His planned Hell in a Cell Kickoff show opponent, Randy Orton's missing recent show WWE events has been written off as being due to injury.
If a new report from PWInsider is correct, Luke Harper's situation may be more professionally damaging than a bad shoulder.
Mike Johnson confirmed that the Wyatt Family member worked the weekend shows in Mexico (where the already infamous "Luke Harper Fan Club" photo posted and deleted by Chris Jericho on Instagram was taken). But the reason he wasn't booked on Raw last night, even being replaced without explanation by Erick Rowan for the main event six-man tag, was a "creative decision".
What's more, Johnson's sources told him there are no plans to use the former Intercontinental champion at tonight's SmackDown tapings in Austin, Texas.
The conclusion most of us will jump to here is that Harper is being punished for the kayfabe-busting photo that showed pay-per-view (PPV) rivals Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns united in their support of Luke. The other potential target for any alleged Vince McMahon retribution, Chris Jericho, is gone from the company for a while as his band Fozzy tours.
It should be noted, though, that other sources are sticking with the report The Wrestling Observer mentioned in breaking the Orton shoulder injury news this morning - that Harper has a "personal issue" that kept him off television last night:
Getting ?'s & false rumors/stories. Luke Harper is still w/ Wyatt's but not there due to personal reasons. Don't believe anything else #RAW
— Justin LaBar (@JustinLaBar) October 20, 2015
Stay tuned, Cagesiders...