It’s been a long time since I’ve posted about the passing of a wrestler. Off the top of my head, I think it was either Curt Hennig or Eddie Guererro. That’s how long it’s been.
Over the Christmas weekend, 41-year-old Jon Huber passed away from a non-COVID-related lung issue. Huber wrestled in the WWE as Luke Harper and more recently in All Elite Wrestling as Brodie Lee.
I wasn’t his biggest fan. He wrestled for the WWE during a time that I had stopped watching the product so I wasn’t that familiar with his work. However, when he debuted for AEW I was all about him. He debuted in AEW as the leader of a cult known as Dark Order. Having been underutilized by the WWE, Lee’s character took some not so subtle digs at WWE CEO Vince McMahon.
It was while Lee appeared on Being the Elite that I really started getting into his character. For those not in the know, BTE is a YouTube series that looks at the behind the scenes of AEW. Most of it is out of character and there are a ton of skits. In the past few months, Lee and Dark Order were portrayed as a foul-mouthed boss surrounded by a bunch of idiots.
Some glorious YouTuber has compiled all of Brodie Lee’s bits from BTE.
Brodie Lee last appeared on TV in early October. He lost the TNT Title to Cody Rhodes in a dog collar match. That would be Brodie Lee’s final wrestling match.
Brodie Lee’s passing hit me hard and I’m not one to usually lament a celebrity’s death. What first affected me about his passing was his age. I’m 52 and I don’t feel like I’ve fulfilled my life’s purpose yet. At 41 I’m sure he had a lot left he wanted to accomplish and now those plans will go unfinished. I think what else got to me was that his passing wasn’t a ‘typical’ wrestler’s passing. He didn’t die from drugs or real-world violence like so many of his predecessors have. By most reports, he was well-liked in every promotion he worked for. The outpouring of support on social media was almost unprecedented. I also felt heartbroken when I learned that he was a caring family man being survived by his wife and two young sons.
He was taken too soon and deserved a lot more time on this earth, My prayers and condolences go out to his friends and family.
The Trench Reynolds Report 