Luke Harper Jon Huber ( December 16 , 1979 ) is an American professional wrestler . Since March 2012 , he has been signed to WWE under the ring name Luke Harper , a member of The Wyatt Family . He is best known for his work on the North American independent circuit under his former ring name Brodie Lee , working for promotions such as Alpha - 1 Wrestling , Chikara , Combat Zone Wrestling , Dragon Gate USA , Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor . Professional wrestling career . Early career . After being trained by Kirby Marcos and Rik Matrix in Rochester , New York , and Tony Mamaluke in Schenectady , New York , Huber made his professional wrestling debut for Roc City Wrestling in late 2002 , working under a mask as Huberboy # 2 . He would eventually unmask while still using the Huberboy # 2 name . During 2003 , Huber began working for Rochester Pro Wrestling ( RPW ) , adopting the new ring name Brodie Lee , which he came up with from the movie " Mallrats " by combining the names of actor Jason Lee and his character Brodie Bruce . Huber cites Rick Rude , Jake Roberts and Big Show as his influences . Throughout his time in RPW , which was later renamed to NWA Upstate and then again to NWA New York , Lee would go on to win multiple championships including the Heavyweight Championship on three separate occasions , the Tag Team Championship once and the Television Championship once , which he would also proceed to unify with the Kayfabe Dojo Championship . Huber has described his original " The Right Stuff " gimmick as him " just having fun " and " being a cruiserweight " . Chikara ( 2007 – 2012 ) . Huber made his debut for Philadelphia - based Chikara on March 24 , 2007 , at " Time Will Prove Everything " , using the " The Right Stuff " Brodie Lee gimmick and losing to Equinox . Lee originally was not scheduled to wrestle at the event , but was instead visiting backstage with friends . However , when Reckless Youth no - showed the event , Chikara booker Mike Quackenbush offered Lee the chance to get in the ring . Lee would return to the company two months later , defeating Equinox in a rematch and starting a streak of not being pinned or submitted that would last for the rest of the year . In August , Lee aligned himself with the Olsen Twins ( Colin and Jimmy ) and adopted the nickname " Big Rig " and a more serious gimmick of a trucker . Lee and the Olsen Twins were scheduled to enter the 2008 King of Trios tournament as Team Dr . Keith , but after Colin signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) , the team was left one man short . A random draw picked Retail Dragon as his replacement , but after he dropped the deciding fall in their opening round match against Cheech , Cloudy and m . c . KZ , Lee turned on him while simultaneously ending his alliance with Jimmy Olsen in the process . In April 2008 , Lee ' s bullying of smaller wrestlers led to Claudio Castagnoli issuing a challenge to him . Their first match on April 20 ended in Castagnoli being disqualified for accidentally kicking the referee of the match . The second match on May 24 ended in similar fashion , this time Lee was disqualified for kicking the referee . This led to a No 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 up the Kings of Wrestling the previous year . Lee ' s and Castagnoli ' s feud ended on September 7 , 2008 , in Chikara ' s first - ever steel cage match , with Castagnoli coming out victorious . In late 2008 , Lee aligned himself with Eddie Kingston and Grizzly Redwood to form a stable called The Roughnecks . On February 21 , 2009 , The Roughnecks defeated UltraMantis Black , Crossbones and Sami Callihan to earn a spot in the 2009 King of Trios tournament . On March 27 , The Roughnecks lost their King of Trios opening round match to Team Uppercut ( Bryan Danielson , Claudio Castagnoli and Dave Taylor ) . When Kingston moved on to feuding with Castagnoli , Lee and Redwood began wrestling matches as a tag team . 