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What's the story?
Luke Harper made a surprise appearance as part of a recent NXT Live Event and given the fact that Erick Rowan is currently on the shelf, Harper is expected to be part of a number of other NXT Live Events in the future.
In case you didn't know...
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are former SmackDown Tag Team Champions but Rowan suffered an injury in their title defence against The New Day back at SummerSlam and a few days later the duo dropped their titles in a no disqualification match on SmackDown Live.
Rowan was later evaluated and he is now expected to spend around eight months on the shelf after suffering a torn bicep. Harper and Rowan are yet to have their rematch for the Championships, but in the meantime, WWE needs to find a way to use Harper on WWE TV.
The heart of the matter
Harper made a surprise appearance as part of an NXT Live event in Buffalo last week, which is his hometown and challenged Ricochet for the North American Championship in a losing effort. Harper is a former NXT Tag Team Champion and obviously returned to developmental whilst Rowan is on the shelf, but Bryan Alvarez noted on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Live that Harper is expected to be part of a number of other shows in the future.
“They sent Luke Harper to NXT. It’s not like he’s being sent down to NXT like he’s being demoted but the [Rowan] is on the shelf," he said via Ringsidenews. They had him do the Buffalo New York show because he lives in Buffalo. They’re probably going to have him do some other NXT shows in the meantime.”
What's next?
Rowan isn't expected to make his return to WWE until 2019, but Harper will continue to make solo appearances until his partner makes his return.
Who do you think Harper will face in NXT next? Have your say in the comments section below...
