Bryan joined the group in late 2013 and left in early 2014, after which Wyatt defeated him to end their feud. The original incarnation of the group began to go their separate ways in September 2014, after Wyatt announced he was "setting Harper and Rowan free". Rowan would turn into aheroic character by joining Cena's team atSurvivor Series, while Harper would remain villainous and side withThe Authority against Cena's team. Following a brieffeud with each other, Harper and Rowan reunited in May 2015.
In July 2015, the Wyatt Family reunited and were joined byBraun Strowman, who was later taken out of the faction as a result of the2016 WWE draft. In late 2016, with the addition ofRandy Orton, the Wyatt Family won theSmackDown Tag Team Championship, holding it under theFreebird Rule. After they lost the championship, Harper left the group in January 2017. Orton won the2017 Royal Rumble match and Wyatt won his firstWWE Championship the following month, with the pair facing each other atWrestleMania 33. Wyatt and Rowan continued their alliance as the last remaining members of the Wyatt Family until the2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up, in which Wyatt was moved toRaw while Rowan remained onSmackDown, thus disbanding the Wyatt Family.
Bryan joinedAEW in 2021. Harper, who joined AEW in 2020, died fromidiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 41 in December 2020; Wyatt died from a heart attack at the age of 36 in August 2023, leaving Rowan as the last surviving original member of the stable. Rowan joinedThe Wyatt Sicks, a heroic group led by Wyatt's real-life brotherBo Dallas and his alter ego Uncle Howdy, in mid-2024.
Wyatt had his first match back from injury on the February 20 episode ofNXT, defeating Yoshi Tatsu.[16] The Wyatt Family later assaulted Grey (who had suffered a legitimate injury) while Wyatt prevented Dallas from winning aNXT Championship number one contender match due to Dallas' refusal to join the Wyatt Family.[17][18] Dallas went on to hand Wyatt his first loss on the March 13 episode ofNXT.[19] On the May 2 episode ofNXT, while Wyatt was defeated by six-timeworld championChris Jericho,Luke Harper andErick Rowan won atriple threat elimination tag team match by lastpinning Neville to earn a shot at thechampionship.[20] On the May 8 episode ofNXT (which was taped on May 2), Harper and Rowan defeated Neville and Bo Dallas (filling in for the injured Grey) to win theNXT Tag Team Championship.[21][22]
The Wyatt Family went on to feud withCorey Graves andKassius Ohno, with Wyatt defeating Graves on the May 22 episode ofNXT,[23] and the next week Wyatt eliminated both Graves and Ohno during an 18-manbattle royal to determine the number one contender to the NXT Championship, although he was later eliminated by Adrian Neville.[24] On the June 19 episode ofNXT, the Wyatt Family defeated the team of Graves, Neville and Ohno.[25] On the following episode ofNXT, the Wyatt Family, together withGarrett Dylan andScott Dawson, attacked Graves, Neville and Ohno; whenWilliam Regal tried to make the save, he was also overwhelmed, and this led to the Wyatt Family facing Graves, Neville and Regal in asix-man tag team match the next week onNXT, where Wyatt pinned Regal for the win.[26] On the July 17 episode ofNXT (which was taped on June 20), Harper and Rowan lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Neville and Graves.[27][28]
Various feuds and championship pursuits (2013–2014)
From the May 27 episode ofRaw, WWE airedvignettes promoting the upcoming debut of the Wyatt Family.[29] The vignettes showed the Wyatt Family'sbackwoods origins and Rowan wearing a sheep mask.[30][31] On the July 8 episode ofRaw, the Wyatt Family made their debut by assaultingKane.[32] The Wyatt Family continued their attacks on wrestlers likeR-Truth,Justin Gabriel and 3MB (Drew McIntyre,Heath Slater andJinder Mahal), while sending cryptic messages to Kane telling him to "follow the buzzards".[33][34] Following another assault,[35] Kane challenged Wyatt to aRing of Fire match atSummerSlam, which he accepted.[36] On August 18 at SummerSlam, Wyatt defeated Kane following interference from Harper and Rowan, after which Harper and Rowan attacked Kane again and ended the segment by carrying him away.[37] AtBattleground on October 6, Wyatt's momentum continued with a win overKofi Kingston.[38] Over the next few months, Rowan and Harper competed as atag team and went on a winning streak over many teams[39][40][41] until the October 11 episode ofSmackDown, when Harper and Rowan suffered their first loss againstCody RhodesandGoldust.[42]
