The in-ring return of Erick Rowan has been confirmed. Now going by Erick Redbeard, the former WWE superstar will face Watts in his first match in over 6 months.
The former Wyatt Family member has been revealed as a competitor in the United Wrestling World Championship tournament. Also taking part in the tournament is Mike Bennett, another former WWE superstar who was unfortunately released during the April 15th wave of releases. The tournament will also feature stars from AEW (Peter Avalon), MLW (Davey Boy Smith Jr) and NJPW (Karl Fredericks). Should Rowan capture the title, it will mark only his second ever singles championship.
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These are the eight men who will compete in the upcoming open-weight, multi-week tournament for the #UnitedWrestling World Championship!#PrimeTimeLivepic.twitter.com/AulYoknLDs
— United Wrestling Network (@unitedwrestling) October 21, 2020
Rowan was last seen wrestling on WWE television in March against current WWE champion Drew McIntyre. However, it seems that fans could have witnessed his return to wrestling much sooner. During an Instagram Live Q&A with Sportskeeda Rowan revealed that he was contacted by WWE regarding a return for the Swamp Fight between Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt.
“There may have been a chance I was given a call and there may have been a chance I was busy filming. There is a high probability that I wasn’t able to fulfil their request.”
Now that the in-ring return of Erick Rowan has been confirmed, fans can likely look forward to more appearances. During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rowan candidly revealed that “I just want to wrestle and have fun doing it and be creative”. When asked about a potential reunion with former tag team partner Brodie Lee, Rowan expressed some reluctance. Seemingly seeking a new creative direction, he said “for right now, let him do his own thing. Let me do my own thing.”