Sadly, the wrestling world is in mourning as Jon Huber, better known as Brodie Lee in All Elite Wrestling and Luke Harper in WWE passed away on the day after Christmas at the age of 41.
In the time since his passing, the wrestling world has flooded social media with touching tributes all emphasizing the good man that Huber was away from the camera and how much he loved his family. In this way, he is very similar to Mick Foley, who -- despite his hardcore wrestling legacy -- was always known as a kind man behind the curtain.
Mick Foley took to his personal Facebook page to say a few words about Huber, whom he called Luke Harper for the majority of the time that he knew him, and reminisced on some discussions he and Brodie Lee had late last year when Brodie was frustrated with his positioning in WWE.
Mick would say that as a performer, even when a particular storyline is thriving, sometimes you are still left wanting more and in his eyes, Brodie Lee was proving to the world what he could do as a singles performer before his untimely passing.
"Following Jon’s death, I looked back on our messages and saw that we had exchanged a series of messages in 2019 when he was considering leaving the company," said Mick. "I mentioned that as much as I loved WWE, I understood there were times that a performer who felt like they had more to offer might need to leave it. I last saw Jon on October 8, 2019, when he joined me on stage for the Q&A at my event in Buffalo. He felt like he had the weight of the world off his shoulders and was ready to show the world what he could do on his own."
Mick continued, "He was doing exactly that on a weekly basis - really coming into his own as a main event performer, doing things his own way, on his own terms. I was thinking how tragic it was he was struck down by illness in the prime of his career. But looking at this promo - possibly the last promo of his career - I don’t think we had actually seen John Huber in his prime. I really believe the best he had to offer was yet to come."
Mick Foley has also followed in the footsteps of CM Punk and decided that all of his merchandise sales in January from his Pro Wrestling Tees store will go to benefiting the family of Brodie Lee.
This is a great idea by @CMPunk - a great way to show Jon Huber’s family we care. Please count me in for 100% of my January @PWTees proceeds. https://t.co/7pvPfivuUL https://t.co/BAb0yuxsOp
— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) December 28, 2020
You can see more touching tributes to Lee at this link.
