Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an Americanprofessional wrestler known asBrodie Lee. Huber performed under thering nameLuke Harper inWWE from 2012 to 2019, and asMr. Brodie Lee inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2020.
Huber departed WWE in December 2019 and subsequently made his AEW debut in March 2020 as Mr. Brodie Lee, the leader ofThe Dark Order, and won theAEW TNT Championship in August of that year. He was hospitalized in October 2020 foridiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, from which he died on December 26 at the age of 41.
Huber first got into wrestling as abackyard wrestler, performing under thering name Huberboy #2 with the likes ofColin Delaney and his real-life brother, Referee Rob Ryan (Chris Huber) andJimmy Olsen.[15] Huber was eventually formally trained by Kirby Marcos and Rik Matrix inRochester, New York, andTony Mamaluke inSchenectady, New York, and made his debut for Roc City Wrestling (RCW) in 2003,working under a mask as Huberboy #2.[3] Later that year, he unmasked and began working as Brodie Lee for Rochester Pro Wrestling (RPW). He came up with the name Brodie Lee from the movieMallrats by combining the names of actorJason Lee and his characterBrodie Bruce,[16] though his style and appearance have also brought comparisons toBruiser Brody, mistakenly thinking his ring name was derived from Bruiser.[17] Throughout his time in RPW, which was later renamed to NWA Upstate and then again to NWA New York, Lee went on to win multiplechampionships including theheavyweight championship on three separate occasions, thetag team championship once and, after he won thetelevision championship, heunified it with the Kayfabe Dojo Championship.[8][18][19]
Huber made his debut forPhiladelphia-basedChikara on March 24, 2007, atTime Will Prove Everything, using "The Right Stuff" Brodie Lee gimmick and losing toEquinox.[8][20] Lee originally was not scheduled to wrestle at the event, but was instead visiting backstage with friends. However, whenReckless Youth no-showed the event, ChikarabookerMike Quackenbush offered Lee the chance to get in the ring.[16] Lee returned to the company two months later, defeating Equinox in a rematch and starting a streak of not beingpinned norsubmitting that lasted for the rest of the year.[8][21] In August, Lee aligned himself with the Olsen Twins (Colin andJimmy) and adopted the nickname "Big Rig" and a more serious gimmick of atrucker.[8][22] Lee and the Olsen Twins were scheduled to enter the2008 King of Trios tournament as Team Dr. Keith, but after Colin signed a contract withWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the team was left one man short. While Retail Dragon substituted Colin, the team lost in the first round, so Lee turned on him while simultaneously ending his alliance with Jimmy Olsen in the process.[23]
Lee at a Chikara event in November 2008
In April 2008, Lee's storyline where he bullied smaller wrestlers led toClaudio Castagnoli issuing a challenge to him. Their first match on April 20 ended in Castagnoli beingdisqualified for accidentally kicking the referee of the match.[24] The second match on May 24 ended in similar fashion, this time Lee was disqualified for kicking the referee.[25] This led to ano disqualification match on July 13, which Lee won after interference from Shayne Hawke and Mitch Ryder, both of whom had a grudge with Castagnoli for breaking upThe Kings of Wrestling the previous year.[26] Lee's and Castagnoli'sfeud ended on September 7, 2008, in Chikara's first-eversteel cage match, with Castagnoli coming out victorious.[27]
In late 2008, Lee aligned himself withEddie Kingston and Grizzly Redwood to form astable called The Roughnecks.[8] On February 21, 2009, The Roughnecks defeatedUltraMantis Black, Crossbones andSami Callihan to earn a spot in the2009 King of Trios tournament.[28] On March 27, The Roughnecks lost their King of Trios opening round match to Team Uppercut (Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli andDave Taylor).[29] When Kingston moved on to feuding with Castagnoli, Lee and Redwood began wrestling matches as atag team.[8] With victories over Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream Jr.), Cheech Hernandez and K.C. Day, and the North Star Express (Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz), Lee and Redwood earned their right to challenge for theCampeonatos de Parejas.[30][31][32] On October 17, 2009, Lee and Redwood challengedThe Colony (Fire Ant and Soldier Ant) for the championship, but were defeated intwo straight falls.