
Former WWE Superstar Luke Harper Reportedly to Debut with AEW in March
Former WWE Superstar Luke Harper is reportedly set to make his All Elite Wrestling debut in the near future.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), the plan is for Harper to debut on the March 18 edition of AEW Dynamite, which will be held in Harper's hometown of Rochester, New York.
Harper was granted his release by WWE in December after more than seven years with the company.
During his WWE tenure, the 40-year-old Harper was primarily known for his work in stables and tag teams. After a brief and successful run in NXT, he was called up to the main roster as part of the Wyatt Family alongside Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan in 2013.
Harper was an on-and-off member of the group for years, with some singles runs and tag teams runs with Rowan independent of the Wyatt Family mixed in.
Overall, Harper was a one-time NXT Tag Team champion, two-time SmackDown Tag Team champion and one-time Intercontinental champion in WWE.
Harper and Rowan enjoyed a dominant run as The Bludgeon Brothers in 2017 and 2018, but it ended when they both got injured, and the team was no longer intact when they returned.
Due to his combination of size (6'5" and 275 lbs.) and athleticism with a unique look, Harper stands out as one of WWE's biggest missed opportunities in recent years since he conceivably could have been a big-time singles Superstar as a heel.
Harper would seemingly be a great fit in AEW since the company's roster is on the small size and Harper would immediately provide a major boost in that department.
Meltzer noted that while Harper is technically eligible to begin appearing on television when his non-compete clause with WWE expires on March 8, holding his debut until March 18 in his hometown ensures he will receive a positive reaction.
All signs point toward Harper going back to the Brodie Lee named he used as an independent wrestler prior to signing with WWE, as he filed to trademark the name in November.
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