WWE: Erik vs. Ivar match led to The War Raiders becoming a tag team (Exclusive)

Erik vs. Ivar match led to The War Raiders becoming a tag team (Exclusive)

Modified Apr 19, 2025 16:40 GMT

Ivar (left) and Erik (right) [Image Credit: wwe.com]

The War Raiders hold the World Tag Team Championship heading into WrestleMania 41. In an exclusive interview, the two men gave an insight into how their tag team partnership began.

Ivar (then known as Hanson) defeated Erik (then known as Raymond Rowe) in Ring of Honor's Top Prospect Tournament final in 2014. A month later, the imposing duo formed a tag team and initially wrestled under the name War Machine.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Erik joked that Ivar likes to remind everyone how their first in-ring encounter ended:

"Well, we had a match in Ring of Honor, the 2014 Top Prospect Tournament. We're not gonna talk about the winner there because Ivar likes to brag about it, and then after that we teamed up the following month and became War Machine. That was 2014, so we're over a decade now of being a tag team. We've gone everywhere together." [1:12 – 1:34]

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On April 19, The War Raiders will defend the World Tag Team Championship against The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods at WrestleMania 41. Watch the video above to hear Ivar cut a promo on The Steiner Brothers and Bron Breakker ahead of the event.

Randy Orton, Triple H, and others know about The War Raiders' history

Ivar's victory over Erik took place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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According to Erik, Ivar has told Randy Orton, Triple H, and several others about the time he defeated his War Raiders tag team partner in Pittsburgh:

"Every time we go back to Pittsburgh, he will tell every single person in the building. From the guy sweeping up the floors, to Triple H and Randy Orton, he's telling them, 'Hey, hey, do you know what happened in Pittsburgh? I beat [Erik].'" [1:45 – 1:56]

In the same interview, Erik and Ivar addressed whether they would like to have been managed by Paul Ellering before his WWE departure.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart