Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon is the chairman and CEO of WWE. In this picture, McMahon is introduced during the WWE Monday Night Raw show at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Aug. 24, 2009. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Luke Harper’s struggle with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) continues with reports now suggesting that Vince McMahon, the chairman of the company, has a grudge against the pro-wrestler, which was the reason his release was not granted.

According to Fightful, the CEO of WWE has a “long-term issue” with Harper and because of that McMahon decided to hate anything that the pro-wrestler was part of. He is expected to be shelved until his contract expires.

The former Intercontinental and tag team champion requested his release earlier this year along with a heartfelt message of thanks to the entire company including the management. But his request was rejected and it has now been revealed that six months was added to his deal for his absence at the end of 2018 and the start of 2019 owing to a wrist injury.

Harper’s contract that was set to expire in November 2019 will now only conclude in May 2020, which makes him available until after WrestleMania 36. But owing to the grudge held by McMahon, he is not expected to be used until he can walk away from the company.

WWE is facing an exodus of sorts with multiple superstars either leaving or requesting their release from the company in recent months. The mood among the wrestlers behind the scenes is said to be not happy at the moment.

Dean Ambrose was the biggest casualty in recent months with the former WWE champion leaving when his contract expired in April while Dustin Rhodes and Tye Dillinger were granted their release from the company. But former RAW tag team champions The Revival and reportedly Sasha Banks’ release requests were rejected.

McMahon is said to be worried about the emergence of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) not in terms of its popularity overtaking the WWE, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon. But the concern is with regard to its capability to attract the top wrestling talent from across the globe. The new promotion is willing to offer lucrative contracts similar to what WWE are capable of doing, which has given pro-wrestlers a genuine option when it comes to earning big money away from WWE.

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