The WWE Raw tag team division was put on notice this Monday night, as the current reigning NXT Tag Team Champions Hanson and Rowe, the War Raiders, made their main roster debut as a part of the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-Up.
The good news is, the brand new Raw Superstars made an immediate impact in an 8-man tag team match, teaming with The Revival to score a victory over Aleister Black, Ricochet and the Raw Tag Team Champions, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.
The bad news is, WWE has decided to completely rebrand the War Raiders as a tag team. Instead of Hanson and Rowe, the names they have gone by in Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and for quite some time in WWE’s own NXT brand, the duo will now be called Ivar and Erik, the Viking Experience.
You could almost feel the collective face-palm maneuver from the incredibly vocal internet wrestling fanbase, who did not take the new name well. Just check out some of these responses on Twitter:
Biscuit and gravy
— Taylor (@NerdMantra) April 16, 2019
Me to whoever thought "The Viking Experience" sounded like a good name.#SuperstarShakeUp #RAW pic.twitter.com/qDxpQJXAmP
— Mark (@bcafcmark) April 16, 2019
Me: I’m gonna go into #RAW with an open mind.
*Sees “The Viking Experience”* pic.twitter.com/D7hNkheZXm
— Kyle Lewis (@KeepItFiveStar) April 16, 2019
The…
Click Here: Club América soccer tracksuit
Viking…
Experience?
Ivar and Erik?
What!?!?#RAW
— David Bixenspan (@davidbix) April 16, 2019
I thought the "Viking Experience" was a weird category on @Pornhub #RAW
— Farts Unknown (@MartyDeRosa) April 16, 2019
HHH standing behind Vince as he giggles at his monitor telling Cole to put more emphasis on “The Viking Experience”#RAW pic.twitter.com/ZjP0jKYz7D
— R.Dream (@WWERDream) April 16, 2019
“THE VIKING EXPERIENCE”
I am both laughing and disgusted at that name. #RAW pic.twitter.com/9oquhFfgNF
— R.Dream (@WWERDream) April 16, 2019
We UNIVERSALLY hate the name Viking Experience.
Sincerely, The WWE Universe #RAW pic.twitter.com/ZGUXeFU1Uf
— Mav (@Maverickman_X1) April 16, 2019
The Viking Experience sounds more like a travel package you’d see advertised in the window of a travel agents… 🤦🏻♂️ #RAW
— ⚡️SmackTalks ⚡️ #WWE2K19 (@SmackNetwork) April 16, 2019
really? #VikingExperience? really @WWE? pic.twitter.com/wPUNTo2q35
— Aidan McKenna (@AidanMcKenna15) April 16, 2019
The Viking Experience pic.twitter.com/Etm4opybLM
— The Blogging Experience (@MrBrandonStroud) April 16, 2019
The Viking Experience sounds like a delightfully terrible mid 2000s Disney Channel Original Movie about a group of teenagers who find an old ax in a magic shop and get transported back in time to become Vikings.
— Mike Killam (@MikeKillam) April 16, 2019