Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon speaks at a news conference announcing the WWE Network at the International CES at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Jan. 8, 2014. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Luke Harper is just one of many WWE talents that have requested his release since the beginning of 2019, but his situation might be one of the most complicated scenarios.

It was originally reported that Harper’s request to be released from his WWE contract had been denied by WWE CEO Vince McMahon. Instead, Harper had his contract extended through 2020’s Wrestlemania due to the time he missed after being injured. The perception has been that McMahon is desperate to keep seemingly unhappy talents, including The Revival and Sasha Banks, from possibly jumping ship to All Elite Wrestling.

And the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter may have provided even further insight into how complex the Luke Harper situation is.

After being told in writing that McMahon wouldn’t grant his release, Harper was lined up to work a program with a returning Sami Zayn after Wrestlemania 35. However, McMahon pulled the plug on the program because he reportedly “didn’t get” Harper and his character. McMahon’s view is also partly influenced by his frustration that Harper can’t do a Southern accent, which the company wanted him to do four years ago.

Then, going into Wrestlemania weekend, Harper was only booked to work Wrestlemania Axxess, working the “Worlds Collide” TV tapings. This included battle royals and a singles match with NXT wrestler Dominik Dijakovic.

McMahon then wondered why he wasn’t working ‘Mania, slotting Harper into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at last minute. However, because the Zayn angle wasn’t going to happen, Harper went home on Monday.

He was then called back for Tuesday night to work a dark match before “Smackdown Live” with EC3. This match was meant to test the pairing of EC3 with Drake Maverick as his manager, given the duos’ history in Impact Wrestling. However, McMahon was not happy with the manager spots during the match and didn’t like Harper’s work. And, according to Meltzer, McMahon’s feelings with the match are why Harper wasn’t placed on either show during the Superstar Shake-Up.

It will be worth keeping an eye on this situation and the other wrestlers trying to get out of WWE to see how McMahon further reacts.

RELATED STORIES