[33] Lee opted to give Redwood one more chance, but when he dropped the fall on October 19 in a match againstThe Osirian Portal (Amasis andOphidian), Lee kicked him in the face, effectively ending The Roughnecks.[34] Redwood made his return six months later on April 24, 2010, as a surprise opponent of Lee's, but was easily defeated by him.[35] Afterwards, Redwood stated that he was not done with Lee, but would prepare himself before their next match.[36] On August 29, Lee entered the Countdown Showdownbattle royal and was dominating the match, before being eliminated by Redwood.[37] On October 23, Lee suffered an upset loss in a match againstDasher Hatfield, who was defeated by Redwood the following day.[38][39] On November 20, Lee and Redwood, having earned each other's respect, re-united and attacked Hatfield after his match with Shayne "Buck" Hawke.[40][41] On January 23, 2011, at the season ten premiere, The Roughnecks defeated The Throwbacks (Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton) in a tag team match.[42] The Roughnecks and The Throwbacks ended their feud on March 13 in alumberjack match, where Hatfield and Dunkerton were victorious.[43] In May 2011, Lee entered the12 Large: Summit, set to determine the inauguralChikara Grand Champion, but was forced to pull out of the tournament following his first match, after suffering a legitimate injury.[44] Lee returned to Chikara on October 30.[45] After signing a developmental contract with WWE, Lee made his farewell appearance for Chikara on March 25, 2012, when he unsuccessfully challenged Eddie Kingston for the Chikara Grand Championship.[45]
Lee made his debut forRing of Honor (ROH) on October 25, 2008, aligning himself withThe Age of the Fall and helping the group's leaderJimmy Jacobs to defeatAustin Aries in anAnything Goes match.[46] Lee then teamed with fellow Age of the Fall memberDelirious and defeated Cheech and Cloudy in a tag team match, before ending the night by attackingNecro Butcher, with whom the stable was feuding, after his match withGo Shiozaki.[46] On November 7, Lee's match with Necro Butcher ended in a disqualification, when the rest of The Age of the Fall attacked his opponent.[47] Lee and Necro Butcher had a rematch under Anything Goes rules on February 27, 2009, which Necro won.[48] In March, Delirious turned on The Age of the Fall and on May 30 he defeated Lee in his final ROH match.[49]
Lee debuted forEvolve on January 16, 2010, at the promotion's first ever show, teaming withGran Akuma andIcarus in a six-man tag team match, where they were defeated by Team Frightning (Mike Quackenbush,Hallowicked andFrightmare).[50] After losing a singles match to Gran Akuma on March 13, Lee picked up his first victory in the company by defeating Gran Akuma, Hallowicked and Chris Dickinson in a four-way match on May 1.[51][52] At the fourth show on July 23, Lee wrestledJon Moxley to ano contest.[53] As Moxley was protesting the stoppage, Lee kicked a chair into his face, which led to Evolve suspending him for the show of September 11.[54] Lee returned to Evolve on May 20, 2011, in a match where he was defeated by Sami Callihan via submission.[55]
On May 8, 2010, Lee made his debut forDragon Gate USA (DGUSA), defeating Cheech, Cloudy, Kyle O'Reilly, Phil Atlas, Xtremo, Brent B. and Anthony Fiasco in adarkeight-way fray elimination match, before the tapings of the Uprisingpay-per-view.[56] Later, on the pay-per-view section of the evening, Lee interrupted a match between Rip Impact and Johnny Wave, beat down both of the competitors and stated that next time he would be coming after a Japanese wrestler.[57] At the following event on September 25, Lee defeatedDa Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz,Marshe Rockett and Willie Richardson) in athree-on-one handicap match, before repeating his threat of going after a Japanese competitor. Later in the night, Lee set his sights onYamato and chased him away from ringside, when he tried to interfere in a match between his ally Jon Moxley and Jimmy Jacobs.[58] The following day, Lee defeated Jimmy Jacobs,Kyle O'Reilly, Mike Quackenbush,Rich Swann and Silas Young in a six-way match.[59] On October 29 at Dragon Gate USA's first live pay-per-view, Bushido: Code of the Warrior, Lee teamed withsumo legendAkebono in a tag team match, where they defeated The Osirian Portal. After the match, Lee and Akebono had to be separated from one another by the rest of Dragon Gate USA's locker room. Later in the night,Cima used his draft pick to name Lee the newest member of his Warriors International stable.[60] At the following day's tapings of Freedom Fight 2010, Lee defeated Akebono in a singles match.[61] On January 28, 2011, atUnited: NYC, Lee, now representing the heel group Blood Warriors, defeated Jimmy Jacobs in a singles match.[62] The following day atUnited: Philly, Lee suffered his first loss in Dragon Gate USA, when he was defeated byOpen the Freedom Gate Champion Yamato in a non-title match.[63]
