Why The Viking Experience Shows Vince McMahon Has FINALLY Lost It

Eric Young
WWE.com

Back to the imagined creative meeting.

Rowe…sounds too much like Rowan. Let’s call him Erik! Nobody remembers that Rowan used to be called Erick f*cking Rowan, and it doesn’t matter that there are now two bearded men on the roster named Eric, because Eric Young doesn’t count. Maybe WWE will notice this overlap, and the 39 year-old performer will become simply ‘Young’. Or maybe they won’t give a sh*t.

There is something so careless about the individual name changes, even without considering the optics of the existing roster. Erik is the mundane forename of a Scandinavian footballer. Ivar is the name of a child-friendly guide to elementary viking history. Vince essentially just tagged the former War Raiders with two of the most clichéd nordic names imaginable.

The thing is is that the War Raiders were already a very precarious act. The whole aesthetic felt antiquated. Very 1990s. That classic New York opener added much-needed gravitas to the act, and now it’s gone full Bludgeon Brothers in its goofy parody.

The War Raiders were never literally vikings; they invoked the aesthetic to channel a certain warrior spirit. That's generous, honestly. It always felt a bit cosplay, and this very literal interpretation now formally designates Erik and Ivar as sub-New Generation goofs.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!