The Wyatt Family's next feud began when they attackedCM Punk andDaniel Bryan, in late October.[43] The feud saw Harper lose his firstsingles match to Punk.[44] AtSurvivor Series on November 24, Harper and Rowan lost atag team match against Bryan and Punk.[45] The Wyatt Family then defeated Bryan in a3-on-1 handicap match atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15,[46] with Wyatt attempting to recruit Bryan in the previous weeks.[47] On the finalRaw of 2013, Bryan defeated Harper and then Rowan in agauntlet match that would lead to Bryan facing Wyatt, whereupon Harper and Rowan interfered to cause adisqualification and began beating Bryan down until a frustrated Bryan finally gave up and joined the Wyatt Family.[48] However, two weeks later, Bryan attacked the other members of the Wyatt Family and broke free of the group.[49] At theRoyal Rumble on January 26, Wyatt defeated Bryan to end their feud[50] while both Harper and Rowan entered theRoyal Rumble match.[51]
On the January 27 episode ofRaw, the Wyatt Family attackedJohn Cena, Bryan, andSheamus during anElimination Chamber qualifying match againstThe Shield, thus awarding Cena's team win by disqualification victory overThe Shield and the Elimination Chamber match slots.[52] The Shield were seeking revenge, so a six-man tag match was set up between the Shield and the Wyatt Family at theElimination Chamber event,[53] which the Wyatt Family won afterDean Ambrose had disappeared into the live audience during the match.[54] On the March 3 episode ofRaw, the Shield were given a rematch against the Wyatt Family, but lost again when The Shield's poor teamwork led toSeth Rollins, leaving the ring during the match.[55] On the April 8 episode ofMain Event, the Wyatt Family was defeated by The Shield in another six-man tag team match to end the feud.[56]
Between January and February, the Wyatt Family also costJohn Cena hisWWE World Heavyweight Championship matches againstRandy Orton.[57] At Elimination Chamber on February 23, the Wyatt Family's interference caused Cena to be eliminated from the Elimination Chamber match.[58] After Elimination Chamber, Wyatt turned his attention fully to feud with Cena, with Wyatt wanting to prove that Cena's heroic act was a facade characteristic of "this era of lies", while also trying to turn Cena into a "monster".[59][60] Wyatt went on to accept Cena's challenge for aWrestleMania match,[61] with Cena successfully resisting the urge to become a "monster" and overcoming interference from Harper and Rowan to defeat Wyatt atWrestleMania XXX April 6, thus marking Wyatt's firstpinfall loss on WWE's main roster.[62] The feud continued after WrestleMania XXX based on the story that Wyatt was capturing Cena's fanbase, which was exemplified by Wyatt leading a children'schoir to the ring on the April 28 episode ofRaw, with the children later putting on sheep masks.[63] AtExtreme Rules on May 4, Wyatt defeated Cena in asteel cage match after repeated interference from the rest of the Wyatt Family, as well as a child who had distracted Cena.[64] Cena's feud with Wyatt continued with aLast Man Standing match being set up forPayback on June 1, which Cena won to end their feud.[65]
On the June 2 episode ofRaw, Harper and Rowan took on thenWWE Tag Team ChampionsThe Usos in a tag team match; Wyatt did not appear during the match, but his rocking chair still sat beside the ring, and Harper and Rowan went on to win the match, which made them number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship.[66] On the June 13 episode ofSmackDown, due to a distraction by Seth Rollins, Wyatt went on to win his match against Dean Ambrose to qualify for the firstMoney in the Bank ladder match contested for thevacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[67] At the2014 Money in the Bank event on June 29, all three members of the Wyatt Family failed to win championships in their respective matches.[68] The Wyatt Family also lost atBattleground on July 20, as The Usos successfully defended their WWE Tag Team Championship against Harper and Rowan.[69] On the June 30 episode ofRaw, the Wyatt Family interruptedChris Jericho's return and began to beat him down.[70] This led to a singles match between Wyatt and Jericho at Battleground which Wyatt lost.[69] However, Wyatt defeated Jericho atSummerSlam on August 17, despite Harper and Rowan being banned from ringside.[71] The feud with Jericho ended on the September 8 episode ofRaw, when Wyatt won a steel cage match by escaping the cage.[72]