On December 21, 2010, Lee made his debut for Japanese promotion Dragon Gate (DG) inTokyo, where he, representing The Warriors stable, defeatedKzy.[64] The Warriors stableturned heel on January 14, 2011, when they attackedMasato Yoshino and World-1, aligning themselves withNaruki Doi's group, though Lee himself was not present, as he was snowed in and could not make the show.[65][66] The following day, Lee made his return to DG as a member of the new top heel group, in a match where he,Gamma andGenki Horiguchi defeatedYamato,Kagetora and Diablo.[65] On January 18, the new group was named Blood Warriors.[65]
Lee made his debut forJersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) on March 28, 2009, as a member of The Hillbilly Wrecking Crew, along with Necro Butcher andTrevor Murdoch.[67] On August 1, Lee and Necro defeated the Garden State Gods (Corvis Fear and Myke Quest) to win theJAPW Tag Team Championship.[68] On January 23, 2010, at JAPW's 12th Anniversary Show, Lee and Necro lost the title to Da Heavy Hitters (Havok andMonsta Mack) in a three-way tag team match, which also included The H8 Club (Nate Hatred andNick Gage).[69] On March 20, Lee got to challenge for theJAPW Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by the defending championDan Maff and, after the match, Nick Gage attacked Maff and joined The Hillbilly Wrecking Crew, replacing Murdoch, who had left the company.[70] On May 22, Lee and Necro faced Maff and theJAPW New Jersey State ChampionCharlie Haas in a tag team match, where they put their JAPW careers on the line against the titles of their opponents. In the end, Lee managed topin Haas, after Maff had turned on him, to become the new JAPW New Jersey State Champion.[71] On October 23, 2010, Lee challenged Dan Maff for the JAPW Heavyweight Championship in a Champion vs. Champion match, but was defeated.[72] On November 20, Lee first successfully defended the New Jersey State Championship against Eddie Kingston and then defeated Dan Maff, Nick Gage and Azrieal in aChampionship Scramble to win the JAPW Heavyweight Championship for the first time, unifying the two titles.[73][74] Lee made his first JAPW Heavyweight Championship defense on December 11, during the Anniversary weekend, defeatingRhino with help from Nick Gage.[75] On December 30, 2011, JAPW announced that Lee, who had not made an appearance for the promotion in nine months, had been stripped of the JAPW Heavyweight Championship.[76]
When FCW was rebranded asNXT in August,[80] Harper made his television debut on the November 7 episode ofNXT as a follower ofBray Wyatt, who introduced Harper as the "first son" ofThe Wyatt Family.[81] The Wyatt Family later also came to include Wyatt's "second son"Erick Rowan,[82] with whom Harper formed a tag team. The two defeatedPercy Watson andYoshi Tatsu in their first match together on the January 9, 2013, episode ofNXT.[83] On the January 23 episode ofNXT, Harper and Rowan again defeated Watson and Tatsu in the opening round of theNXT Tag Team Championshiptournament.[84] Following a win overBo Dallas andMichael McGillicutty in the semi-finals with Wyatt's interference,[85] Harper and Rowan were defeated in the finals of the tournament byAdrian Neville andOliver Grey.[86] Harper defeated Neville on the March 20 episode ofNXT.[87] On the May 2 episode ofNXT, Harper and Rowan won a triple threat elimination tag match by last pinning Neville.[88] On the May 8 episode ofNXT, Harper and Rowan defeated Adrian Neville and Bo Dallas, filling in for the injured Grey, to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.[89][90] After retaining the title againstCorey Graves andKassius Ohno on the June 5 episode ofNXT,[91] Harper and Rowan lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Adrian Neville and Corey Graves on the July 17 episode ofNXT.[92][93]
From the May 27 episode ofRaw, WWE airedvignettes promoting the upcoming debut of The Wyatt Family.[94] The vignettes showed The Wyatt Family'sbackwoods origins.[95][96] On the July 8 episode ofRaw, The Wyatt Family made their debut by assaultingKane.[97] Harper made his WWE in-ring debut on the July 26SmackDown, where he and Rowan defeated Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay andTensai).[98] Over the next few months, Harper and Rowan went on a winning streak over many teams,[99][100][101] untilCody Rhodes and Goldust handed them their first loss on the October 11 episode ofSmackDown.[102] In November, The Wyatt Family started a rivalry withCM Punk andDaniel Bryan heading intoSurvivor Series on November 24,[103][104] where Harper and Rowan lost to Punk and Bryan in a tag team match.[105] The following month atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, The Wyatt Family defeated Bryan in a 3-on-1handicap match.[106]