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 the Campeonatos de Parejas . On October 17 , 2009 , Lee and Redwood challenged The Colony ( Fire Ant and Soldier Ant ) for the Championship , but were defeated in two straight falls . Lee opted to give Redwood one more chance , but when he dropped the fall on October 19 in a match against The Osirian Portal ( Amasis and Ophidian ) , Lee kicked him in the face , effectively ending The Roughnecks . Redwood made his return six months later on April 24 , 2010 , as a surprise opponent of Lee ' s , but was easily defeated by him . Afterwards , Redwood stated that he was not done with Lee , but would prepare himself before their next match . On August 29 Lee entered the Countdown Showdown battle royal and was dominating the match , before being eliminated by Redwood . On October 23 Lee suffered an upset loss in a match against Dasher Hatfield , who was defeated by Redwood the following day . On November 20 Lee and Redwood , having earned each other ' s respect , re – united and attacked Hatfield after his match with Shayne " Buck " Hawke . On January 23 , 2011 , at the season ten premiere , the Roughnecks defeated the Throwbacks ( Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton ) in a tag team match . The Roughnecks and the Throwbacks ended their feud on March 13 in a lumberjack match , where Hatfield and Dunkerton were victorious . In May 2011 , Lee entered the " " , set to determine the inaugural Chikara Grand Champion , but was forced to pull out of the tournament following his first match , after suffering an injury . Lee returned to Chikara on October 30 . 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 . Squared Circle Wrestling ( 2007 – 2012 ) . Lee made his debut for Syracuse , New York – based Squared Circle Wrestling ( 2CW ) on August 20 , 2007 , teaming with Colin Olsen , as a replacement tag team partner for Jimmy Olsen , in a tag team match , where they were defeated by the Wyld Stallyns . Lee started off as a heel aligned with the rival promotion NWA Upstate . Lee started becoming popular after a July 26 , 2008 , post – match incident in Binghamton , New York that ended with him punching out a fan in the parking lot . Lee was kayfabe suspended from 2CW over the incident . He returned on October 24 to a huge ovation , although he was still a heel , leading NWA Upstate to a victory in an eight - man tag team main event . He officially became a babyface starting April 2009 when the rivalry between 2CW and NWA Upstate had subsided . Lee then started a friendly rivalry with Slyck Wagner Brown that saw both men trade wins in singles matches on June 6 and September 19 , 2009 . Lee defeated Brown in a rubber match on February 19 , 2010 , and then again in a two out of three falls match on April 3 , 2010 , to end the feud . Lee challenged Jason Axe for the 2CW Heavyweight Championship on June 20 , 2010 , but lost due to outside interference . Lee defeated Isys Ephex on July 10 in a number one contender ' s match to earn another shot at the title and , on August 22 in Watertown , New York , defeated Jason Axe to win the 2CW Heavyweight Championship for the first time . Lee made a successful first defense of the title against the former champion , Jason Axe , in an " I Quit " match in Binghamton , New York , on September 24 , 2010 . Lee lost the title to Slyck Wagner Brown on November 19 , 2010 , in Elmira , New York . Lee regained the title on April 13 , 2012 , in a four - way match with Jay Freddie , Slyck Wagner Brown and Kevin Steen , who stole the belt after the match . The following night , with the title belt still in Steen ' s possession , Lee successfully defended the 2CW Heavyweight Championship in another four - way against Jason Axe , Jay Freddie and Matt Milan and afterwards relinquished it , announcing that he had signed with WWE and would be contractually unable to defend it in the future . Ring of Honor ( 2008 – 2009 ) . Lee made his debut for Ring of Honor on October 25 , 2008 , aligning himself with The Age of the Fall and helping the stable ' s leader Jimmy Jacobs defeat Austin Aries in an Anything Goes match . Lee then teamed with fellow Age of the Fall member Delirious and defeated Cheech and Cloudy in a tag team match , before ending the night by attacking Necro Butcher , with whom the stable was feuding with , after his match with Go Shiozaki . 