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As a lot of you are aware, this past Sunday, Luke Harper was released from his contract after what had been a WWE career full of ups and then, full of downs as well. The other names who were released with Harper were The Ascension and also Sin Cara.
What some readers may not know is that Luke Harper had trademarked the Brodie Lee name not long ago, as reported by Fightful. This was his former independent name and he is almost guaranteed to use it wherever he goes next.
So, why does it seem like his next stop is going to be All Elite Wrestling then? Let me give you 5 compelling reasons why I believe that to be the case, in this article.
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Of course, this is only my hypothesis, so feel free to weigh in and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
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#5 Special interest from the AEW World Champion
Luke Harper was part of the locker room for a long time with Chris Jericho and there's no doubt at all that there's a fair amount of mutual respect, between the two men.
Sportskeeda's resident WWE expert Tom Colohue was recently asked to weigh in and share his thoughts on what Luke Harper's next stop could possibly be, and he had the following to say:
“I’m not sure where he’ll personally choose, but I do know that Chris Jericho has spoken on his behalf quite recently in interviews that Luke Harper is someone that he is definitely interested in and wants to see at AEW. Obviously he doesn’t have final say, but that is someone of interest to him.”
Because the World Champion is personally vouching for him and is insistent on getting him, chances are that AEW will be Luke Harper's next stop for sure!
#4 Cody Rhodes' recent interview
If you don't follow Alex McCarthy on Twitter already, you should go ahead and do so right away. Not only is he a special contributor to Sportskeeda, he is also the leading voice for the United Kingdom when it comes to professional wrestling. Not long ago, he was part of a conference call with one Cody Rhodes.
During the course of the call, Rhodes expressed All Elite Wrestling's interest in Luke Harper:
Cody Rhodes' stamp of approval is certainly a huge factor when it comes to determining who gets signed and who doesn't, I suppose, and so this is a clear indication that All Elite Wrestling will be very keen on signing Luke Harper, if they haven't done so already. Their next big show is Revolution and I can certainly see Harper shocking the world and showing up to destroy his opponent.
I wouldn't mind him showing up as a babyface to take the fight to the Inner Circle because even though he's a big man, he can do all of the flashy moves that good guys do!
#3 Currently the biggest option available to any non-WWE Superstar
It's a great time to be a professional wrestler, because of the multitude of options that are available to any performer, at the moment. While he/she always has the option of working for Vince McMahon, there are so many other possibilities for one to choose from.
Not only can Luke Harper choose to go to Impact Wrestling, which has been making strides, I'm sure NJPW or ROH would also be thrilled to lap him up at once. The NWA has also been making waves recently, and Harper would certainly be a great fit there, if it comes to that.
But all said and done, AEW is clearly the second-biggest option available, touring across the length of America with a dedicated fan base across the entire world. While an AEW Superstar may not necessarily have the same degree of worldwide fame as say someone at the top of the WWE food chain, it is a fast-growing company that is making waves across the world.
As with anyone pursuing a career, Luke Harper will want the best possible option available to him and that is AEW!
#2 Need for yet another recognized mainstream name in AEW
For most of the world at large, professional wrestling and WWE are synonymous and this has been the case for a while. Even in the 90s, when WCW surpassed WWE in terms of weekly viewership, it was with the help of some of WWE's top stars like Hogan, Hall, Nash and Savage. And this is one of the main problems that AEW needs to circumvent at this stage in time.
While some of AEW's stars are worldwide names like Chris Jericho or Jon Moxley and Cody Rhodes, the rest of the immensely talented roster, be it Darby Allin or Joey Janela or Sammy Guevara may not be known to everyone. And this is why AEW may want just another big name to tilt the odds in their favor. Luke Harper is someone who's been in enough big programs to be someone that the audience stops for, when they are switching channels.
With Harper in the mix, maybe feuding with a well-known name, All Elite Wrestling may be able to break the 1-million viewership barrier again. Harper's arrival will make AEW a must-watch show on Wednesday nights. NXT will have to amp up their programming quite significantly indeed.
#1 AEW will allow him to wrestle as he truly is
While Luke Harper had a dominant run with The Wyatt Family and then also ruled the roost as a Bludgeon Brother, because of the gimmicks associated with him, his style was often impaired and diluted. When he first made the decision of asking for his release and publicly posted about it on social media, Harper mentioned that he wanted to grow as a performer and a person.
All Elite Wrestling allows their talent to showcase their strengths and be themselves, and this is perhaps the best thing about the promotion. Case in point, Dean Ambrose had to wrestle a certain style because of his gimmick, but Jon Moxley, on the other hand can be just as rough and rugged as he wants to be because that's who the man wants to be.
So, All Elite Wrestling and Luke Harper are a perfect match, and one wouldn't be surprised to see Harper mix it up with the likes of performers like Moxley and Rhodes very soon. The roster is not packed at the moment, and the top guys will need new guys to work with, very soon!
Do you think Brodie Lee will be a good fit for All Elite Wrestling?