In September 2014, The Wyatt Family split and Harper went off into singles competition, winning theWWE Intercontinental Championship
Beginning on September 29, vignettes were shown of Harper and Rowan being "set free" by Wyatt, marking the dissolution of The Wyatt Family and the transition of its members into singles competition.[115] After a further series of video vignettes aimed atDolph Ziggler, Harper made his return to television during the closing moments of the November 10 episode ofRaw, throwing an unconscious Ziggler atTriple H andStephanie McMahon's feet and expressing his desire to join their team atSurvivor Series on November 23.[116] The following week onRaw, Harper officially joined TeamAuthority. Immediately after, Harper was awarded an impromptu match for theIntercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler, which, after interference fromSeth Rollins, Harper won to capture his first main roster title.[117] At Survivor Series, Team Authority lost the match, which Harper was eliminated by Ziggler.[118] As punishment for his affiliation with The Authority, Harper was forced to defend the Intercontinental Championship againstDean Ambrose on the November 24 episode ofRaw and successfully retained the title after getting himself disqualified.[119] Harper lost the title back to Ziggler in aladder match atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14, ending his reign at 27 days,[120] and failed to regain the title in a rematch on the December 22 episode ofRaw.[121]
On January 25, 2015, Harper entered theRoyal Rumble match at number 4, and was eliminated by Bray Wyatt.[122] Beginning in early March, Harper was involved into a storyline where he was one of many wrestlers stealingBad News Barrett's Intercontinental Championship belt from Barrett and each other.[123] This led to a seven-man ladder match for the title on March 29 atWrestleMania 31, which was won by Daniel Bryan.[124] The match led to a new feud between Harper and Dean Ambrose (who was also a participant in the ladder match at WrestleMania),[125] with Harper losing aChicago Street Fight between the pair atExtreme Rules on April 26.[126] On the April 27 episode ofRaw, Harper took part in the2015 King of the Ring tournament, but was eliminated by Neville in the first round.[127]
In early May, Harper revived his alliance with Erick Rowan.[128] After Rowan suffered an injury,[129] Harper reunited with Bray Wyatt on July 19 atBattleground by helping him defeatRoman Reigns.[130] This led to a tag team match between Harper and Wyatt against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose atSummerSlam on August 23, which they lost after Reigns pinned Wyatt.[131] The following night onRaw,Braun Strowman joined Harper and Wyatt as the new member of The Wyatt Family.[132] AtNight of Champions on September 20, The Wyatt Family defeated Reigns, Ambrose andChris Jericho in a six-man tag team match.[133] On the October 19 episode ofRaw, Erick Rowan returned to The Wyatt Family when he filled in for Harper (who was unable to show for personal reasons).[134][135] The Wyatt Family then got involved in a feud withThe Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker andKane), which built to a tag team match on November 22 atSurvivor Series, where the two defeated Harper and Wyatt.[136] The next night onRaw, Harper teamed with Wyatt again to defeatThe Dudley Boyz, igniting a new feud.[137] Over the next weeks,Tommy Dreamer andRhyno joined The Dudley Boyz in the feud,[138][139] leading to an eight-man tag teamtables match atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, where Harper, Wyatt, Rowan and Strowman were victorious.[140] On January 24, 2016, Harper competed in theRoyal Rumble with fellow Wyatt Family members and he was eliminated byBrock Lesnar, but returned to the ring later on with The Wyatt Family members to eliminate Lesnar.[141] Harper and Wyatt were defeated by Lesnar in a 2-on-1 handicap match at theRoadblock event on March 12.[142] On March 21, Harper suffered a knee injury during an untelevised match onRaw, sidelining him for five to six months.[143] After getting anMRI, it was revealed that he had dislocated hispatella and tore hismedial patellofemoral ligament.[144] Because of his injury, Harper was not drafted to eitherRaw orSmackDown in the2016 WWE draft.[145]
