Former WWE champion looks almost recognizable in throwback photo

A former WWE champion recently shared a throwback photograph of himself on social media. The RAW Superstar, who recently returned to the squared circle, looks almost unrecognizable in the picture.

After teasing their return with vignettes for a couple of weeks, Erik and Ivar made their first appearance as a tag team after over a year on the October 14 edition of Monday Night RAW. The former WWE RAW Tag Team Champions returned as The War Raiders, the name and gimmick they had in NXT. The duo have been on a winning streak since their comeback.

Ivar took to Instagram Stories earlier today to post a throwback picture from the earlier stages of his career. The 40-year-old looks very different in comparison to how he currently looks, despite sporting a similar-styled beard.

Screengrabs of Ivar's Instagram Story.

Former WWE writer reveals how he would have booked The War Raiders following their return

The War Raiders have been dominating their opponents following their return from injury. The duo has won all three matches they have competed in. However, former WWE writer Vince Russo recently revealed how he would have booked the former champions.

During a recent edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Russo claimed that he would have focused more on The War Raiders' character work and explained more about their gimmick and Viking lifestyle to fans. The 63-year-old felt that WWE missed the opportunity to do so, and now it was too late.

"I don't know where we go from here. I don't know. I can't help you with that," said Russo. "This is not their fault. What I would have done from day one was I would have explained the Viking lifestyle. I would have explained how they live, why they're into it, [and] what's behind it. That's what I would have done from day one. They never ever did any of that. And now it's too late." [From 18:28 onwards]

You can check out Vince Russo's comments in the video below:

On the October 28 edition of Monday Night RAW, The War Raiders defeated The New Day and the duo of Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match to become the No. 1 contenders for the World Tag Team Championship held by The Judgment Day's Finn Balor and JD McDonagh. Going by their recent dominance, Erik and Ivar look set to win their second tag team title on the main roster.