5 Reasons why the Bludgeon Brothers may not be a good idea 

If you read our 'Best and Worst' analysis after every episode of SmackDown Live, you will be aware that we've been clamoring for Luke Harper and Erick Rowan to be brought back on television. For two men as talented as them to have been kept off TV has been rather criminal.

This week on SmackDown Live, they debuted their new avatars. They will be known as the Bludgeon Brothers. As happy as we are to see them return, we have some reservations for the future, with this particular gimmick.

Make no mistake about it. We are thrilled to see the two men return to television. However, we wonder about the longevity of this gimmick in this day and age. We shall outline our reservations in this particular feature.

Without further ado, here is a comprehensive analysis of why we are not to keen on the Bludgeon Brothers.

#5 Far too dated for 2017

This is not a 'hip' gimmick

Those who were around for the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude Era will remember just how cool sports entertainment as, at the time. People tuned in to watch RAW or Nitro because it was relevant and the in-thing, much like 'Game of Thrones' or 'Better Call Saul' is, these days.

One conscious decision that was taken by WWE at the time was to move away from the cartoony elements of the past, and to make the product edgy and realistic. The Bludgeon Brothers are a throwback to the days of Warlord and Barbarian.

In today's landscape, people connect with The Usos or Finn Balor, because there's something inherently cool about all these men and their gimmicks. It's cool to make the hand gesture and go 'too sweet', or talk as only The Usos can. The same holds true for Aleister Black in NXT.

Unfortunately, unless WWE scripts compelling programs and promos for them, the Bludgeon Brothers will just remain savage brutes down the card. Which is unfortunate for someone like Luke Harper, who is actually a brilliant in-ring worker. The gimmick may limit what he can do inside the ring.

#4 Very similar to the Wyatt Family

Both men needed a fresh new start

Consider Braun Strowman, the most over monster in the roster, for just a little moment. An erstwhile member of the Wyatt Family, he made a fresh new start on RAW with no remaining ties to the Wyatt Family. In no time at all, he's risen to the top of the ranks. He's main evented several pay-per-views, in less than a year.

Yes, in essence it is the same with the Bludgeon Brothers. However, how different is this new gimmick to their former ones? Not only does the fact that the two men are united point to the fact that they hailed from the same family, their getup is pretty similar too.

Rowan's sheep mask is a throwback to what the mask he wore during his days in the Wyatt Family, with just a small twist in its design. Despite the gear and the props that the men now hold, there seem to be several elements of the supernatural world.

A complete reboot would have helped the case of the two men, in this case. A total makeover would have possibly done wonders for the two.

#3 Lack of continuity

Weren't these two men at odds, not long ago?

Let's give WWE the benefit of the doubt in the previous case, and just say for everyone's benefit, that these two men broke away from the Wyatt Family not very long ago, and have formed a sub-cult of sorts.

Weren't the two men at odds as recently as WWE Backlash, in May? They had a fearsome and brutal encounter in which Luke Harper defeated Erick Rowan. This lack of continuity is confusing because Harper had seemingly gone face after he split from the Wyatt Family.

In many ways, it is a reflection of Creative's inability to get any babyfaces over. We get an illogical union between two men who hated each other, not long ago.

The same holds true for Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax on RAW, who are suddenly best friends again, after they were feuding only a few weeks ago.

#2 Same gimmick as the Ascension

Big bad brutes who deliver cryptic promos

Watch this promo from The Ascension and compare the verbiage to the link on the very first page of this feature. Aren't they very similar?

Right now, SmackDown Live has two different tag teams with extremely similar gimmicks. It is easy to point at the differences between the two, but unless they are glaring, it will be impossible for the WWE universe to tell them apart.

Real drama is created when two very dissimilar characters clash, and their saga unfolds on screen. The similarity between the gimmicks is just an indication of how lacking in ideas, WWE really is, in this current day and age.

Let's hope that these two aren't booked to the ground, like the Ascension has been.

#1 Both men deserve singles runs

Luke Harper, in particular, needs one desperately

It is no secret that Luke Harper is the more talented competitor among the two men. Many men have been behind him for a singles push, even when he was with the Wyatt Family. Some believed that with the right booking, he could become a modern day version of Bruiser Brody.

As for Rowan, he was the the precipice of a singles push too, not very long ago. His gimmick was a variation of his Wyatt family character, but having been given the chance to get his new character over, we believed that he was due for greatness.

Remember his terrifying appearance on Talking Smack? One of the coolest moments in Erick Rowan's whole career!

In a tag team environment, neither man may find the room to excel. This is just our opinion, and not rooted in actual fact. In fact, we hope WWE proves us wrong and gets these guys 'over. Best of luck to both Harper and Rowan, and may this gimmick lead them to great things.