Tag: War Raiders

Former WWE Tag Champs The War Raiders Set For Bloodsport XIV, Natalya vs. TNA’s Masha Slamovich, Plus a Few Other WWE Stars

While WWE gears up for its two-night SummerSlam extravaganza at MetLife Stadium this weekend, the underground fight scene in pro wrestling is heating up just a short drive away. Game Changer Wrestling’s Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIV is set to kick off Saturday afternoon in New Jersey, and a pair of former WWE World Tag Team Champions are officially stepping into the no-ropes ring for the very first time.

Josh Barnett took to social media to break the news himself, declaring: “WAR is coming to Bloodsport.” That’s right—Erik and Ivar, collectively known as The War Raiders, are making their long-awaited debut at the gritty hybrid shoot-style event.

Last seen on the July 10 episode of WWE Main Event, where they steamrolled LWO’s Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro, Erik and Ivar will now test their mettle in one of wrestling’s most unforgiving formats. True to Bloodsport tradition, their match will be contested in a ring stripped of ropes and turnbuckles, with a hard-hitting MMA-meets-pro-wrestling ruleset. Their opponents for the event have yet to be revealed.

They won’t be the only WWE talents on the card, either. Raw veteran Natalya is set to face off against TNA Wrestling’s dangerous and unpredictable Masha Slamovich, while SmackDown‘s Pete Dunne brings his brutal British strong style to a clash with Jonathan Gresham. Also announced: NXT’s Charlie Dempsey returns to Bloodsport following his loss to Tavion Heights earlier this month. His opponent remains under wraps for now.

WWE’s growing crossover with Bloodsport isn’t exactly new. Last year’s Bloodsport X featured Shayna Baszler and Charlie Dempsey, both of whom picked up big wins—Baszler over Slamovich (with Zoey Stark in her corner) and Dempsey over Matt Makowski. The appearances signaled a surprising but intriguing collaboration between WWE and GCW, one that seems to be gaining more momentum with each event.

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIV kicks off Saturday at 1 PM ET, offering a violent, visceral counterpoint to the polished spectacle of SummerSlam. Whether it’s WWE talent, indie legends, or international heavy-hitters, expect no frills—just fights.

Erik & Ivar Return To WWE Raw As The War Raiders

The War Raiders’ Erik and Ivar made their triumphant return from injuries on “WWE Raw” on Monday, defeating Alpha Academy’s Otis and Akira Tozawa to advance in the recently-announced tournament for the World Tag Team Championships. “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce had just announced the tournament to champions JD McDonagh and Finn Balor earlier in the night, and the returning War Raiders (previously known as the Viking Raiders) won the first match of the tournament, their first win together since September 2023. Their return had been alluded to in video teasers featuring the runic alphabet in weeks prior.

Otis and Ivar started off the match before Tozawa was tagged in. Erik slammed Ivar on top of Tozawa and the returning team took control of the match. Erik and Ivar took turns sending the smaller man into one another’s knees. Otis attempted to turn the match back around, but Ivar interrupted his caterpillar attempt. Tozawa tried to hit a missile drop kick, but was caught by Ivar. The War Raiders hit their new finishing move on Tozawa, with Erik throwing his opponent into the line of fire of Ivar’s splash from the top rope, for the victory. The bracket for the tag team tournament had not yet been revealed as of this writing, but the War Raiders are moving on for a shot at the World Tag Team Championships.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Another Name Change For WWE Tag Team

When the War Raiders (Hanson and Rowe) was called up from NXT to RAW last week during the WWE Superstar Shake-Up, they were renamed The Viking Experience (Ivar and Erik). Now after a lot of backlash on social media, they have been renamed yet again as The Viking Raiders.

Tonight on RAW they defeated The Lucha House Party.

 

Backstage News On Changing War Raiders’ Names

The decision to change the name of the WWE NXT Tag Team Champions from The War Raiders to The Viking Experience was a Vince McMahon call, according to Meltzer on Observer Radio. Now that they have joined the RAW roster in the Superstar Shakeup, Hanson is known as Erik while Rowe is now known as Ivar.

There was speculation on the “War” being dropped from the name due to obvious reasons, but Meltzer said that was not the case. It came down to Vince just not liking the name and him calling for a new name before the debut on RAW. As noted, one point the team was scheduled to be called The Berzerkers, but the name was changed to The Viking Experience as they got closer to the debut.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

War Raiders Debut On WWE RAW As “The Viking Experience”

NXT Tag Team Champions Hanson and Rowe, better known as War Raiders, were shock call-ups on last night’s Superstar Shake-Up edition of RAW, joining forces with The Revival to face off against Ricochet, Aleister Black, Zack Ryder, and Curt Hawkins in an eight-man tag.

They weren’t introduced under their NXT monickers: instead, Hanson and Rowe have been rebranded Erik and Ivar, The Viking Experience.

RAW’s commentators then tried to put the act over as “not a gimmick,” claiming that Ivar and Erik are literal vikings, thus cementing the move’s utter ridiculousness.

Is this the dumbest name change in WWE history?

Ditching “War Raiders” essentially means that the hugely over “war” chants are probably going away as well.

Regardless, The Viking Experience should be strong enough to survive the silliness. They’re a great tag team, having proved it again at TakeOver: New York.

Here’s hoping they compensate by ruling the RAW tag division.

Sarah Logan Was One Of The Vikings In War Raiders Entrance At NXT TakeOver: Phoenix

sarah logan war raiders entrance takeover video behind the scenes

WWE shared a video on Wednesday confirming what many had already suspected — Sarah Logan was one of the Vikings in War Raiders’ entrance at TakeOver.

“I’m gonna be a Viking for my husband’s first-ever TakeOver title match,” an excited Logan says at the top of the Performance Center video.

Rowe later revealed in the video that the crew also included his brother and sister.

After their big title win at the event, the tag team were interviewed with Logan by their side. “They always say aim for the stars and you’re gonna be ok,” her husband Rowe explained in the video. “This was the stars. This was the impossible dream.”

Watch the full behind the scenes video below.

War Raiders Debut On WWE NXT TV (Video)

Image result for The War Raiders Debut On WWE NXT TV

“War Raiders” Hanson and Rowe debuted on WWE NXT TV during last night’s main event with Heavy Machinery vs. Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli. You can see video from the debut below. While they are no longer using the War Machine name, they are still using Hanson and Rowe.