Former WWE Superstar Cancels Independent Bookings Due to "Contractual Obligations"

In recent weeks, WWE has begun teasing the return of Uncle Howdy to its programming. It started when the Bray Wyatt documentary was released on Peacock. Toward the end, a very short clip of him was shown leading fans to speculate that something big is coming. It then bled over to WWE's weekly programming as little clues have been littered throughout Raw and SmackDown.

The Wyatt Family was a staple faction for years, led by the incomparable late Bray Wyatt. There have been multiple attempts to rekindle the group over the years but Erick Rowan and Luke Harper/Brodie Lee were eventually released by WWE and Bray went on his own solo run, also teaming with Alexa Bliss at one point. Now that Bo Dallas seems to be carrying the torch of his brother in WWE as Uncle Howdy, a former member of the Wyatt Family very well could join the fray. 

Is Erick Rowan On His Way Back to WWE?

Over the weekend, East Coast Pro Wrestling alerted fans to a big change in the card. Former WWE Superstar Erick Rowan put in a notice that he wouldn't be able to fulfill his obligations with several independent promotions, including ECPW due to "new contractual obligations." Often times when wrestlers are signed to WWE, "contractual obligations" is a reason given without outright stating they signed a deal with WWE. Rowan has been a free agent since his release from WWE during the pandemic in 2020. He did make a one-off appearance following the tragic passing of Bray in 2023 on SmackDown, but he wasn't signed with WWE during that time. He has made various appearances in AEW.

Since WrestleMania 40 the Uncle Howdy teases have taken over WWE. What first began as a glitch that interrupted Bronson Reed's promo on WWE Raw then turned into the WWE X (formerly Twitter) account getting "hacked" with the word "Hello." The post was up just long enough for fans to grab a screenshot of it before it was taken down. On SmackDown this week, two more teases happened. For those in attendance, during commercial the screens started flickering to coincide with the eery music playing. Then during the women's tag team match, the corner of the screen revealed the words "you forgot about us."

Comicbook.com will continue to provide updates on Rowan as they are known.

Would you like to see Rowan back in WWE? Let us know in the comments!