Erick Rowan Pulled From Independent Event For 'New Contractual Commitments'

Erick Redbeard, formerly known in WWE as Erick Rowan, was recently announced to have withdrawn from an upcoming East Coast Professional Wrestling (ECPW) show.

ECPW posted the following message on their Facebook page:

“We have just received word this evening from Erick Rowan that unfortunately he will not be able to make his scheduled appearance next week at Coal Town Carnage.

Erick stated that new contractual obligations are preventing him from making several dates including ours.

This is the first time in ECPW history that one of our scheduled stars cancelled and it is out of our control.”

Erick Rowan is best known for being an original member of WWE’s Wyatt Family stable where he partnered with the likes of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper/Brodie Lee, and Braun Strowman. Rowan is a multi-time Tag-Team Champion in WWE, but was released on April 15, 2020 during the initial wave of talent budget cuts in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

He wrestled briefly in AEW, including an appearance on the “Brodie Lee Celebration of Life” episode of AEW Dynamite on December 30, 2020. Rowan returned to WWE for one night on the August 25, 2023 episode of WWE SmackDown in a segment dedicated to the memory of Bray Wyatt.

With recent teases on WWE television that seemingly indicate the return of the Uncle Howdy character, alongside other ideas and creations of Bray Wyatt, many wrestling fans on social media are conjecturing that Erick Rowan’s “contractual commitments” are indicative of a potential return to WWE.