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The Orlando Magic WrestleMania

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 29, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; General overall view of Camping World Stadium exterior and Lake Lorna Doone before the 2017 Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; General overall view of Camping World Stadium exterior and Lake Lorna Doone before the 2017 Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Elfrid Payton is Luke Harper

By Bill Johnson

Elfrid Payton and Luke Harper share characteristics besides their wild hair. They both are men of few words, who ironically have both recently experienced an unexpected career spike.

Elfrid Payton and Luke Harper may seem like opposites, but they are more alike than one may expect. Their similarities are much deeper than wild hair.

These two have a similar personality. Neither talks much, they are both men of action. Not surprisingly their career arcs have both recently received a spike.

Since wrestling has been cleaned up, wrestlers have gotten smaller. Luke Harper is naturally a big bad man, so he has potential to be a big star in WWE. But most of his WWE career he has been an afterthought as a member of the Wyatt Family. Harper was a strong man in a stable to boost another. He was someone who always gave an assist.

Harper had the potential to be more, but the question was would he get the chance.

Recently there has been a change in fortunes for Harper. He left the Wyatt Family in a dispute with new member, Randy Orton, and many wondered about his WWE future. Harper had potential, but if he was not succeeding with the Wyatt Family then how could he alone?

Surprisingly, instead of being the beginning of the end of his career, he was given a new life.

Harper participated in a match on WWE Smackdown to potentially main event WrestleMania. Of course, he didn’t win, but it was a big deal him being in the Smackdown main event.  Harper is also primed to play a big role in the main event of Bray Wyatt versus Randy Orton.

Whoever he aligns himself with will probably win the match and leave as the WWE Champion.

Elfrid Payton has experienced a similar career surge with the Magic recently. Payton’s stock was thought to be dangerously low after losing his starting point guard position.  He lost his starting spot on two different occasions, but he eventually got the message.

After the All-Star Break, he has been a different player. Out of nowhere, the switch seems to have flipped. He may have realized that he was running out of chances. But he is currently a nightly triple-double threat.

He has been playing like the point guard the Magic envisioned when they drafted him. He has, in other words, been unleashed.

Luke Harper and Payton have the potential to become stars in their own respective fields.  They have shown in flashes what they are capable of. Now is their time. It appears that it is all coming together. But it is about keeping the momentum going. Consistency is key.