Luke Harper stands tall among the large group of ‘big-men’ on the current WWE roster and his performances against Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton certainly turned heads within the company. His match against AJ Styles for a spot at WrestleMania 33 was phenomenal as well.

His battle with The Phenomenal One was heavily controversial as there was a special match stipulation in place. A 10-man battle royal was scheduled to determine the contender for the title after Orton refused his direct shot at Wyatt.

Both men fell out of the ring simultaneously and the referees could not select a winner, so they decided on a draw. Daniel Bryan ran out to the ring to diffuse the situation and scheduled the following match, which was more compelling than it seemed coming into that confrontation.

In that confrontation, he did not prevail and was not in the big match at The Ultimate Thrill Ride, but he has been gaining respect for his work ethic. Fans would like to see another large former member of the Wyatt Family get a push in 2017.

The plans for him after the Superstar Shakeup are still very hazy, but that hasn’t stopped him from working hard on his build. The key to getting that push when the opportunity comes is staying ready, just ask Jinder Mahal.

Harper’s size does not jump off the screen like The Big Show or Mark Henry, but rather he stands aloof like Kane did. That difference in frame means that he can make some decisions about his size and it looks like he’s made some positive moves lately on Instagram.

Social media posts like this did wonders for The Big Show’s image heading into WrestleMania this year and maybe Harper intends to do the same. He looks more lean than ever and is obviously enjoying the travel outside of the country.

After a dislocated patella and a torn medial patellofemoral ligament last March, he had six months of rehab and then returned in October to join Bray Wyatt. That time getting into better shape has made all the difference for him as of late.

People have been quick to praise his change in attire over the past year and now that attention is being paid to his physical shape. If he continues to work on himself and be patient a push could be coming his way in the near future.

Time will tell what the creative team has planned for Harper, but as long as he continues on this trajectory, the changes can’t help but be positive.

The third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-all-the-fallout-from-wwe-payback