Luke Gallows On If He And Karl Anderson Had Talks With AEW Following WWE Releases
Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson were some of the hottest free agents following their releases from WWE in April. Many expected the team to land in AEW and Gallows opened up about their talks with the promotion when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast.
"There weren't a lot of talks there and we kinda felt if we already didn't take that option, maybe that option won't be available again. So, there wasn't a lot of back and forth other than friendly talk," revealed Gallows. "We never said, 'Hey, is there a spot for us?' And they never really said that either. But we're in constant communication everyday with The Bucks because they're our buddies.
"But Scott D'Amore at Impact ? and Scott has been good to Karl and I both through our careers ? and he put together a really nice offer in 2019 as well. He aggressively, from the moment our release was announced, was on us. What was so attractive about him and the Impact brand was 1) their solid belief in us as a commodity and 2) Scott said let's do this together and co-promote all this stuff you guys have got. You've got this hot podcast. You've got Talk'nShop. You're running your own PPV Talk'nShopAMania. You guys are coming out with a beer. You've got another PPV project in the works. All of these things WWE would never allow me to do and if it was getting away with it, I wouldn't be allowed to talk about it. I don't know how much availability there would have been for stuff like that with AEW. Scott basically opened his arms and said everything you guys are doing we'll help and co-promote. We said if somebody is gonna offer that to you and afford you that opportunity, then let me wave the Impact flag higher than ever?
"To be able to brand-build together, that means the world to me and to both of us. So, it's really cool."
Gallows was part of the cuts that WWE made due to business changes during the pandemic. He was asked by host Nick Hausman if WWE may regret letting go all of this talent at once.
"I don't know; I can't speak for anybody in WWE. I don't understand a lot of what goes on behind closed doors there obviously. That's rearview mirror stuff as I got to go there and have a pretty decent run and put some money in the bank," stated Gallows.
"But man, Impact took a step up and a step out. Slammiversary was huge and it was trending No. 1 worldwide on Twitter. The internet was lighting up about it and just a ton of buzz. I think that it was even more buzz than they had hoped for with The Good Brothers and everybody else coming on board and more surprises potentially coming. It was just a ton of buzz and I think it's a really good time for them to step up as a brand because they already have a very, very strong roster. When I was looking at that ? tag team wrestling in the whole business is great. Look at the AEW tag team division and it's strong; it's awesome. Then you look at what we've got and we've got The North, The Rascalz, The Motor City Machine Guns coming back and us who've been all over the world. The potential for an un-handcuffed Slater and Rhyno together. You've got a ton of world champions and a mixture of seasoned veterans with young, up-and-coming athletic dudes who can do all kinds of cool stuff. I think the matchup potential is great."
Gallows and Anderson worked extensively with the Viking Raiders prior to getting released. As of late, the Raiders have been booked as a comedy act. Gallows was asked if it bugs him to see the way that WWE is now booking them.
"It used to but I understand it. They're a helluva team; we've had great matches with those guys. But they are War Machine Lite. We were Gallows and Anderson Lite. It's the PG version and in that company, I feel that the people who are making the final decisions don't have as much of a modern touch. Especially since tag teams are never a focus there because I don't think they actually believe that tag team wrestling can draw money which I think has been proven around the world not to be the case," said Gallows.
"It is what it is. Those guys are characters and I hope they can make some good money for their families and pay off their houses and do all that stuff to secure a good future for yourself. At the end of those deals there will be a place for War Machine to come and I'd like to stand across the ring from them again. The real War Machine, maybe not the Vikings."
Sex Ferguson will battle Chad 2 Bad in the main event of Talkn'ShopAMania on August 1st. For more info and to pre-order the event please click HERE. Doc's full interview aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here.