Harper and Rowan, who comprise the WWE SmackDown tag team the Bludgeon Brothers, have reportedly been cleared to return to the ring after suffering multi-month injuries.
Last year, the Bludgeon Brothers emerged as one of the most fearsome tag teams in WWE, winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in a Triple Threat match that involved The New Day and The Usos. It was the culmination of a storyline that saw Harper and Rowan run rampant over the rest of the tag division, zeroing in on their opportunity to finally win the championships on a big stage. Many times tried, but it was the Bludgeon Brothers who ultimately ended the Usos’ amazing reign as tag champs.
Unfortunately, the Bludgeon Brothers haven’t wrestled together since August. Erick Rowan suffered a torn biceps, while Luke Harper has been out since November with a cast on his left arm. Because of Rowan’s injury, which occurred first, the Bludgeon Brothers were written off of television and dropped their titles to The New Day in a “No Disqualification” match on the Aug. 21 episode of SmackDown Live.
Thankfully, the former Wyatt Family members are on the mend now. PW Insider’s Mike Johnson reports that both Rowan and Harper have been cleared by WWE, and it appears they could make their return to the SmackDown Live tapings next week in Wichita, Kansas. While it’s unclear if this will happen or if they’ll even be on the show, the fact that they have been cleared is huge news.
Rowan’s biceps tear (he reportedly suffered it at SummerSlam) must have been an especially scary injury, and it’s incredible to think that he wrestled with it back in August in an excellent title match with The New Day. Hopefully he’s suffering no ill effects now and is ready to resume forming one of WWE’s scariest tag teams. Meanwhile, less was known about Harper’s injury, but he did make some exciting NXT appearances before missing a couple of months.
SmackDown Live’s tag division is beyond stacked, with The New Day, The Usos, and The Bar (the reigning champs) calling “The Blue Brand” their home. If Nikki Cross joins SmackDown, the tag division could be even more stacked due to the upgrade she’d give Sanity, and the newly-formed tag team of The Miz and Shane McMahon looks like a force to be reckoned with, given their upcoming tag title match against The Bar at the Royal Rumble.
The Bludgeon Brothers should settle back in nicely with the rest of the SmackDown roster, and it may only be a matter of time before they hold the SmackDown Tag Team Championships again.