Luke Harper on Losing in His Home Town, Almost Leaving Wrestling for Good, Joining WWE at 32

Sometimes WWE can be a sanctuary for some, a curse for others. In the case of Luke Harper, maybe it is both, as he seems to indicate.

WrestlingInc reports that WWE ‘Smackdown Live’ competitor Luke Harper recently appeared on Democrat & Chronicle, where he spoke about how it feels to lose in his home town, how he almost left wrestling for good and joining WWE at 32 years of age.

Harper lives in Rochester, New York and has lost three times so far whilst in WWE while they performed there. Harper thinks it sucks that WWE tend to have the person lose in their home state or town. He says he had a match with Dolph Ziggler that he in particular should have won but didn’t.

“I know about (the curse), and I feel that, and trust me it sucks. I actually had a really great match with Dolph Ziggler here that I thought I should have won and I didn’t. That really sticks in my craw. It’s something I think about …but it’s nothing that’s in my control.”

In 2011, Harper almost left wrestling as he was in Japan, far away, when his wife was pregnant. He says that WWE is who drew him back in when he was almost ready to quit, by giving him a tryout.

“I said to her, ‘This is it. I’m done. I can’t be away from you, we just have to figure something out.’ I was just going to wrestle locally and I come back from the tour, make the decision, everything’s good, then WWE calls and says ‘Hey, we want you to come try out.’ So, literally, I was as far out as I’ve ever been in my life away from pro wrestling, and they instantly pulled me back in and it was back to it.”

Harper would join WWE at 32 years of age. He says he is glad he got to WWE at this age and not prior, as he believes everything happens for a reason.

“Learning the way I did gave me more of a foundation than if I didn’t. I’m glad I didn’t get to WWE until I did because I was more complete at 32 than I was at 25. It all happens for a reason, but if I tried to tell myself that at the time I would have said ‘Screw you.’ “

Luke Harper recently defeated former ally Erick Rowan of The Wyatt Family at ‘Backlash‘ after previously suffering a defeat at Rowan’s hands.

Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan: SmackDown LIVE, May 9, 2017

Editor’s Note:

I am a fan of every member of The Wyatt Family. I do hope Harper does something amazing while on ‘Smackdown Live,’ such as capture the Tag Titles with Rowan or potentially a singles title in either the WWE or United States Championship. All depends on his booking.

What are your thoughts on Harper? Do you agree with his thinking about hometown losses? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page or Twitter account. Additionally, you can find me on Twitter at @SOSNH1995.