Erick Rowan

2.2.1. Developmental Territory (FCW/NXT)

In February 2011, Joseph Ruud signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He adopted the ring name Erick Rowan. His FCW TV debut occurred in August 2011, where he defeated Kenneth Cameron while being accompanied by Byron Saxton and James Bronson. He later teamed with Bronson, losing to Titus O'Neil and Leakee in a tag team match as part of a feud involving Saxton and O'Neil. Although Rowan continued to compete in both singles and tag team matches, he did not challenge for any titles during his time on FCW TV. In 2012, FCW was rebranded as NXT Wrestling.

2.2.2. The Wyatt Family

Erick Rowan made his debut on the December 12, 2012, episode of NXT as a follower of Bray Wyatt, who introduced Rowan as his "second son." As a member of The Wyatt Family, Rowan formed a tag team with Wyatt's "first son," Luke Harper. They quickly established dominance, defeating teams like Percy Watson and Yoshi Tatsu on the January 9, 2013, episode of NXT. They advanced to the finals of the inaugural NXT Tag Team Championship tournament by defeating Bo Dallas and Michael McGillicutty in the semi-finals, aided by Wyatt's interference. However, they were defeated in the finals by Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey.

The Wyatt Family continued their pursuit of the NXT Tag Team Championship. On the May 2 episode of NXT, Harper and Rowan won a triple threat elimination tag team match by last pinning Adrian Neville. On the May 8 episode of NXT (taped on May 2), Harper and Rowan defeated Adrian Neville and Bo Dallas (who was filling in for the injured Oliver Grey) to win the NXT Tag Team Championship, marking Rowan's first professional wrestling championship. They successfully retained their championship against Corey Graves and Kassius Ohno on the June 5 episode of NXT, and on June 19, The Wyatt Family defeated the team of Neville, Graves, and Ohno. On the July 17 episode of NXT (taped on June 20), Harper and Rowan lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Neville and Graves.

From May 27, WWE began airing vignettes promoting The Wyatt Family's upcoming main roster debut. These vignettes showcased their backwoods origins and featured Rowan wearing a distinctive sheep mask. On the July 8 episode of Raw, The Wyatt Family made their impactful debut by assaulting Kane. Rowan made his WWE in-ring debut on the July 26 episode of SmackDown, where he teamed with Harper to defeat Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai). Over the next few months, Rowan and Harper went on a winning streak as a tag team, until Cody Rhodes and Goldust handed them their first loss on the October 11 episode of SmackDown.

In early 2014, Rowan was involved in The Wyatt Family's prominent feud with The Shield, and also supported Bray Wyatt in his rivalry against John Cena. As Cena and Wyatt's feud continued, Rowan and Harper also began a feud with The Usos, unsuccessfully challenging for the Tag Team Championship at Money in the Bank and Battleground.

2.2.3. Singles Competition and Feuds

Beginning on September 29, 2014, vignettes aired showing Rowan and Harper being "set free" by Wyatt, signifying the dissolution of The Wyatt Family and their transition into singles competition. On the November 17 episode of Raw, Rowan briefly feuded with The Authority by joining Team Cena for Survivor Series, turning face in the process. He targeted his former Wyatt Family partner, Luke Harper, who had joined Team Authority. At Survivor Series, Rowan was eliminated by Harper (with assistance from Seth Rollins), but Team Cena ultimately won the match. Afterwards, Rowan began a feud with Big Show, who had betrayed Team Cena at the event. At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Rowan was defeated by Big Show in a stairs match.

On the January 5, 2015, episode of Raw, Rowan, along with Dolph Ziggler and Ryback, were (in kayfabe) fired by The Authority for their involvement with Team Cena. However, on the January 19 episode of Raw, they were rehired after Cena won a 3-on-1 handicap match against Seth Rollins, Big Show, and Kane, with assistance from Sting. On the January 22 episode of SmackDown, Rowan lost a qualifying match for the 2015 Royal Rumble to Luke Harper. Despite this, Rowan appeared during the Royal Rumble match and attacked number 6 entrant Curtis Axel before he could make his entrance, sparking a brief Wyatt Family reunion with Harper and Wyatt, which quickly devolved into a brawl. At Fastlane, Rowan teamed with Ziggler and Ryback in a six-man tag team match against Seth Rollins, Big Show, and Kane, which they lost. Rowan participated in the second annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31, but was eliminated by Big Show.

