So when and where do Luke Harper and Erick Rowan come into the picture?
I would say that Bray met Harper and Rowan at a young age. They all seem to be like brothers, and Bray has even stated that he thinks of them as being his "brothers" and not his "followers". Perhaps they were all under the guidance of this Sister Abigail. Just judging by their behavior, I would say that Harper seems to be more methodical, and maybe just downright more intelligent, than Rowan. This could all go back to their childhood. I can't begin to speculate what their lives were like in their earliest years, but I would imagine that they were both abandoned by their parents at a young age and went to live with Sister Abigail. This was where they met young Bray Wyatt.
Bray Wyatt was clearly the proverbial chosen one as far as Sister Abigail was concerned, but what about Harper and Rowan? I would say that Harper could be considered Bray's first disciple, the General of Bray's army. As I said earlier, Harper seems to be fairly intelligent and has proven himself to be a very proficient in-ring performer. Although Harper's body language and facial expressions are downright bizarre and unsettling, there definitely seems to be a method to his madness.
Erick Rowan seems to be the more... wild of the three. Rowan often has to be restrained by either Harper or Bray himself. Rowan seems to be the one who needs the guidance, and at times, the discipline. It could be that Erick Rowan was always like this, going back to his childhood. And perhaps this could explain the meaning behind his mysterious sheep mask. What if Rowan as a child was something of a "wolf in sheep's clothing"? Maybe he had a rather innocent appearance as a child but a terribly disturbed mind. Whatever his issues are, he is clearly loyal to the cause and to Bray and Harper.
Bray Wyatt revealed that Sister Abigail is deceased. I'm thinking that she may have passed away, whether by natural causes or whatever other means, while Bray, Harper and Rowan were teenagers and were starting to mature. Bray Wyatt, being her chosen one, continued to act as a brother and somewhat of a father figure to Luke Harper and Erick Rowan and constantly reminded them of the lessons that Sister Abigail taught them.
I don't imagine that Sister Abigail chose the professional wrestling business for her boys to spread their message to the world. That was probably Bray Wyatt's decision for his family. Professional wrestling, especially WWE, gives you worldwide exposure. It also gives them the opportunity to inflict pain on innocent, unsuspecting humans who don't know where The Wyatt Family came from. The wrestling business gives The Wyatt Family a platform, perhaps even a battlefield, to rise up and act as the holy warriors for Sister Abigail.
I would imagine that they all knew how to fight before even stepping foot in a wrestling ring. However, if they truly wanted to succeed and to perfect their craft, they knew that they had to do some basic professional wrestling training. There are pro wrestling academies all over the country. It's not a stretch of the imagination to say that they found one somewhere in Louisiana, and they probably intimidated whoever was running the school into giving them free lessons until they learned what they needed to learn.
Enter WWE developmental.
Before NXT was WWE's developmental territory, there was FCW: Florida Championship Wrestling. This was where Bray Wyatt initially made his WWE debut. However, Harper and Rowan weren't there with him in the beginning. It could be that Bray simply developed quickly in his pro wrestling training, while Harper and Rowan still needed work.
The Wyatt Family would enjoy success in WWE's NXT developmental territory, even capturing the NXT Tag Team Titles. However, they weren't destined to stay in NXT for too long. It was their destiny to debut on WWE's main roster sooner or later.
On Monday, May 27th, 2013, WWE aired a debut vignette for The Wyatt Family on Monday Night Raw. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I would say that Bray met Harper and Rowan at a young age. They all seem to be like brothers, and Bray has even stated that he thinks of them as being his "brothers" and not his "followers". Perhaps they were all under the guidance of this Sister Abigail. Just judging by their behavior, I would say that Harper seems to be more methodical, and maybe just downright more intelligent, than Rowan. This could all go back to their childhood. I can't begin to speculate what their lives were like in their earliest years, but I would imagine that they were both abandoned by their parents at a young age and went to live with Sister Abigail. This was where they met young Bray Wyatt.
Bray Wyatt was clearly the proverbial chosen one as far as Sister Abigail was concerned, but what about Harper and Rowan? I would say that Harper could be considered Bray's first disciple, the General of Bray's army. As I said earlier, Harper seems to be fairly intelligent and has proven himself to be a very proficient in-ring performer. Although Harper's body language and facial expressions are downright bizarre and unsettling, there definitely seems to be a method to his madness.
Erick Rowan seems to be the more... wild of the three. Rowan often has to be restrained by either Harper or Bray himself. Rowan seems to be the one who needs the guidance, and at times, the discipline. It could be that Erick Rowan was always like this, going back to his childhood. And perhaps this could explain the meaning behind his mysterious sheep mask. What if Rowan as a child was something of a "wolf in sheep's clothing"? Maybe he had a rather innocent appearance as a child but a terribly disturbed mind. Whatever his issues are, he is clearly loyal to the cause and to Bray and Harper.
Bray Wyatt revealed that Sister Abigail is deceased. I'm thinking that she may have passed away, whether by natural causes or whatever other means, while Bray, Harper and Rowan were teenagers and were starting to mature. Bray Wyatt, being her chosen one, continued to act as a brother and somewhat of a father figure to Luke Harper and Erick Rowan and constantly reminded them of the lessons that Sister Abigail taught them.
I don't imagine that Sister Abigail chose the professional wrestling business for her boys to spread their message to the world. That was probably Bray Wyatt's decision for his family. Professional wrestling, especially WWE, gives you worldwide exposure. It also gives them the opportunity to inflict pain on innocent, unsuspecting humans who don't know where The Wyatt Family came from. The wrestling business gives The Wyatt Family a platform, perhaps even a battlefield, to rise up and act as the holy warriors for Sister Abigail.
I would imagine that they all knew how to fight before even stepping foot in a wrestling ring. However, if they truly wanted to succeed and to perfect their craft, they knew that they had to do some basic professional wrestling training. There are pro wrestling academies all over the country. It's not a stretch of the imagination to say that they found one somewhere in Louisiana, and they probably intimidated whoever was running the school into giving them free lessons until they learned what they needed to learn.
Enter WWE developmental.
Before NXT was WWE's developmental territory, there was FCW: Florida Championship Wrestling. This was where Bray Wyatt initially made his WWE debut. However, Harper and Rowan weren't there with him in the beginning. It could be that Bray simply developed quickly in his pro wrestling training, while Harper and Rowan still needed work.
The Wyatt Family would enjoy success in WWE's NXT developmental territory, even capturing the NXT Tag Team Titles. However, they weren't destined to stay in NXT for too long. It was their destiny to debut on WWE's main roster sooner or later.
On Monday, May 27th, 2013, WWE aired a debut vignette for The Wyatt Family on Monday Night Raw. And the rest, as they say, is history.
