Earlier today, I praised a WWE name change. They have spent any goodwill they earned from turning Punishment Martinez into Damien Priest by making NXT Tag Team champions War Raiders into THE VIKING EXPERIENCE!
Okay, if you’ve stopped laughing, get this... Hanson and Rowe’s individual names are now IVAR and ERIK!
IVAR. ERIK. The reigning @WWENXT #TagTeamChampions THE VIKING EXPERIENCE is here on #RAW! #SuperstarShakeUp pic.twitter.com/IDiiKhRKgB
— WWE (@WWE) April 16, 2019
Oh, y’all. I just can’t with this one.
Hanson & Rowe Ivar & Erik (which, really, if you’re gonna go with Nordic sounding berserker names, those are pretty good) did not have their NXT Tag titles with them, but Michael Cole did say they were the current black-and-gold brand champs. So we’re assuming the name change covers all the shows they’ll be appearing on until they drop those straps.
By the way, they’re teaming with The Revival in eight-man action against Raw Tag champs Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder and the men they just beat at TakeOver: New York, Aleister Black & Ricochet, so they may be heels on the main roster.
We can take our time figuring those details out. First, we have to learn why their team name makes it sound like they’re a Norwegian boy band.
Follow all the action from Raw, and night one of the Superstar Shake-up in Montreal here.