AEW News: Brodie Lee, AKA Luke Harper, Opens Up About Stressful Debut
All Elite Wrestling‘s Brodie Lee recently appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, as 411 Mania reported, to discuss his debut for the company. The former WWE superstar — who went by the name Luke Harper — was unveiled as the mysterious Exalted One of the Dark Order on a recent episode of Dynamite. The storyline is arguably the biggest of Lee’s career so far, but he told Chris Jericho that he wasn’t excited in the lead up to his big moment.
According to Lee, he had been feeling the pressure all day, presumably because he had been off of live television for so long before joining AEW. However, Lee also said that when the time came for his segment, he felt the excitement.
“I was very stressed out about it. More than I thought I would be, and not, I think, as excited or pumped up as I should have been. And then it came on like super fast. They’re like, ‘Well, the tag match is in the ring, you guys are next.’ And I was like, ‘Holy s***, it’s time to go.’ And then that’s when it got keyed up and I was all pumped up. And like doing the promo and the way it came out, I felt really good about everything.”
Lee’s debut was also notable as it took place during AEW’s first ever show without any fans in attendance due to the coronavirus outbreak. That undoubtedly added to Lee’s pressure, as he was used to performing in front of large crowds before joining the company.
”My name is #BrodieLee, and I'm the #ExaltedOne” pic.twitter.com/keD8So330g
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 19, 2020
However, his debut was well received by the fans watching at home, and he looks set to receive a monster push by the company moving forward. On the latest edition of Dynamite, he was featured in a controversial segment which saw him take shots at Vince McMahon, as he impersonated the WWE chairman while eating a steak and shouting at his followers. The vignette has been a major topic of discussion ever since, as it reportedly angered some people in the industry.
The former WWE superstar also revealed that AEW president Tony Khan gave him the option to delay the debut given the conditions it was under. However, Lee opted to go ahead with it as he hadn’t been on television for a long time, and he had no idea how long he’d have to wait for another opportunity if he postponed his first AEW appearance.
