WWE Confirms The Wyatt Family Will Be Using The Freebird Rule On SmackDown

Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton won the SmackDown Tag Team Titles Sunday night at WWE TLC, and after the match Luke Harper got into the ring and celebrated with one of the belts. Following the pay-per-view there was some speculation that The Wyatt Family may end up using the Freebird Rule much like The New Day does on Raw. WWE has confirmed that the Freebird Rule will be in effect for The Wyatt Family. The following announcement was posted on WWE.com:

“The Wyatt Family is evoking a rarely-used custom during their reign as SmackDown Tag Team Champions, WWE.com has learned.

While Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton captured the titles for the Family at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan have sanctioned Luke Harper as champion as well, making him eligible to defend the titles alongside Wyatt or Orton under the Freebird Rule.

Named for WWE Hall of Famers The Fabulous Freebirds, the rule stipulates that a faction that holds a championship can assign any of its members to defend the title at any given time. The reigning Raw Tag Team Champions, The New Day, have used the Freebird Rule to great success. Xavier Woods has defended the titles several times alongside either Kofi Kingston or Big E, who won them at SummerSlam 2015.

The Wyatts’ challengers might have rested easier knowing they wouldn’t have to contend with the enigmatic Harper on top of Wyatt himself and The Viper. No more.”

Speaking of SmackDown, you can check out the top 10 moments from this week’s show in the video below.