Erick Rowan is in the uncomfortable position of being the Wyatt Family's leftovers. You could argue that this is because he had the least to offer. In Bray Wyatt, you have a hard hitting intensity, raw animal power, a unique offence and one of the best talkers and gimmicks in WWE today. Former stablemate Luke Harper has similar in-ring abilities, honed by years in promotions such as Chikara and Ring Of Honour, as well as a thousand-yard stare to rival Charles Manson's. What did Rowan have to offer us? A creepy sheep mask. Now the Wyatt Family is disbanded, and we have a giant walking around in a sheep mask for no reason. Since the split, both Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt have made advancements in their character, with Wyatt taking on a more sinister tone and Harper aligning himself to The Authority, which suits him, as he can remain a heel. With Rowan, however, things are different. He's had quite a prominent role lately as part of the Authority storyline, which paints him as a sympathetic babyface. But it just doesn't gel. When he was "fired" as part of the storyline, could you picture this boiler suit wearing freak sitting on his couch at home? No you could not. Before that, WWE just didn't seem to know what to do with him. He stalked Renee Young for a bit, he was a comedic man-child, a misunderstood genius who could solve Rubik's cubes and play the guitar... In fact, his face turn only became apparent in the lead-in to Survivor Series when he joined Team Cena out of nowhere. Literally, out of nowhere, his motivations were never explained. This is not good character writing from the Creative department. Rowan is not a bad wrestler by any means, and he's been shown to be competent on the microphone. But if he stays in a boiler suit with a sheep mask on, he will be gone by the end of the year. He needs to take some time off Raw and Smackdown, and come back with a completely new gimmick. What that could be is anyone's guess. He's of Nordic descent, so maybe a Viking-themed character of some sort? It'd be new, at least.
Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
