Erick Rowan Reflects On WWE Pairing With Bryan Danielson

Former WWE star Erick Rowan, now known as Erick Redbeard, had several memorable runs during his tenure at the company. Along with his time in the Wyatt Family, Rowan had a fan-favorite run as the muscle for Daniel Bryan. During much of this period, Bryan served as the WWE Champion, with an environmentally-friendly heel gimmick, even switching the title itself to something a little more eco-friendly.

In an interview with Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston, Rowan looked back on his time working with Bryan, and how things could have gone better in the aftermath of their partnership.

"The idea of us together was great. Getting broken apart was even better, because it allowed me a chance to start to tell my story, outside of being just 'sheep man,'" Rowan said. "I think after I switched brands, and the cage thing, they just didn't have any idea. After the original thing fell through, they just didn't know what to do with me."

Rowan went on to share his thoughts on the difficulties of booking a big man like himself. "It's what happens when you have a six-foot-eight, 300-plus pound man," he continued. "If you don't have a plan for him, you know, somebody's gotta eat pinfalls. Unfortunately, guys like me will lose a lot more credibility the more we lose [compared to] guys half our size. And that's just optics."

Rowan was released by the WWE back in April 2020, alongside other notable talents like Rusev and Kurt Angle. Since then, the towering wrestler has made several appearances in AEW, though he has yet to reunite with his former partner, now wrestling under his real name of Bryan Danielson.