In May 2015, Rowan reunited with Luke Harper after attacking Harper's opponent, Fandango, turning heel once again. In late June, Rowan suffered a torn bicep, sidelining him from action. He returned on the October 19 episode of Raw as a member of The Wyatt Family once more, in a match against Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, which his team won by disqualification after Ambrose attacked new Wyatt Family member Braun Strowman with a kendo stick. Rowan participated in The Wyatt Family's feud with The Brothers of Destruction, after they kidnapped The Undertaker at Hell in a Cell and Kane on the October 26 episode of Raw. At TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, The Wyatt Family defeated ECW Originals in an eight-man tag team elimination tables match, though Rowan was the only Wyatt Family member eliminated. On January 24, 2016, Rowan competed in the Royal Rumble match with fellow Wyatt Family members and was eliminated by Brock Lesnar, but he later returned to the ring with other members to eliminate Lesnar.

On April 3, Rowan competed in his first ever WrestleMania singles match at WrestleMania 32 against The Rock, after the latter confronted The Wyatt Family. Rowan was defeated by The Rock in six seconds, setting a record for the quickest WrestleMania match of all time. After the match, when The Wyatt Family attempted to attack The Rock, a returning John Cena came to his aid. The next night on Raw, The Wyatt Family attacked The League of Nations, initiating a feud between the heel factions. Rowan and Strowman were scheduled to compete at Payback, but injuries to Wyatt (calf) and Harper (dislocated patella and torn medial patellofemoral ligament) in March resulted in the suspension of the feud. The Wyatt Family (minus Harper) returned on the June 20 episode of Raw, starting a feud with The New Day after they interrupted Wyatt. The feud culminated at Battleground, where The Wyatt Family defeated The New Day.

On July 19, as part of the 2016 draft, Rowan was drafted to the SmackDown brand along with Bray Wyatt, while Braun Strowman was drafted to Raw. While Rowan continued to wrestle with Wyatt, in October, Rowan underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, sidelining him for eight months. He made his return on the April 4, 2017, episode of SmackDown Live. On April 10, The Wyatt Family disbanded again when Wyatt was moved to the Raw brand as part of the Superstar Shake-up. The short rivalry between Rowan and Luke Harper concluded at Backlash on May 21, where Harper defeated Rowan.

2.2.4. The Bludgeon Brothers

On the October 10, 2017, episode of SmackDown Live, Rowan returned to television in a vignette, once again aligned with Luke Harper. The duo was rebranded as The Bludgeon Brothers, and Rowan's ring name was shortened to "Rowan." They wrestled their return match on the November 21 episode of SmackDown Live, defeating The Hype Bros (Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley). At the Clash of Champions pay-per-view event, The Bludgeon Brothers defeated Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze) in a squash match.

On March 11, 2018, The Bludgeon Brothers made an appearance at Fastlane, interfering during the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match between The Usos and The New Day. The team went on to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 34 from The Usos, in a match that also involved The New Day. This marked Rowan's first main roster championship win. They successfully defended the titles against The Usos at the Greatest Royal Rumble event, against Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson at Money in the Bank, and against Team Hell No at Extreme Rules.

The Bludgeon Brothers lost by disqualification in a championship defense against The New Day at SummerSlam, which resulted in them retaining the titles. Two nights later, on the August 21 episode of SmackDown Live, The New Day defeated The Bludgeon Brothers in a no disqualification match to win the championships, ending their reign at 135 days. The following day, it was announced that Rowan had suffered a torn right bicep and would undergo surgery later that week.

2.2.5. Storyline with Daniel Bryan

Rowan returned from injury at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 27, 2019, interfering on behalf of Daniel Bryan to help him retain the WWE Championship against AJ Styles, thus forming an alliance with Bryan. On the February 26 episode of SmackDown Live, Rowan competed in his first match since August 2018, teaming with Bryan in a losing effort against Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens. On the May 7 episode of SmackDown Live, Rowan and Bryan defeated The Usos for the vacant SmackDown Tag Team Championship, beginning their first reign as a team and Rowan's second individual reign. At Money in the Bank, Rowan and Bryan were defeated by The Usos in a non-title match. The following month at the Super ShowDown event, Rowan competed in the 51-man battle royal, but failed to win. At Stomping Grounds, Rowan and Bryan retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Heavy Machinery (Otis and Tucker). At Extreme Rules, Rowan and Bryan lost the championship to The New Day in a triple threat match also involving Heavy Machinery, ending their reign at 68 days.

