WWE News: Former Superstar Says Botched Match With AJ Styles Led To Him Being Buried By Company
While Luke Harper was never at the top of WWE‘s list of superstars to push during his time with the company, his final year saw him absent from television for the most part. According to the former superstar in a recent interview with Talk Is Jericho, as quoted by Ringside News, the wrestler, who now goes by Brodie Lee in AEW, even recalls the exact moment that cemented his burial by the company.
During the interview, Lee explained how he was involved in a storyline with Randy Orton, which saw “The Viper” turn heel on him. However, Lee was starting to gain some momentum with the fans at the time, which led to him receiving a spot in a Battle Royale match for a title opportunity.
Lee remembered how he and AJ Styles were the final two participants in the match, and they were supposed to go over the top rope and hit the floor at the same time in order to set up a match between them on the following episode of SmackDown Live.
Despite perfecting the spot during rehearsals before the show, he slipped on the apron and Styles hit the ground first, even though WWE tried to cover up the botch. That’s when Lee knew he was finished in the eyes of company management.
“They shot around it and they explained that ‘No, no they touched at the same time.’ Then the next week AJ, who was the heel, ended up making me tap and pinning me in the same match. Like, they re-started the match and I was like, ‘Yup, this is the end.’ This is it.”
The stakes couldn't have been higher as @AJStylesOrg battled @LukeHarperWWE with an opportunity to main event @WrestleMania! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/imOAiuW7Ju
— WWE (@WWE) March 2, 2017
Lee also revealed that, while he wasn’t on television, he volunteered to do dark matches in a bid to get Vince McMahon’s attention. He said that the fans chanted his name during the matches, but McMahon either wasn’t watching or he didn’t care to act on the crowd support. However, he also revealed that he was offered a lot of money to stay with WWE, even though the company had no plans for him.
Lee recently joined All Elite Wrestling. The former superstar was unveiled as the mystery leader of the Dark Order faction on a recent episode of Dynamite, though he wasn’t the first wrestler who was considered for the role.
By putting Lee into such a high profile storyline right away, it suggests that AEW management appreciate his talent and believe in him getting over with the fan base.
