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A lot of heads were turned when the War Raiders debuted on Monday Night RAW this week under the guise of "The Viking Experience" and yes, the name change has been met with much dismay from the WWE Universe.
I mean, War Raiders and War Machine do sound so much better, and we all know WWE loves their name changes - but one plausible reason for this one was apparently to eliminate the word 'War' from their vocabulary and make them more marketable to the PG audience.
Another logical reason would be that Rowe sounds similar to Rowan, but then changing his name to Erik may not make too much sense then. Ivar and Erik are some pretty cool names, though, maybe even better than Hanson and Rowe.
I think, however, there may be another reason for the team name. While War Raiders would also be a great name for a faction, The Viking Experience suggests that there may very well be more than two people in that Experience very soon.
So, whom could we expect to see join The Viking Experience and make Erik and Ivar an even more formidable force in WWE? Well, I have a few suggestions...
#3 Sarah Logan
After the Riott Squad were forced to disband due to Liv Morgan's move to SmackDown Live, I think Sarah Logan is the ideal candidate to join Erik and Ivar to establish the group as being unique - with not many factions boasting a female Superstar in their ranks.
Not only that, Logan definitely has the charisma to lead the faction and ensure creative doesn't forget about them, leading the NXT Champions to make sure they're not just another tag team with huge potential getting lost in the mid-card.
Now, the most interesting thing here is, Logan and Raymond Rowe, AKA Erik, are married in real life - and had a Viking-themed wedding, as you can see below.
Sarah Logan's Viking attire has become more prominent in recent weeks, and this would give her a platform and be able to progress her character and the "Viking" aspects of it more.
Not to mention the mini-push she's received recently, culminating in the star, formerly known as Crazy Mary Dobson, making a name for herself via an incredibly dominant showing in the Women's WrestleMania Battle Royal that had the WWE Universe believe she'd won - only for Carmella to snatch victory at the last minute.
Not only this, she even has previous experience with them inside WWE as one of the Vikings to appear during their entrance at NXT TakeOver back in January...
#2 Killian Dain
Now, if we're going to choose a Viking partner for Erik and Ivar, surely Killian Dain has to be in the running. The man just looks like a Viking!
With SAnitY's Eric Young being moved over to the red brand, Dain put out a statement saying goodbye to both Young and Alexander Wolfe, their fellow SAnitY member, who's rumored to either be leaving WWE or moving back to NXT.
Now, Dain has always been a spotlight star in WWE, having appeared at WrestleMania in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal not long after joining NXT - but it seems that his opportunities have been limited as part of SAnitY.
Now that he's by himself, Dain should either make a run at it as a dominant singles star - or unleash his inner Viking and join Ivar and Erik to establish The Viking Experience as one of WWE's most intimidating factions.
#1 Rowan
And who else could have possibly been at number one?! Rowan could rock up at any casting for a Viking re-enactment movie or show and most likely be handed the part on the spot.
Aside from the fact that Erick Rowan sounds very similar to both Erik and Rowe, he would fit in very well as part of Ivar and Erik's team, particularly now that he just goes under the guise of Rowan.
The early Wyatt Family run established Rowan as one of WWE's most underrated and under-utilized stars, something only emphasized when Rowan and Harper formed the Bludgeon Brothers.
While Rowan's now currently aligned with Daniel Bryan, we all know that could change in an instant - particularly now that Daniel Bryan is no longer WWE Champion.
Even more interestingly, Rowan has been wearing metal T-shirts on WWE television, one of which was Swedish Viking-themed metal band Amon Amarth...
A giant like Rowan would be a huge asset and would definitely help establish Erik and Ivar with the WWE Universe.
Whom would you like to see join the faction? Let us know in the comments.
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