WWE Officially Sign War Machine
Watch out, Bludgeon Brothers.
WWE has announced the double signing of tag team duo Todd "Hanson" Smith and Raymond Rowe, better known as War Machine.
The pair have been persistently linked with a move into the American mainstream after performing independently over recent years for Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. They made their farewell NJPW appearance less than two weeks ago at New Year Dash.
Despite only becoming a two-piece in 2014, War Machine have quickly acquired a reputation for being one of the industry's most fresh and exciting double acts. They've held tag team gold in each of the aforementioned promotions, as well as Defiant Wrestling in the United Kingdom.
Hanson and Rowe both head to WWE at the age of 33, each of them having amassed more than a decade of experience in the ring. The former has also appeared for the company once before, featuring on an episode of the discontinued SmackDown forerunner Velocity in 2005.
The announcement of War Machine's signing comes hot on the heels of that of Ricochet, who began work at NXT's Orlando Performance Centre this morning. Together, the highly-rated trio represent a significant coup for Vince McMahon and co as they look to bolster their development arm.