Harper returned to the ring on October 5, unsuccessfully teaming withKevin Owens againstSami Zayn andSeth Rollins at a house show inSantiago,Chile.[146] Four days later, Harper returned in the match of the SmackDown brand pay-per-viewNo Mercy on October 9, helping Bray Wyatt defeatRandy Orton by distracting Orton.[147] On December 4 atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Wyatt and Orton, who had recently joined The Wyatt Family, captured theSmackDown Tag Team Championship, and three days later it was announced that Harper had been sanctioned as champion as well, making him eligible to defend the title under theFreebird Rule.[148] The Wyatt Family, represented by Harper and Orton, lost the SmackDown Tag Team Championship toAmerican Alpha (Chad Gable andJason Jordan) in a four-way elimination match on the December 27 episode ofSmackDown Live. After the match, Harper and Orton showed tension over the loss.[149] After Wyatt and Orton unsuccessfully challenged American Alpha for the title on the January 10, 2017, episode ofSmackDown Live, Harper and Orton shoved each other, which led to Harper accidentallysuperkicking Wyatt.[150] Harper and Orton continued having problems with each other,[151] leading to a match between the two on the January 24 episode ofSmackDown Live, where Orton was victorious. After the match, Wyatt attacked Harper with theSister Abigail, separating him from the group.[152]
At theRoyal Rumble on January 29, Harper entered the Royal Rumble match at number 25, attacking both Wyatt and Orton and eliminatingApollo Crews, before being eliminated byGoldberg.[153] On the January 31 episode ofSmackDown Live, Harper turnedface after helpingWWE Champion John Cena in his confrontation with Orton and Wyatt.[154][155] AtElimination Chamber on February 12, Harper was defeated by Orton.[156] Shortly after this, Harper unsuccessfully facedAJ Styles over number one contendership for the WWE Championship, held by Wyatt.[157][158] At theWrestleMania 33 pre-show on April 2, Harper took part in theAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, from which he was eliminated byTitus O'Neil.[159] Following WrestleMania, Harper feuded with the returning Erick Rowan, leading to a match atBacklash on May 21, which Harper won.[160] On the July 4 episode ofSmackDown Live, Harper took part in the Independence Day Battle Royal to determine the number one contender for theUnited States Championship. He failed to win as the match was eventually won by AJ Styles.[161] Harper then disappeared from WWE television for several months.[162]
On the October 10 episode ofSmackDown Live, as a heel again, Harper returned to television in a vignette where he was once again aligned with Erick Rowan.[162] The duo were dubbed "The Bludgeon Brothers", with Harper's ring name shortened to simply "Harper".[163] The team wrestled their return match on the November 21 episode ofSmackDown Live, defeatingThe Hype Bros (Zack Ryder andMojo Rawley).[164] AtClash of Champions on December 17, The Bludgeon Brothers defeated Breezango (Fandango andTyler Breeze) in asquash match.[165] Going into 2018, The Bludgeon Brothers began to target SmackDown Tag Team ChampionsThe Usos, as well as their rivalsThe New Day.[166][167][168]
On March 11, 2018, The Bludgeon Brothers made an appearance atFastlane, interfering during theSmackDown Tag Team Championship match between The Usos and The New Day.[169] This led to a tag team championship match between the three teams atWrestleMania 34, which The Bludgeon Brothers won to attain the titles.[170] They would go on to successfully defend the titles against The Usos at theGreatest Royal Rumble event,[171] againstLuke Gallows and Karl Anderson atMoney in the Bank,[172] and againstTeam Hell No atExtreme Rules.[173] The Bludgeon Brothers lost by disqualification in a championship defense against The New Day atSummerSlam, resulting in them retaining the titles.[174] Two nights later on the August 21 episode ofSmackDown Live, The New Day defeated The Bludgeon Brothers in a no disqualification match to win the championships, ending their reign at 135 days.[175] The following day, it was announced that Rowan had suffered a torn right bicep, sidelining him indefinitely and putting the team on hiatus.[176][177]
