[Editor’s note] Looking at the metrics of who reads us, and also what demographics you seem to be in, there’s a high chance that a lot of you are either interested in or fans of professional wrestling. Davey, who writes for us, has been a fan since he was a small boy, and has written about professional wrestling for other sites. Plus, the man who’s mentioned in this obituary was a frequent guest of UpUpDownDown, where wrestlers play video games on Twitch].
Good Morning, folks, I’m afraid that this piece of news is not going to be the most pleasant, and for once, I’m speaking as myself and not the snarky dickhead that you’re used to hearing from.
It is with great sadness that we must inform you that Jonathan Huber (otherwise known as Brodie Lee or Luke Harper in WWE) has passed away aged 41.
Huber had taken up amateur wrestling at high school, before turning to the squared circle and wrestling across the North East coast of the USA.
In his early career, Huiber had been trained by Kirby Marcos and Rik Matrix in his home town of Rochester, NY, before completing his training under Tony Mamaluke in Schenectady NY, and making his debut in 2003 for Roc City Wrestling. The name “Brodie Lee” derives from the Kevin Smith films, being a mix of Jason Lee and his character’s name in the Smith’s View Askewniverse.
4 years after being trained, Huber got signed to Chikara Wrestling in 2007, where he’d spend the next 5 years as a heel, first being part of stable of heels, and then on his own, where his gigantic frame would earn him the nickname “Big Rig”, a name once given to Bruiser Brody. Huber would be compared to Bruiser Brody for the rest of his career, and indeed, the two men have passed away at similar ages.
In 2012, Huber signed on to a developmental contract with WWE, where he’d debut under the name Luke Harper for their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). 3 months later, FCW became NXT, and Huber became part of the villainous Wyatt Family stable. The Wyatt Family had a backwoods bayou cult feel to their gimmick, and as such, friction was felt between Vincent K McMahon and Huber because Huber couldn’t successfully emulate a southern USA accent. We know about this due to the Jericho Podcast.
Huber’s last match with the WWE happened in Saudi Arabia, as part of their “Crown Jewel” Propaganda-meets-wrestling events. Following his departure, Huber then trademarked his old ring name (Brodie Lee) as well as putting “Mister” in front of the name. On December 8th of 2019, it was formally announced that he and the WWE had parted ways, with WWE wishing him their usual “future endeavours” shtick. This author’s gonna go out on a limb here and wish that they hadn’t, as Huber then turned up on Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho” podcast, where he would spend two hours slamming the company, Vince McMahon and the creative process.
As soon as the “no compete” clause in his termination papers had been completed, Jon Huber then debuted under the name of Mister Brodie Lee (revealed to be The Dark Order’s Exalted One), where he would play a Vince McMahon parody character and go on a near-three month undefeated streak before losing to Jon Moxley at AEW’s “Double or Nothing” event at the end of May 2020.
Following a month away from the squared circle, Huber then challenged Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship, where he would win and briefly hold on to the title before dropping it after 55 days. It’s unknown at the time of writing this whether the title loss was due to his illness.
As of the time of writing this piece, we know officially that Huber had been suffering from a non-coronavirus related lung condition, which has claimed his life at the mere age of 41.
Huber had won gold in every promotion he’d been a part of, and from this author who’d met him at a WWE Live Event in Manchester England a few years ago, the man really was larger than life. Not just because he was 6’5”, but his personality away from the ring.
Tonight we light the candle, and in the world of professional wrestling, ten-bell salutes are likely to be heard. From myself, the Gamerhub, and from wrestling fans the wide world over, Jonathan Huber, we thank you.
Yours,
Davey