On September 29, vignettes began to air of Wyatt announcing he was setting Harper and Rowan "free".[73][74] All three members of the Wyatt Family returned to television on their own and apart from each other: Wyatt returned atHell in a Cell on October 26, attackingDean Ambrose;[75] Rowan returned on the October 31 episode ofSmackDown;[76] and Harper returned on the November 10 episode ofRaw, aligning himself withThe Authority.[77] On the November 17 episode ofRaw, Rowan joined Team Cena forSurvivor Series, thus opposing Harper's team.[78]
The next few weeks saw Ambrose and Wyatt taunting and attacking each other in both backstage and in-ring segments, with Wyatt claiming that he could "fix" Ambrose, the way he "fixed" Harper and Rowan, leading to a match at Survivor Series, where[79][80] Wyatt won the match by disqualification after Ambrose hit him with a chair, before burying him under a table, a ladder and steel chairs.[81] At Survivor Series on November 23, Harper was one of the last men eliminated in Team Authority's loss against Rowan and Team Cena.[81] As punishment for his affiliation with The Authority, Harper was forced to put hisIntercontinental Championship on the line against Ambrose the following night onRaw and successfully retained the title after getting himself disqualified, after which Wyatt ambushed Ambrose, who was looking for weapons to attack Harper with.[82]
On the December 8 episode ofRaw, Harper and Rowan faced each other in singles competition, with Harper ultimately getting himself disqualified.[83] On the January 5, 2015, episode ofRaw, The Authority punished Rowan by putting him in a singles match against Harper, with Harper picking up the win after adiscusclothesline and the help of J&J Security (Jamie Noble andJoey Mercury), who were thespecial guest referees for the match.[84] On the January 22 episode ofSmackDown, Harper and Rowan once again competed against each other, this time in a2015 Royal Rumble qualifying match, with Harper winning and thus not allowing Rowan to participate in the Royal Rumble match.[85] Despite this, Rowan appeared during the Royal Rumble match on January 25, ambushing the number six entrantCurtis Axel, to attack Harper and subsequently sparking a brief Wyatt Family reunion, along with Bray Wyatt, before all three men began to brawl.[86]
On the May 7 episode ofSmackDown, Rowan would come out after Harper defeatedFandango, seemingly to confront Harper, but would instead attack Fandango and thus turning into avillain in the process.[87] On the May 11 episode ofRaw, Harper and Rowan would officially reunite when Harper accompanied Rowan to his match against Fandango which Rowan won after 30 seconds and the two proceeded to double team Fandango after the match.[88] On the May 18 episode ofRaw, Harper and Rowan teamed up to take on Fandango andZack Ryder, which Rowan and Harper won after asuperkick andfull nelson slam combination.[89] On the May 21 episode ofMain Event, Harper and Rowan defeated Fandango and Ryder in a rematch.[90] On the June 4 episode ofSmackDown, Harper and Rowan cut apromo about being ostracized and stated they were a family.[91][92]
On the June 5 episode ofSuperstars, Harper and Rowan defeatedLos Matadores in a tag team match.[93] On the June 8 episode ofRaw, Harper and Rowan defeated Los Matadores in a rematch.[94] On the June 19 episode ofSuperstars, Harper and Rowan defeated Los Matadores andThe Ascension in a triple threat tag team match.[95] During a match at alive event, Rowan got injured, with reports saying he would be out of action for 4–6 months.[96] On the June 23 episode ofMain Event, Harper returned to singles competition when he defeatedCesaro, but not before cutting a promo where he said losing his tag team partner has only made him more dangerous.[97][98]
Braun Strowman was a member of the Wyatt Family from August 2015 to July 2016.
