Harper's Contract, Samoa Joe to Raw, X-Pac on Viking Experience in WWE Roundup

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Details on Harper's WWE Contract

Luke Harper announced Tuesday on Twitter that he has officially requested his release from WWE:

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Daniel Yanofsky), Harper's contract with WWE runs through November, which means he could technically remain with the company for another seven months. Meltzer also noted that WWE could freeze Harper's contract for six months beyond that to make up for time he missed due to injury, although he deemed it unlikely.

The 39-year-old Harper signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2012 and quickly became part of the Wyatt Family stable with Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan in FCW and then NXT. 

Harper, Wyatt and Rowan debuted on the main roster in 2013 and enjoyed some success before breaking up in 2014. As a singles competitor, Harper went on to win Intercontinental Championship on one occasion.

Injuries and inconsistent booking led to Harper getting put back with the Wyatt Family in 2015. Eventually, Randy Orton joined the group, and the trio of Harper, Orton and Wyatt held the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

The group would then break up once again, and Harper later resurfaced as one half of The Bludgeon Brothers alongside Rowan. They went on a dominant run and won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 34 last year, but injuries to both Harper and Rowan led to the dissolution of the team.

Harper competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35 and beat Dominik Dijakovic in a hard-hitting match at WrestleMania Axxess. But with no obvious plans in place, Harper is seemingly hoping to kick-start his career elsewhere, such as All Elite Wrestling or Ring of Honor.

Samoa Joe Reportedly Heading to Raw

Despite not appearing on the Superstar Shake-up edition of either Raw or SmackDown Live this week, United States champion Samoa Joe is reportedly set to leave the blue brand for Raw.

According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Joshua Gagnon), current plans call for a U.S. title feud between Joe and Braun Strowman on the red brand.

Strowman attacked Joe on SmackDown last week, which seemed to set the stage for a rivalry with the United States Championship hanging in the balance.

There may have been plans to further that this week. Joe was reportedly very sick backstage, which led to him being pulled from his scheduled appearance on Raw.

When Intercontinental champion Finn Balor was moved to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shake-up, it became fairly obvious that Joe would be moving as well. With Joe going to Raw, both brands will have a midcard title.

Joe and Strowman have locked horns a bit in the past, but they have yet to engage in a full-fledged feud. In hopes of adding some prestige to the U.S. title, WWE appears to be on the brink of pitting two of its most physically dominant Superstars against each other.

X-Pac Discusses Viking Experience

WWE Hall of Famer X-Pac isn't among those who are panicking over NXT Tag Team champions getting their name changed from War Raiders to Viking Experience on Raw.

When Hanson and Rowe of War Raiders were referred to as Ivar and Erik of Viking Experience during their Raw debut on Monday, it raised some eyebrows and led to a great deal of criticism from WWE fans on Twitter.

While X-Pac agreed on his X-Pac 12360 podcast (h/t Wrestle Zone's Alex Santa Maria) that the name isn't perfect, he believes Ivar and Erik can overcome it:

"Okay, it's not ideal. However, it's not even close to as bad a name as they could've given those guys. And No. 2 is the creative process put behind their push is the most important thing. Not what you call them. Giving them a good storyline following through on it. Just all these important things are so much more important than whether they are called Viking Experience or whatever you want to call them.

"So yes, I get it, it's not ideal, but it’s definitely not the hill I think people should be dying on. They know I'm fans of them. ... It's not the end of the world here, everyone. It's what you make of it. If those guys go out there every week and they just crush it every time they're out there, The Viking Experience in two months is going to be the greatest name ever. ... It's not like they called them The Viking Experience and had them go out there and lose their debut. They won."

To X-Pac's point, The Viking Experience was featured heavily in an eight-man tag-team match that saw them and The Revival beat Aleister Black, Ricochet and the Raw Tag Team champions Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins.

Ivar and Erik scored the winning pinfall, and it seems clear that they are being set up to make a significant impact within the Raw tag team division.

Talent has never been a question with the NXT Tag Team champions, and the fact that WWE cared enough to invest in a name change could mean that big things are on the horizon. With top teams like Black and Ricochet and The Usos on Raw, The Viking Experience could lead a revitalization of what was previously a moribund tag scene on the red brand.

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