Brodie Lee and 41-year-old star couldn't stand each other in real life; later became good friends

A former WWE Superstar has opened up about his relationship with the late Brodie Lee outside the squared circle.

In 2013, The Wyatt Family made its big debut on WWE's main roster. Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Brodie (fka Luke Harper) targeted Kane upon their debut on RAW. The trio later added Braun Strowman to the stable as well. Brodie and Rowan later formed a tag team named The Bludgeon Brothers and won the SmackDown Tag Team titles on one occasion.

In a recent chat with Chris Van Vliet, Erick Rowan revealed that there was a phase back in the day when he and Brodie Lee couldn't stand each other. He added that the duo had mutual respect for each other towards the end.

Check out his comments below:

"Each journey is different for everybody. There are some wrestlers who can't stand each other outside the ring. Of course, me and Jon [Huber] went through that stage earlier on. It's well-publicized that there was friction between us, and it wasn't until towards the end of The Wyatts stuff and Bludgeon Brothers [that] we just had this mutual respect for each other. The more time we spent together, the more we gelled as a team and as friends. Windham [Bray Wyatt] was no different. He was always there." [H/T WrestlingInc]

Erick Rowan's tribute to Brodie Lee

Lee tragically passed away in December 2020. By that time, he had become a revered figure in All Elite Wrestling. Rowan made an appearance on the Brodie Lee tribute edition of AEW Dynamite and paid tribute to the late star by holding up a sign that stated, "Goodbye for now, my brother. See you down the road."

Rowan hasn't been very active since his WWE release. He does occasionally wrestle on the independent circuit, though.

Were you a fan of The Bludgeon Brothers in WWE? Sound off!