AtBattleground on July 19, Harper interfered during Wyatt's match againstRoman Reigns, helping him defeat Reigns and signaling the return of the stable.[99] During a post-Battleground interview, Wyatt stated: "To the world, say your prayers, lock your doors, the family has returned".[100] This led to a tag team match between Wyatt and Harper against Reigns and Ambrose atSummerSlam on August 23, which the Wyatt Family lost after Reigns pinned Wyatt.[101] The following night onRaw, Wyatt and Harper fought Reigns and Ambrose in a SummerSlam rematch during whichBraun Strowman made his WWE debut, joining the Wyatt Family and helping Harper and Wyatt attack Reigns and Ambrose.[102] This led to a six-man tag team match atNight of Champions on September 20 between the Wyatts and Reigns, Ambrose and a partner of their choosing, revealed to beChris Jericho, which the Wyatt Family won.[103] Rowan made his return to the ring on the October 19 episode ofRaw, when he filled in for Harper (who was unable to show for personal reasons), against Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins which his team won after Rollins faked an injury and walked out on the match.[104] Wyatt's feud with Reigns culminated in aHell in a Cell match which Wyatt lost.[105]
"[...] when we set out and finally got the call up [from NXT to the main roster]... We were so different that I don't think the company knew even how to use us... we were so different in the promos, so different in the way we looked and how we moved... And they still don't know how to use what we are".
All four members of the Wyatt Family entered the2016 Royal Rumble match on January 24 which was the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line and the group cumulatively eliminated seven wrestlers, includingBrock Lesnar.[112] Wyatt was scheduled to face Lesnar atRoadblock on March 12, but Wyatt revealed that he would be facing Lesnar alongside Harper in a two-on-one handicap match, which they lost with Wyatt never returning to the ring.[113] It was reported that Wyatt was likely replaced in the match due to a serious back injury that he was legitimately suffering from.[114] On March 21, Harper suffered a knee injury during aRawdark match and it was reported that the injury would sideline him for five to six months.[115] After getting anMRI, it was revealed that he had dislocated hispatella and tore hismedial patellofemoral ligament.[116] The Wyatt Family appeared atWrestleMania 32 on April 3, where they confrontedThe Rock, who defeated Rowan in an impromptu match in 6 seconds and the Wyatts were then fended off by the returning John Cena and The Rock.[117]
On the April 4 episode ofRaw, the Wyatt Family started a brief feud withThe League of Nations by attacking the villainous faction.[118] On the April 11 episode ofRaw, the Wyatt Family confronted and scared off the League of Nations when they were about to attack Roman Reigns, with whom Wyatt tagged with to defeat League of Nations members Sheamus andAlberto Del Rio.[118][119] On April 13 during a singles match against Reigns at alive event in Italy, Wyatt suffered an injury to his right calf and was thus pulled off WWE's European tour.[120] His injury resulted in the abrupt suspension of the feud and the breakup of The League of Nations.[118] Although all four members appeared on thePayback poster, none of the members had a match at the event.[121]
On the June 20 episode ofRaw, the Wyatt Family (without Harper) returned for the first time since April and were confronted by then WWE Tag Team ChampionsThe New Day, thus starting a feud between the two teams.[122] On the July 11 episode ofRaw, The New Day went to the Wyatt Family's compound where the two factions brawled.[123][124][125] This would lead to a non-title six-man tag team match atBattleground on July 24,[126] which the Wyatt Family would win.[127]
On July 19 at the2016 WWE draft, Wyatt and Rowan were drafted to SmackDown while Strowman was drafted to Raw, separating him from the group.[128] On the August 16 episode ofSmackDown Live, Wyatt walked away from Rowan after the latter lost his match against Dean Ambrose, leaving Rowan's sheep mask on Wyatt's rocking chair.[129] Despite this, Rowan attackedRandy Orton on behalf of Wyatt on the September 13 episode ofSmackDown Live, continuing their alliance.[130] On October 9, Harper returned at the close of the SmackDown brand's eventNo Mercy on October 9 in a match between Wyatt and Orton, whom Harper distracted to help Wyatt win the match, thus realigning himself with Wyatt.[131] Prior to Harper's return, Rowan underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and would be out of action for four to six months.[132]
