What Luke Harper Was Told When He Asked For His WWE Release

The former Wyatt Family man is trapped in wrestling purgatory.

Luke Harper
WWE.com

Almost a month has passed since Luke Harper announced he had requested his WWE release with an impassioned Twitter post, having spent much of the previous year sidelined following hand surgery.

The former Bludgeon Brother returned to televised action at Worlds Collide over WrestleMania weekend. He defeated Dominik Dijakovic that day, before appearing in 'Mania's Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, then working a dark match on SmackDown's 9 April episode, but hasn't been seen since.

Sadly, Harper's situation is no closer to being resolved. Dave Meltzer has a small update on the situation in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that while WWE won't be booking the big man going forward, he won't be let out of his contract either.

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Harper had originally requested he be allowed to leave in November 2019, which is when his deal expires, but WWE decided to extend it for the six months he was injured for. Vince McMahon then told him to take the situation up with Triple H, who didn't respond.

It's hard not to have sympathy for Harper and his situation. Stuck in an organisation that doesn't appreciate him, he must now put his career on ice for another year.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.