It was reported earlier in the week that WWE decided to shorten Luke Harper & “Erick Rowan’s names to simply “Harper” & “Rowan” moving forward.

According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon decided on this change because he believes that by going with just their last names, the team as heels comes across as being more “dominant.”

Meltzer wrote, “Harper & Rowan (who have had their first names taken away, Vince believes that just the last name alone makes them come across as more “dominant,” as heels.”

The post Reason WWE Shortened Luke Harper & Erick Rowan’s Names appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

WWE aired a vignette on tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live that revealed that Erick Rowan and Luke Harper would be returning under the name “Bludgeon Brothers.”

The two last tagged together in early 2016 and have had several singles matches against each other since. As of this writing, there is no word on when the two will debut their new gimmicks but we will keep you updated.

The post Luke Harper & Erick Rowan Repackaged with New Looks appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

As previously reported, WWE confirmed that Jeff Hardy has suffered a torn rotator cuff and will undergo surgery next Tuesday to repair it.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the injury actually occurred back in July at the WWE Great Balls of Fire event and has been working hurt ever since. The belief is that Jeff Hardy may not wrestle again until after next year’s WrestleMania 34 event.

It’s also worth noting that Jeff is has an pre-existing knee injury as well. Both Erick Rowan and Shelton Benjamin both recently had surgery for a torn rotator cuff and were out of action for seven months. With Hardy undergoing surgery early October, that would put his return around May of 2018, which is after WrestleMania 34.

We should have a better timeline on his return date when he visits the doctors next Tuesday.

The post Jeff Hardy Possibly Missing WrestleMania Next Year appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

During the mailbag segment of today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was asked about the whereabouts of Maria and Mike Kanellis and if there was any resentment from peers because they skipped going to NXT when they arrived to the company.

Meltzer indicated that the company has given up on the couple but doesn’t know exactly why. When Bryan Alvarez asked, “Where is the guy?”,  Meltzer responded, “I don’t know…. I don’t know, it appears that they have gave up on them.”

Meltzer would then point out there are a lot of guys on the SmackDown roster that they have given up on. “Luke Harper, Erick Rowan;  hopefully they’ll do something with those guys,” said Meltzer.

The post WWE Has Reportedly Given Up on Maria & Mike Kanellis appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

These last few weeks on Smackdown, there’s been a noticeable lack of superstars on the show. I’m not even referring to American Alpha.

“We used to be your tag team champions!”

You’d think that with the Money in the Bank ladder match coming up, the blue brand would want to use that match to help build up some of their lower players. There’s no reason that Tye Dillinger, Luke Harper, or even Aiden English shouldn’t be in the match. Even if management didn’t want them there, at least have qualifying matches and have those guys lose. As much as I hate to say it, Smackdown’s been recycling matches ever since Backlash. Some variation of the 6 men in the ladder match will fight, they’ll tag against each other, etc. Quite a few people have been missing action, and it’s a shame, because the roster is so talented right now.

The United States Championship Is on Lock Right Now

Did you know that Luke Harper and Tye Dillinger won their matches at Backlash? Crazy, right? What are they up to now? Nothing, that’s what. They could have very easily been put into a program for the United States Championship. You know, the title that’s meant for the midcard guys? Instead, Kevin Owens is in the ladder match, and the title will not be defended at all this Sunday.

After Money in the Bank, I’m sure Shinsuke Nakamura will go on to take the title from Mr. Kevin Owens. I don’t mind that. I’m cool with that. However, it is highly unlikely that Nakamura will spend his time defending the title against Erick Rowan or Aiden English. It’s not happening.

They don’t have to win the title. I get that. Not everyone can be a champion. But give the guys some exposure. Rusev defended the title against Kalisto, Zack Ryder, and Titus O’Neil. John Cena fought the likes of Stardust and Neville for the US title. The point is, these guys who aren’t being used need a purpose.

Create Engaging Feuds For Them

Tye Dillinger had something interesting going on with Aiden English. Dillinger would beat him, and English would cry. English would also sing a lot and Dillinger would interrupt and kick him in the face. That was something.

Erick Rowan was angry at Luke Harper for leaving the family. He had a whole bunch of masks, and it was sort of cool. That was something.

After Backlash, what happened to Luke Harper and Erick Rowan? Absolutely nothing. What happened to Tye Dillinger and Aiden English? Absolutely nothing. Apparently they’re trying to start a program between Luke Harper and Aiden English. But how is someone supposed to know that if it isn’t even televised?

One of the best parts of Smackdown last year was the fact that almost everyone had something to do. Heath Slater got a job. The Usos became thugs. Kalisto wanted to fight Baron Corbin. When Raw was struggling to use more than 5 people per show, Smackdown had something for everyone. Sure, the roster was thinner, but even with the current roster  you should still be able to create engaging stories for everyone. Heck, that’s what Raw is doing right now. Who attacked Enzo? Who will join the Titus Brand? Even Goldust and R-Truth are battling each other via film quotes and vignettes.

Please, Smackdown. Make better use of your roster. It’s too talented to waste.

The post Someone Please Tell Me Where the Smackdown Midcard Is appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Block 1:

A listener calls into the show asking Taz how he’d get heat from fans if he was still wrestling as a heel today. Taz says that first and foremost, it all depends on the type of push he’s receiving. His approach as a heel all depends on whether he is getting pushed as as ‘killer’ heel, a ‘comedic’ heel or a ‘cowardly’ heel. Braun Strowman gets heat in a far different way than someone like The Miz.

The listener also asks Taz if he thinks it’s a good idea as a performer to get some intentional heat backstage, as a way to show your confidence and move up the roster’s depth chart. Taz says that you’ll never see a new talent come into the locker room like a hotshot because quite frankly that would be career suicide. Some veterans can give their opinions and that may result in some heat with another talent, but it’s never intentional.

Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English – Tye Dillinger
* Taz doesn’t see Dillinger losing this match. The NXT call-up is still getting established on the main roster, and Taz would be very shocked if English picked up the win here.

Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan – Erick Rowan
* Taz thinks WWE is going to get behind Rowan for a push. He points out that Harper was the recipient of a small push for a period of time, but that has apparently slowed down. Taz isn’t sure why WWE gave up on Harper, because he thinks with a few changes to Harper’s look, he could be a gamer.

The post The Taz Show Recap – Backlash Predictions, New Champion Will Be Crowned, How Would Taz Get Heat as A Heel Today? More! appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Erick Rowan posted a cryptic photo of a female wearing a trademark Wyatt Family mask. This has led to online speculation that that individual pictured could possibly be the long teased Sister Abigail character that Bray Wyatt is always talking about in his promos.

pic.twitter.com/yMPMKq4Dlp

— Erick Rowan (@ERICKROWAN) May 17, 2017

As of this writing, we haven’t heard of any plans for WWE to have a Sister Abigail character, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be plans in the future. We will keep you posted if we hear anything.

The post Speculation on Sister Abigail Coming to WWE appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.