Harper made a surprise appearance at a NXT house show on September 6, where he unsuccessfully challengedRicochet for theNXT North American Championship.[178] Soon after, Harper took time off after undergoing surgery for a wrist injury.[179] On March 9, 2019, Harper returned to in-ring action, defeatingMojo Rawley at a house show in his hometown of Rochester.[180] He made his televised return atWrestleMania Axxess, defeatingDominik Dijakovic, which aired as part of theWWE Worlds Collide special.[181] Following that, he competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at theWrestleMania 35 pre-show, but failed to win as he was eliminated by Braun Strowman.[182] After WrestleMania, Harper wrestled againstEC3 in a dark match before an episode ofSmackDown. It was reported that WWE chairmanVince McMahon did not like the match, so he canceled creative plans for Harper including a feud withSami Zayn.[183] After that, on April 16, Harper requested his release from WWE, as he had yet to appear on weekly television.[184] His request was denied by McMahon.[185]Dave Meltzer of theWrestling Observer Newsletter later reported that Harper's contract was originally going to expire in November 2019, but WWE added six months to it, due to the time missed due to injury.[186] In mid-July it was reported that Harper had returned to traveling with the roster, as he had been off events since requesting his release.[187]
At theClash of Champions pay-per-view event on September 15, with his old ring name Luke Harper, he made his televised return to WWE programming by attackingRoman Reigns in his match with former partner Erick Rowan.[188] On the following episode ofSmackDown Live, Harper ambushedDaniel Bryan after a confrontation with Rowan, only to be interrupted by Reigns, who Harper and Rowan laid out as well.[189] AtHell in a Cell, Harper and Rowan were defeated by Reigns and Bryan in a tag team match.[190] As part of the2019 draft, Erick Rowan was drafted to Raw, disbanding the team.[191] Harper's last televised match in WWE was in a battle royal at theCrown Jewel event on October 31, which he lost.[192]
On November 26, he filed a trademark for Brodie Lee, his former wrestling ring name.[193] On December 8, it was announced that Harper had been released from his WWE contract.[194]
Huber made his surprise debut forAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) on the March 18, 2020, episode ofDynamite, reverting to his Brodie Lee ring name. He was revealed as the "Exalted One", the previously unseen leader of the villainous factionThe Dark Order, and attackedSoCal Uncensored with the other members of the group.[195] After remaining undefeated for several weeks,[196][197][198] he lost for the first time againstJon Moxley in a match for theAEW World Championship atDouble or Nothing on May 23.[199] Over the following months, Lee recruited new members into The Dark Order, includingColt Cabana[200] andAnna Jay.[201] On the August 22 episode ofDynamite, Lee quickly defeatedCody to win theAEW TNT Championship.[202] He successfully defended the TNT Championship against Rhodes andOrange Cassidy on the September 9 and 23 episodes ofDynamite, respectively.[203] Cody returned after Lee's match against Cassidy,[204] and Lee challenged him to adog collar match for the TNT Championship.[205] On the October 7 episode ofDynamite, Cody won the championship and ended Lee's reign at 55 days (46 days as recognized by AEW due totape delay).[206] This would mark Lee's final match as he then went on hiatus and was reportedly dealing with an undisclosed injury,[207] but died fromidiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in December.[208]
Huber's wrestling style has been described as mix of "blending power moves with deceptive agility" and "pioneering a new wave of athletic giants".[209] He citedJake Roberts,Rick Rude, andBig Show as his primary influences.[210]
Huber has described his original "The Right Stuff"gimmick as him "just having fun" and, despite being aheavyweight, claimed he was a "cruiserweight".[16] Upon his debut inWWE as Luke Harper, he became part ofThe Wyatt Family, acult-like faction withBray Wyatt as their leader.[211][212] According to Huber, WWE chairmanVince McMahon envisioned Harper as ahillbilly and asked him to speak with aSouthern-likedrawl.[213] The faction split in early 2017, but Harper later reunited with former Wyatt Family teammateErick Rowan to form a tag team dubbedThe Bludgeon Brothers. The duo carried wooden mallets to the ring and had a look apparently modeled afterDemolition,[164] a tag team who wrestled for WWE in the 1980s.[213] Desiring a run as a singles competitor, Huber pitched severalgimmick ideas to McMahon, such as a "collector" who took trophies from his defeated opponents and an "intelligent monster" who would eloquently tell his rivals how he was going to hurt them, but his ideas were rejected by McMahon and WWE creative.[213]
