WWE News: Former Tag Team Champion Asks For His Release From Company
WWE superstar Luke Harper, who achieved the most success as part of the Wyatt Family stable and as a SmackDown Tag Team Champion alongside Erick Rowan in the Bludgeon Brothers, took to Twitter on Tuesday to confirm that he has requested his release from the company.
In his post, Harper stressed that he is “proud” to have spent six years with WWE and to have traveled the world with the “lifelong” friends he had made in the company’s locker room. He did not go into detail about why he had asked to be released by WWE but mentioned that it was a difficult decision that, in the end, felt “right” for himself and the company alike.
“My goal in the future is to continue to grow as a performer and person and continue to make my family proud,” Harper continued.
“Thank you. From the top to the bottom of WWE. Thank you to the fans for your undying support. Thank you everyone.”
As opined by Bleacher Report, Luke Harper’s announcement did not come as much of a surprise, given that he hasn’t had much “real direction” in recent months, much like several other WWE superstars on both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live. As Harper turned 39-years-old in December, the publication added that the former tag team champion is at a point where he can’t afford to be underutilized “for another year or two” as he hopes to get noticed as part of a deep main roster.
Luke Harper Requests Release From WWE: https://t.co/qyxlpm7uyV pic.twitter.com/DU7wrEXs09
— Wrestling Resource – The Sportster (@WrestlingSheet) April 16, 2019
Although Harper had been sidelined for several months with a wrist injury, as he noted in a separate tweet toward the end of March, he hinted in that post that he could have had the opportunity to return much sooner than he ultimately did. His last match before asking for his WWE release took place earlier this month, during WrestleMania 35 weekend, where he defeated NXT‘s Dominik Dijakovic during the Worlds Collide event. This match was aired on Sunday as a WWE Network exclusive.
As recalled by Comic Book, Luke Harper made his debut on WWE’s main roster in the summer of 2013 as one-third of the Wyatt Family, alongside faction leader Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan. During his time with WWE, Harper had a brief run with the Intercontinental Championship, and later on won two SmackDown Tag Team Championships, first as part of the Wyatt Family, and then as part of the repackaged Bludgeon Brothers with Rowan. While Rowan recently got repackaged once again as Daniel Bryan’s enforcer, Harper did not get the same opportunity to reinvent himself through a new gimmick or storyline.
