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Remembering The Life And Tragic Death Of Brodie Lee

Sid Pullar III|
allelitewrestling.com

Professional wrestling has seen many tragic deaths in the past three decades, but there might not be another as sad as the passing of Brodie Lee.

Formerly known as Luke Harper in WWE, Lee, real name Jonathan Huber, passed away on December 26, 2020. Huber's connection with his peers whether it be from WWE or AEW was something special that sees his career still being honored by talent to this day.

At just 41 years old, Lee left behind a legacy of being an exceptional individual inside and outside the squared circle. From his time coming up on the indies to his final days as the leader of the Dark Order in AEW, here's his story.

Rising the ranks on the indies

Beginning his wrestling career in 2003, Jonathan Huber got his start as a backyard wrestler. Coming up with his ring name of Brodie Lee from Jason Lee's Brodie Bruce character from "Mallrats," his look immediately made him stand out and drew attention.

Impressing wrestlers and fans alike with his combination of size, speed and agility, Lee became a standout in the CHIKARA independent promotion, while making his presence known in other companies, such as Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate USA and Evolve.

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After making a name for himself with hard hitting brawls on the indies, Brodie garnered the eye of WWE, which led to their call in 2012.

WWE run & The Wyatt Family

Signing a developmental deal with WWE in March 2012, Brodie Lee made his debut for the company's Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory. Upon the rebrand to NXT in August that same year, Brodie debuted under the new ring name of Luke Harper.

Introduced as "the first son" of The Wyatt Family, Harper's alliance with Bray Wyatt became a signature of his time with WWE. Alongside Erick Rowan, Harper was devoted to Bray and would be his loyal follower from NXT to the main roster. Running roughshod over the developmental brand, Harper and Rowan captured the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Harper would get involved in Wyatt's signature rivalries in the company as well. From John Cena to The Undertaker, Harper got to mix it up with some of the biggest legends in WWE history. In the faction, Harper was also able to hold the SmackDown Tag Team Championships with Wyatt and Randy Orton in 2016.

Eventually leaving the Wyatt Family, Harper would go on to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship and also held the SmackDown Tag Team gold with Erick Rowan as the Bludgeon Brothers. After seven years with the promotion, Huber was released from his WWE contract in 2019.

Coming to AEW

Making a shocking arrival on the March 18, 2020 edition of AEW Dynamite, Brodie Lee was introduced as "The Exalted One" in the Dark Order. Adopting a character with similar traits to Vince McMahon, Lee got his persona over due to sheer dedication to the act.

Reshaping the Dark Order in his image, Lee recruited the likes of Anna Jay and Preston Vance into the group and made a significant impact on the careers of everyone in the stable. Lee instantly became one of the more prominent featured stars on AEW programming and challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title at Double Or Nothing 2020.

Winning the TNT Championship in a one-sided affair against Cody Rhodes, Lee was able to be thrusted into a top heel position for the promotion. After concluding his feud with Rhodes in a bloody Dog Collar Match, Lee was absent from AEW television for several months.

Tragic passing

After months in a clinic receiving treatment for a serious lung issue, Jonathan Huber passed away at the age of 41 at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. It was later revealed that Huber had been moved to an intensive care unit in late October.

Brodie Lee's wife Amanda Huber spoke with the AEW Unrestricted podcast in January 2021 and revealed her husband died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is a very rare condition that causes severe lung issues until they are not functional anymore.

WWE & AEW tributes

Since Brodie Lee's tragic passing, both WWE and AEW stars have made sure to honor his career as well as his family the best they can.

All Elite Wrestling were the first to celebrate the life and career of Brodie Lee following his passing with their December 30, 2020 "Brodie Lee Celebration of Life" episode of AEW Dynamite. The show featured matches with Dark Order members and several top stars delivering teary eyed testimonies of their time spent with the late great star.

Brodie's wife Amanda Huber currently works on the production side in AEW. The two have two sons, Brodie and Nolan. After Huber's passing, Brodie Jr. signed a contract with AEW, becoming the youngest member of the roster at just the age of eight.

Brodie Jr. has also been seen at several different WWE events over the years with Cody Rhodes and Natalya. Brodie was also in the ring for Cody's emotional in-ring celebration after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania XL: Night Two.

Most recently, WWE stars Sami Zayn, Jey Uso and Braun Strowman honored Brodie and his former stablemate Bray Wyatt's families with an in-ring "YEET" tribute following the live December 27 edition of SmackDown. Both major companies in wrestling have made sure that fans never forget the memory of Brodie Lee.

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Published
Sid Pullar III
SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who has been covering the business for the past eight years. Starting off as a podcaster and creator of the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling YouTube channel, he made the transition to news and feature writing with Sportskeeda and WrestleTalk in 2020. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as Fightful, WrestleTalk, The Takedown and more. Follow him on X @TruHeelSP3

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