After joiningAEW in March 2020, Huber reverted to his pre-WWE name of Brodie Lee and was unveiled as "The Exalted One", the previously anonymous leader ofThe Dark Order stable. Adding the prefix "Mr." to his name, he assumed the gimmick of a suit-wearing corporate executive who denied allegations that The Dark Order was a cult, and often harshly punished his disciples for petty transgressions.[196][209] The character drew comparisons to McMahon due to displaying traits similar to ones often attributed to McMahon, such as disliking peoplesneezing in his presence,[214] but Huber denied this and instead stated that it was inspired bymafia films.[215]
Huber married Amanda, a fellow professional wrestler who previously performed under the name Synndy Synn, in 2011.[224] They had two sons named Brodie and Nolan.[225][226] Following Huber's death, Brodie was signed toAEW and became a member of his father's factionThe Dark Order at the age of eight, with AEW stating that he can immediately start to perform for the company when he comes of age if he so wishes.[227]
The original red strap version of theAEW TNT Championship belt; in honor of Jon Huber, who was the championship's second title holder, this red strap version of the title belt wasretired on December 30, 2020, and given to his son Brodie Huber, who was named honorary "TNT Champion for life"
A multitude of wrestlers and wrestling personalities paid tribute to Huber with previously untold stories onsocial media, most of which shared a running theme of him being devoted to his wife and children while going out of his way to guide and support other wrestlers. His formerWyatt Family teammates also paid tribute:Bray Wyatt called Huber his "best friend, brother, [and] partner",[242]Erick Rowan said that Huber "meant more to [him] than he will ever know",[243] andBraun Strowman referred to Huber as "one of the most unselfish men [he has] ever met and an amazing husband and father".[244]Cody Rhodes, against whom Huber wrestled his final match, called the match "an honor and a privilege and an experience so ferociously humbling".[245]Big E, who was particularly close with Huber and his son Brodie and was requested to be present alongside Rhodes with Amanda when informing Brodie of his father's death,[246] spoke of how the professional wrestling industry as a whole came together to mourn the loss of a performer deemed to have made a personal impact on the careers and lives of many of his colleagues, stating, "I feel a real brotherhood. In that I have so many guys that I've worked with, who hit me up, who cried with me, who reached out to me, and that's beautiful. It really made me think, 'Man, we have something special in our industry.'"[247] After many of the stories about Huber had been widely shared,Randy Orton stated, "You all have heard about how much we all respected [Huber], about how much we all enjoyed his presence. It is a fact."[248]
The December 28, 2020, episode ofWWE Raw opened with an "In Memory of Jon Huber ('Luke Harper')" graphic, as did the December 30 episode ofWWE NXT and the January 1, 2021, episode ofWWE SmackDown.[citation needed] Performers and commentators onRaw paid tribute by using some of Huber's catchphrases, such as commentatorTom Phillips welcoming the viewers to the show by exclaiming "it's Monday, you know what that means" andWWE ChampionDrew McIntyre beginning his promo by stating "it's Monday and you know what that means [...] yeah, yeah, yeah".Xavier Woods, who wore an armband with "Brodie" written on it, performed Huber's signature taunt and finishing move during an eight-man tag team match.[249] Over the next week, the promotion uploaded videos with various WWE wrestlers honoring and speaking of their memories with Huber.[250][251] On January 11,The New Day (Big E,Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) dedicated theirFeel the Power podcast to Huber, which also featuredCesaro,Tyler Breeze, and Erick Rowan speaking about Huber; a video version of the podcast was put on theWWE Network.[252] The next day on the WWE Network, the promotion added a new entry into theirBest of WWE series entitled "Best of Luke Harper", an anthology showcasing several of Huber's matches in WWE, which also included comments by various wrestlers involved in those matches speaking of their time working with Huber.[253] At the2021 Royal Rumble, The New Day wore custom ring gear honoring Huber, later auctioning off the gear with all the proceeds going to Foodlink, a nonprofit foodbank based in Huber's hometown Rochester.[254]
AtWrestleMania 37 in April 2021, Bray Wyatt (who had largely been off television since before Huber's death) honored Huber by shouting Huber's "yeah, yeah, yeah" catchphrase during his match.[255] Wyatt later died from a heart attack on August 24, 2023, at the age of 36, leaving Rowan as the only surviving original Wyatt Family member.
