowan officially returned on the June 17 episode of Raw as part of the new faction The Wyatt Sicks, led by Bray Wyatt’s brother, Uncle Howdy. Sporting a rabbit mask inspired by Bray’s “Firefly Funhouse,” Rowan later appeared unmasked, mourning his fallen Wyatt Family teammates. He made his in-ring return on August 5, teaming with Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy to defeat American Made.

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STATS

Birth name: Joseph Ruud
Born: November 28, 1981, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Spouse: Lead Ruud
Children: 1
Height: 6 ft 8 in (203 cm)
Weight: 315 lb (143 kg)
Ring name(s): Erick Redbeard, Erick Rowan, Rowan, Thoruf, Thoruf Marius, Rambling Rabbit
Current Roster: SmackDown
Finishing move(s): Iron Claw Slam

Erick Rowan’s Social Media:

ERICK ROWAN PHOTOS

Career Championships & 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
Universal Championship Wrestling
UCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Gimmick (2013) – The Wyatt Family
World Series Wrestling
WSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Basso
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Harper (1) and Daniel Bryan (1)
- NXT Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Luke Harper
- Slammy Award (2 times)
  - Match of the Year (2014) – Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series
  - WTF Moment of the Year (2025) – Wyatt Sicks debut on RAW with Bo Dallas, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Nikki Cross
Other titles
Doublewide Bar Championship (1 time)