Is Erick Rowan Still in WWE?, Age, Family, Wife, Net Worth, Career
Erick Rowan is not still in WWE. He was released from the company in April 2020, along with several other wrestlers and staff members, due to the budget cuts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He is now performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Erick Redbeard.
Erick Rowan Age
Erick Rowan was born on November 28, 1981, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His real name is Joseph Charles Ruud. He is 41 years old as of 2023.
Erick Rowan Family
Erick Rowan comes from a family of Norwegian descent. His ancestors emigrated to the U.S. from Nannestad. He grew up in Montrose, Minnesota, where he attended the University of Minnesota Morris and played football. He also has a brother named Jacob Ruud, who is a musician and producer.
Erick Rowan Wife
Erick Rowan is married to Leah Ruud, whom he wed in 2019. He was previously married to Jamie Ruud, with whom he has two children: a son named Brodie and a daughter named Ruby.
Erick Rowan Net Worth
According to various online sources, Erick Rowan’s net worth is estimated to be around $2 million as of 2023. He earned most of his income from his wrestling career in WWE and other promotions. He also appeared in some movies and TV shows, such as Leprechaun: Origins (2014), The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! (2017), and The Marine 6: Close Quarters (2018).
Erick Rowan Career
Erick Rowan started his wrestling career in 2003, after training with Eddie Sharkey. He competed for various promotions in the Midwest until 2007, when he was invited to Japan to train and wrestle for Pro Wrestling Noah. He returned to the U.S. in 2008 and joined the Minnesota-based F1rst Wrestling promotion.
In 2011, he signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he debuted as Erick Rowan. He then moved to NXT Wrestling in 2012, where he became a member of the Wyatt Family, led by Bray Wyatt and also consisting of Luke Harper. He won the NXT Tag Team Championship with Harper in May 2013.
Rowan made his main roster debut with the Wyatt Family in July 2013, where they feuded with various wrestlers and teams, such as Kane, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Shield, John Cena, The Usos, and The Brothers of Destruction. In September 2014, Wyatt set Rowan and Harper free from his control, ending the Wyatt Family for the first time.
Rowan then turned face and joined Team Cena at Survivor Series 2014, where they defeated Team Authority. He also briefly feuded with Big Show and Harper before suffering an injury that sidelined him for several months. He returned in June 2015 and reunited with Harper as a heel duo. They later rejoined Wyatt and formed the new Wyatt Family with Braun Strowman.
In July 2016, Rowan was drafted to SmackDown as part of the brand split, while Wyatt and Strowman went to Raw. He continued to team with Harper until they disbanded in November 2016, after Harper turned face and left Wyatt. Rowan then feuded with Harper and Randy Orton until he suffered another injury that kept him out of action for most of 2017.
Rowan returned in October 2017 as part of a new tag team with Harper called The Bludgeon Brothers. They debuted a new look and a more dominant style, crushing several teams on their way to winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 34 in April 2018. They lost the titles to The New Day in August 2018 after Rowan suffered a torn biceps that required surgery.
Rowan made another comeback in January 2019 as a surprise ally of Daniel Bryan, who was then the WWE Champion. He helped Bryan retain his title against AJ Styles at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. He also formed a tag team with Bryan and won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship for the second time at Extreme Rules in July 2019. They lost the titles to The New Day in October 2019.
In August 2019, Rowan was revealed as the mastermind behind the mysterious attacks on Roman Reigns. He turned on Bryan and aligned himself with Luke Harper, who returned to help him against Reigns. Rowan defeated Reigns at Clash of Champions in a no disqualification match, thanks to Harper’s interference. However, he and Harper lost to Reigns and Bryan in a tornado tag team match at Hell in a Cell in October 2019.
Rowan was drafted to Raw in October 2019, where he started a new gimmick of carrying a cage covered by a cloth. He would often talk to the cage and attack anyone who tried to look inside. He also went on a winning streak against various enhancement talents and lower-card wrestlers. He eventually revealed the contents of the cage to be a large spider, which was later destroyed by Drew McIntyre in March 2020.
On April 15, 2020, Rowan was released from WWE along with several other wrestlers and staff members due to the budget cuts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He made his first post-WWE appearance on the December 30, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite, where he paid tribute to his former tag team partner Brodie Lee (formerly Luke Harper), who had passed away four days earlier. He is now performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Erick Redbeard.