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 . Lee and Necro Butcher had a rematch under Anything Goes rules on February 27 , 2009 , which Necro won . In March Delirious turned on the Age of the Fall and on May 30 he defeated Lee in his final ROH match to date . Jersey All Pro Wrestling ( 2009 – 2011 ) . Lee made his debut for Jersey All Pro Wrestling on March 28 , 2009 , as a member of the Hillbilly Wrecking Crew , along with Necro Butcher and Trevor Murdoch . On August 1 Lee and Necro defeated the Garden State Gods ( Corvis Fear and Myke Quest ) to win the JAPW Tag Team Championship . On January 23 , 2010 , at JAPW ' s 12th Anniversary Show Lee and Necro lost the title to Da Heavy Hitters ( Havok and Monsta Mack ) in a three - way match , which also included the H8 Club ( Nate Hatred and Nick Gage ) . On March 20 Lee got to challenge for the JAPW Heavyweight Championship , but was defeated by the defending champion Dan Maff . After the match Nick Gage attacked Maff and joined the Hillbilly Wrecking Crew , replacing Murdoch , who had left the company . On May 22 Lee and Necro faced Maff and the JAPW New Jersey State Champion Charlie 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 to pin Haas , after Maff had turned on him , to become the new JAPW New Jersey State Champion . On October 23 , 2010 , Lee challenged Dan Maff for the JAPW Heavyweight Championship in a Champion vs . Champion match , but was defeated . 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 a Championship Scramble to win the JAPW Heavyweight Championship for the first time , unifying the two titles . Lee made his first JAPW Heavyweight Championship defense on December 11 , during the Anniversary weekend , defeating Rhino with help from Nick Gage . 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 Heavyweight Championship . Evolve ( 2010 – 2011 ) . Lee debuted for Evolve on January 16 , 2010 , at the promotion ' s first ever show , teaming with Gran Akuma and Icarus in a six - man tag team match , where they were defeated by Team Frightning ( Mike Quackenbush , Hallowicked and Frightmare ) . 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 . At the fourth show on July 23 , Lee wrestled Jon Moxley to a no contest . As Moxley was protesting the stoppage , Lee kicked a chair into his face , which led to Evolve suspending him for the September 11 show . Lee returned to Evolve on May 20 , 2011 , in a match , where he was defeated by Sami Callihan via submission . Dragon Gate USA ( 2010 – 2011 ) . On May 8 , 2010 , Lee made his debut for Dragon Gate USA , defeating Cheech , Cloudy , Kyle O ' Reilly , Phil Atlas , Xtremo , Brent B . and Anthony Fiasco in a dark eight – way fray elimination match , prior to the tapings of the Uprising pay - per - view . Later , on the pay - per - view section of the evening , Lee interrupted a match between Rip Impact and Johnny Wave and beat down both of the competitors , before announcing that next time he would be coming after a Japanese wrestler . At the following event on September 25 , Lee defeated Da Soul Touchaz ( Acid Jaz , Marshe Rockett and Willie Richardson ) in a three – on – one handicap match , before repeating his threat of going after a Japanese competitor . Later in the night Lee set his sights on Yamato and chased him away from ringside , when he tried to interfere in a match between his ally Jon Moxley and Jimmy Jacobs . The following day Lee defeated Jimmy Jacobs , Kyle O ' Reilly , Mike Quackenbush , Rich Swann and Silas Young in a six – way match . On October 29 at Dragon Gate USA ' s first live pay - per - view , Bushido : Code of the Warrior , Lee teamed with sumo legend Akebono Tarō 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 . At the following day ' s tapings of Freedom Fight 2010 , Lee defeated Akebono in a singles match . On January 28 , 2011 , at " United : NYC " , Lee , now representing the heel group Blood Warriors , defeated Jimmy Jacobs in a singles match . The following day at " United : Philly " , Lee suffered his first loss in Dragon Gate USA , when he was defeated by Open the Freedom Gate Champion Yamato in a non – title match . Dragon Gate ( 2010 – 2011 ) . On December 21 , 2010 , Lee made his debut for Japanese promotion Dragon Gate in Tokyo , where he , representing the Warriors stable , defeated Kzy . The Warriors stable turned heel on January 14 , 2011 , when they attacked Masato Yoshino and World – 1 , aligning themselves with Naruki Doi ' s group , though Lee himself was not present , as he was snowed in and could not make the show . The following day