On the October 25 episode ofSmackDown Live, Orton interfered on Wyatt's behalf in his match against Kane.[133] On the November 1 episode ofSmackDown Live, Wyatt and Harper helped Orton win in his respective match against Kane, thus confirming his allegiance to the group.[134] At the 30th annualSurvivor Series on November 20, Wyatt and Orton were the sole survivors for Team SmackDown in the traditional5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match after Orton saved Wyatt from aspear from Roman Reigns.[135] On the November 29 episode ofSmackDown Live, Wyatt and Orton defeatedAmerican Alpha to become the number one contenders for theSmackDown Tag Team Championship.[136] They went on to challenge and defeatHeath Slater andRhyno on December 4 atTLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs for the tag team titles, Wyatt Family's first championship in WWE's main roster.[137] While Wyatt and Orton retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against the former champions on the December 6 episode ofSmackDown Live, it was announced that the Wyatt Family invoked theFreebird Rule and thus allowing Harper to also defend the championship.[138]
On the December 27 episode ofSmackDown Live, the Wyatt Family began to show tension after they lost the SmackDown Tag Team Championship to American Alpha in a four-way elimination tag team match after Orton inadvertently hit Harper and was subsequently pinned.[139] On the January 10, 2017, episode ofSmackDown Live, they unsuccessfully attempted to regain the championship after another miscue between Orton and Harper, who accidentally performed asuperkick on Wyatt after the match, resulting in Wyatt walking away in frustration.[140] This continued the following week onSmackDown Live, when Orton lost to Ambrose after Harper distracted his teammates, causing Orton and Harper getting involved in another argument, which would physically escalate until they were separated by Wyatt, who struck Harper, resulting in Harper walking away.[141] On the 24 January episode ofSmackDown Live, Orton defeated Harper after which Wyatt attacked Harper with aSister Abigail, but did not dictate whether he was kicked out of the group.[142]
During theRoyal Rumble match on January 29, Harper attacked both Orton and Wyatt, even attemptingSister Abigail on the latter before being attacked by Orton, who would then go on to win the Royal Rumble match.[143] AtElimination Chamber on February 12, Orton defeated Harper while in the main event Wyatt won theWWE Championship in theElimination Chamber match.[144] On the followingSmackDown Live, after Wyatt successfully defended the WWE Championship in a triple threat match involving John Cena andAJ Styles (despite a pre-match attack by Harper), Orton came to the ring, pledging allegiance to Wyatt and refusing to face him atWrestleMania 33.[145] The following week onSmackDown Live, Wyatt gave Orton "the keys to the kingdom" which referred to the Wyatt Family's compound, but Orton turned on Wyatt by burning down the Wyatt Family compound on the February 28 episode ofSmackDown Live before challenging him to a match at WrestleMania 33, seemingly disbanding the Wyatt Family in the process.[146]
On the April 4 episode ofSmackDown Live, Rowan returned from injury after nearly eight months of inactivity, sporting a newsteampunk-style sheep mask, assisting Wyatt and attacking Orton (since Wyatt lost the WWE Championship to Orton at WrestleMania 33 on April 2), but later that night they lost a tag team match against Orton and Harper.[147]
The Wyatt Family seemingly disbanded again when Wyatt was moved to the Raw brand during the2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up, though Wyatt and Rowan continued their alliance, with Wyatt distracting Orton during his match with Rowan on the April 11 episode ofSmackDown Live.[148] On the April 25 episode ofSmackDown Live, Rowan (still being referred to as a member of the Wyatt Family) competed in the main event against Orton in a no disqualification match which he lost.[149] On the May 9 episode ofSmackDown Live, Harper and Rowan faced each other in a match won by Rowan; the commentary team referred to both men as former members of the Wyatt Family, thus confirming the disbandment.[150]
In October 2017, Harper and Rowan reunited asThe Bludgeon Brothers and went on to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship atWrestleMania 34.[151] After they lost their tag team titles, Rowan formed an alliance with former Wyatt Family member Bryan, with whom he would win his second SmackDown Tag Team Championship.[152] After Rowan and Bryan's team dissolved, Rowan reunited with Harper before they were separated due to the2019 WWE Draft.[153] Harper was released in December 2019,[154] and Rowan was released in April 2020.[155] Strowman was released in June 2021,[156] but would later return to the company in September 2022.