In August 2019, Rowan and Bryan became involved in a storyline with Roman Reigns, who was being targeted by a mystery conspirator. Reigns suspected Rowan due to testimony from Buddy Murphy and seemingly incriminating video footage. Bryan initially revealed that the attacker was merely a man who resembled Rowan. However, Rowan later turned on Bryan and revealed that he was the attacker the entire time, ending their alliance. During this period, his ring name was reverted to Erick Rowan. Rowan then faced Reigns in a no disqualification match at Clash of Champions, which he won after interference from a returning Luke Harper. The feud concluded at Hell in a Cell, where Reigns and Bryan defeated Rowan and Harper in a tornado tag team match.

As part of the 2019 draft, Rowan was drafted to Raw, disbanding his team with Luke Harper, who remained on SmackDown. Starting in November, he reverted to his previous ring name, Erick Rowan, and began coming to the ring carrying a cage with a hidden cloth over it. He would squash various local competitors, and Rowan was shown to be very protective and affectionate of the creature in the cage, destroying anyone who tried to look inside. Despite this, the creature would bite Rowan on multiple occasions, forcing him to take out his pain on his opponents. At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 26, 2020, Rowan entered the Royal Rumble match at number 3 and was quickly eliminated by Brock Lesnar. On the March 2 episode of Raw, in a backstage segment with No Way Jose, Rowan finally revealed the mystery creature inside the cage to be a large spider. The next week on Raw, Rowan competed in his final match against Drew McIntyre, where mid-way through the bout, McIntyre crushed the cage with steel steps. On April 15, 2020, Rowan was released from his WWE contract along with several other superstars as a result of budget cuts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending his nine-year tenure with the company.

2.3.1. Independent Circuit and AEW

After his release from WWE, Ruud began taking bookings under the ring name Erick Redbeard. On October 21, 2020, it was announced that he would be competing in the United Wrestling Network World Title tournament. He made his debut in the tournament on October 31, losing to Fred Rosser in the first round by disqualification.

Following the death of his former WWE tag team partner Jon Huber (who performed as Luke Harper in WWE and Mr. Brodie Lee in All Elite Wrestling) on December 26, 2020, Ruud, as Erick Redbeard, appeared on the memorial AEW Dynamite episode "Brodie Lee Celebration of Life" on December 30. During a six-man tag team match, he protected Dark Order members from being attacked by Wardlow. After the match, he embraced the Dark Order, visibly emotional, and held up a sign that read: "Goodbye for now, my brother. See you down the road." Redbeard returned to AEW on the March 4, 2022, episode of AEW Rampage and aligned himself with Death Triangle (Pac and Penta Oscuro). The trio teamed against House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) at Revolution's "Buy-In" pre-show event, where Redbeard was pinned by Black.

2.3.2. Return to WWE (2024-Present)

On August 25, 2023, Ruud, reprising his Erick Rowan character, made a brief return to SmackDown for a segment dedicated to his late friend Bray Wyatt, who had passed away the day before due to a heart attack. In May 2024, it was reported that he had re-signed a contract with WWE and would be returning to the company.

On the June 17 episode of Raw, Ruud made his full return, once again as Erick Rowan, as a part of a new stable under the leadership of Uncle Howdy (portrayed by Wyatt's real-life brother Taylor) called The Wyatt Sicks. In this new iteration, he sports a rabbit mask, resembling the character Ramblin' Rabbit from Bray Wyatt's "Firefly Funhouse". On the July 15th edition of Raw, Rowan was seen unmasked in a vignette, where he was interviewed by Howdy, mourning the losses of his original Wyatt Family teammates, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. On August 5th, Rowan made his in-ring return alongside fellow Wyatt Sicks stablemates Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy to face American Made (Chad Gable and the Creed Brothers) in a winning effort.

4.1.1. Film

4.1.2. Television Appearances

4.1.3. Video Game Appearances