Lee made his return to Dragon Gate as a member of the new top heel group , in a match , where he , Gamma and Genki Horiguchi defeated Yamato , Kagetora and Diablo . On January 18 the new group was named Blood Warriors . WWE . The Wyatt Family ( 2012 – 2014 ) . On March 12 , 2012 , it was reported that Huber had signed a developmental contract with WWE . Huber made his debut for WWE ' s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling ( FCW ) at a house show on May 18 , working under the new ring name Luke Harper . When FCW was rebranded as NXT Wrestling in August 2012 , Harper made his television debut on the November 7 episode of " NXT " as a follower of Bray Wyatt , who introduced Harper as the " first son " of The Wyatt Family . The Wyatt Family later also came to include Wyatt ' s " second son " Erick Rowan , with whom Harper formed a tag team , with the two defeating Percy Watson and Yoshi Tatsu in their first match together on the January 9 , 2013 , episode of " NXT " . On the January 23 episode of " NXT " , Harper and Rowan again defeated Watson and Tatsu in the opening round of the NXT Tag Team Championship tournament . Following a win over Bo Dallas and Michael McGillicutty in the semi - finals with Wyatt ' s interference , Harper and Rowan were defeated in the finals of the tournament by Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey . Harper defeated tag champion Neville on the March 20 episode of " NXT " . On the May 2 episode of " NXT " , Harper and Rowan won a triple threat elimination tag match by last pinning tag champion Neville . On the May 8 " NXT " ( taped on May 2 ) , Harper and Rowan defeated Neville and Bo Dallas , filling in for the injured Grey , to win the tag title . On the June 5 " NXT " , Harper and Rowan successfully retained their title against Corey Graves and Kassius Ohno . On June 20 , Harper and Rowan lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Adrian Neville and Corey Graves . From the May 27 episode of " Raw " , WWE aired vignettes promoting the upcoming debut of the Wyatt Family . The vignettes showed the Wyatt Family ' s backwoods origins . On the July 8 episode of " Raw " , the Wyatt Family made their debut by assaulting Kane . Harper made his WWE in - ring debut on the July 26 episode of " SmackDown " , where he and Rowan defeated Tons of Funk ( Brodus Clay and Tensai ) in a tag team match . Over the next few months , Harper and Rowan went on a winning streak over many teams , until Cody Rhodes and Goldust handed them their first loss on the October 11 episode of " SmackDown " . After the Wyatt Family started feuding with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan , Harper wrestled two singles matches , losing to Punk on the November 4 episode of " Raw " and to Bryan via disqualification on the November 8 episode of " SmackDown " . In early 2014 , Harper took part in the Wyatt Family ' s feud with The Shield , while also supporting Bray Wyatt in his feud with John Cena through WrestleMania XXX . Through Wyatt ' s feud with Cena , Harper and Rowan also started their own feud with the WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos ( Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso ) , who supported Cena in the feud . < nowiki > < / nowiki > Harper and Rowan went on to unsuccessfully challenge the Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship first in a regular tag team match on June 29 at Money in the Bank and then in a two out of three falls match on July 20 at Battleground . Intercontinental Champion ( 2014 ) . The September 29 " Raw " featured a vignette , where Wyatt set Harper free , saying he had fixed him and given him a reason to exist . After a series of video vignettes aimed at Dolph Ziggler , Harper made his return to TV during the closing moments of the November 10 " Raw " , throwing an unconscious Ziggler at Triple H and Stephanie McMahon ' s feet , expressing his desire to join their team at Survivor Series against John Cena ' s . On the November 17 episode of " Raw " , Harper officially joined Team Authority Immediately after , Harper was awarded an impromptu match for the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler , which Harper won to capture his first title in WWE . He eventually lost it to Dolph Ziggler in a Ladder Math at TLC .