The 236th episode ofThe Young Bucks'YouTube seriesBeing The Elite (BTE) was titled "Brodie", featuring a compilation of Lee'sBTE appearances.[256] The following episode was titled "Tribute", featuring behind the scenes clips from his Celebration of Life memorial show.[257] Since then, a painting of Huber has been present in The Dark Order's usual meeting room for their segments onBTE. The Dark Order members also continue to often wear Brodie Lee shirts and "RIP Brodie" armbands.[258]
The December 30 episode ofAEW Dynamite, which was aspecial episode titled "Brodie Lee Celebration of Life", featured matches and segments with fellow wrestlers honoring and paying tribute to Huber and his family. Every match on the card featured members of Huber's faction,The Dark Order.[259] The memorial show began with the entire AEW roster onstage and commentatorJim Ross saying, "It's Wednesday and you know what that means", followed by aten-bell salute.[260] In the middle of the show, Huber's former long-time WWE tag team partner Erick Rowan, now under the name Erick Redbeard, made his AEW debut and held up a sign which said, "Goodbye for now, my brother. See you down the road." At the end of the show, Huber's widow and son left his wrestling boots and a purple bandana in the middle of the ring. As Huber was a former TNT Champion, AEW retired the red strap version of the title belt that had been used up to that point in honor of Huber, and presented the belt to Huber's son Brodie, with AEW President and CEOTony Khan stating that Lee's son was "TNT Champion for life". Khan also regarded Huber as the greatest TNT Champion.[261] A tribute video with "Ol' '55" byTom Waits closed the show.[262] Khan purchased the rights to the song inperpetuity, which he did "so the tribute will last forever".[263] AEW has since adopted "it's Wednesday night, (and) you know what that means" as the standard introduction for episodes ofAEW Dynamite, as further tribute to Huber. As Huber was a prominent figure for AEW during its time atDaily's Place inJacksonville, Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic and with AEW's return to the venue in January 2024 for the two-partHomecoming special, AEW again paid tribute to Huber, airing a video package during the event and had three multi-person tag team matches with current and former members of The Dark Order.[264]
During the tribute show,Pro Wrestling Tees'Shop AEW store released a T-shirt in memory of Lee with all proceeds benefiting The Huber Family.[265] In less than two hours, it set a new record for most shirts sold within 24 hours, breakingSting's previous record.[266] In just under four hours, it became the highest selling T-shirt of 2020, breakingOrange Cassidy's previous record.[267]
Night 1 ofNew Japan Pro-Wrestling'sWrestle Kingdom 15 started with commentatorKevin Kelly saying "it's January 4th, you know what that means" and dedicating the broadcast to Lee.[268] In March 2021, wrestling journalistDave Meltzer presented theShad Gaspard/Jon Huber Memorial Award, named after Huber and fellow wrestlerShad Gaspard, who died in May 2020 while saving his young son from drowning, which is dedicated to people involved in professional wrestling who make positive contributions to society.[269]
In August 2021,CM Punk revealed that Huber's death and how well his illness was kept secret amongst the AEW locker room out of respect inspired him to end his seven-year hiatus from wrestling, which began when he became disillusioned with WWE.[270] Bryan Danielson also spoke about how the Brodie Lee Tribute Show inspired him to sign for AEW.[271]
In September 2021, one week after winning the WWE Championship, Big E celebrated with The New Day and thanked the fans for their support and from "one incredible friend above" as the fans began to chant Huber's ring name.[272]
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