Strowman continued as a singles competitor, while Wyatt adopted the new character of "The Fiend" to continue his solo career.[157] Wyatt spent a significant part of his stint as "The Fiend" feuding with former Wyatt Family members, namely Bryan, Strowman, and Orton, before being released in July 2021.[158][159] He returned to WWE at the2022 Extreme Rules event.
On December 26, 2020, at the age of 41, Harper (who had been performing inAEW as Brodie Lee) died fromidiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.[160][161] Numerous tributes were given by former colleagues, including his former Wyatt Family partners.[162][163] On December 30, Rowan appeared on AEW's memorial show, theBrodie Lee Celebration of Life, holding up a sign dedicated to Harper that read, "Goodbye for now, my brother. See you down the road." At the end of the episode, various photos of Harper were shown, including several real-life moments shared with his Wyatt Family partners.[164]
On August 24, 2023, at the age of 36, Wyatt died from aheart attack caused by a pre-existing heart condition that had been exacerbated by aCOVID-19 infection.[165][166][167] On the August 25 episode ofSmackDown, Rowan and Strowman appeared onstage for Wyatt's memorial package and the traditional 10-bell salute.[168] Inmid-2024, Wyatt's real-life brotherBo Dallas (as hisalter ego Uncle Howdy) began leading aheroic faction calledThe Wyatt Sicks alongside Rowan,Dexter Lumis,Joe Gacy, andNikki Cross. Strowman was released from his WWE contract in May 2025 ending his second tenure of the company.
^Namako, Jason (16 May 2013)."WWE NXT RESULTS – 5/16/13 (BIG E VS. SANDOW)". WrestleView.Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. RetrievedJune 9, 2013.Wyatt says that ... This is not the face of a human being, this is the face of a MONSTER!! This is the face of the eater of worlds. Every time from now on that you gaze into my face, I don't care who you are, how BAD you think you are, you can never hurt me because I am already dead.
^Chiverton, George."CHIVERTON'S NXT WEEKLY RANKINGS & EVALUATION 7/11: Latest evaluation of new NXT talent".Pro Wrestling Torch.Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. RetrievedJune 9, 2013.Bray Wyatt has been a source of great excitement for me in his run-up to this debut with fantastic video packages and promos creating a mysterious atmosphere around the preacher-based character. He's evil, scary but not over the top. He comes across as having genuinely done something evil like murder, but justifies it through the faith he follows (which faith we aren't told).
^Benigno, Anthony."Raw Five-Point Preview: July 8, 2013: All in the family".WWE.Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. RetrievedJuly 9, 2013.Theories and speculation have abounded as to what the backwoods madman Bray Wyatt's mission is and where his family fits into the equation.
^Tedesco, Mike (October 26, 2015)."WWE RAW Results - 10/26/15". Wrestleview.Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. RetrievedOctober 26, 2015.
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