Steve Austin On Conversations With Brodie Lee During His WWE Run

WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin recently spoke with Tony Maglio of The Wrap to promote tonight's "Straight Up Steve Austin" season two premiere on the USA Network.

Austin was asked about the recent passing of Jon Huber, known to pro wrestling fans as Brodie Lee. The former Luke Harper passed away at the age of 41 on December 26, due to a non-COVID-19 lung issue. Austin recalled phone conversations he had while Lee was in WWE.

"I just absolutely couldn't believe it because the guy was a tremendous hand in the business, but he was a sweetheart of a guy," Austin said. "When he was in WWE, we would talk every now and then on the phone just about his character and what he was doing. And then we stopped talking and he kept going and he finally ended up in AEW. And I didn't know his real name from his WWE name. And I was like, 'Holy cow, this guy is so young.' And then I didn't know what had happened.

"There's just an absolute tragedy of a guy who everybody in the business absolutely loved and adored. That's the kind of guy he was. So really, really shocking to me."

Austin also recalled a conversation he had about Huber's passing with a "very close friend" that "has done very well" in the pro wrestling business.

"I won't drop his name, but he goes, 'I've never seen anything like it. He wasn't necessarily in the main event in WWE, but that even speaks to who he was as a person because everybody gravitated towards him and it wasn't like they had to because he was a top guy," Austin said. "They gravitated toward him because he was a great guy, a really good wrestler, but a fantastic human being.'"