Tag: Karl Anderson

WWE Roster Cuts Continue: Gallows & Anderson Among Latest Releases

WWE’s latest round of talent cuts extended into the weekend, with more names being confirmed as released from the company. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, known collectively as The Good Brothers, were let go, according to PWInsider, with Fightful later verifying the news. Additionally, Fightful also reported that Giovanni Vinci had been released as well.

These releases follow a string of cuts that began on Friday night, with Isla Dawn, Blair Davenport, Sonya Deville, The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar), their manager Paul Ellering, and Cedric Alexander all parting ways with WWE.

Elektra Lopez, the manager of the stable Legado Del Fantasma, was released from WWE this weekend following a four-year run with the company.

While WWE has yet to provide an official reason for the roster changes, Fightful reports that sources within NXT believe the moves are tied to an upcoming wave of main roster call-ups. With WrestleMania season approaching, WWE frequently shakes up its rosters, and this could indicate fresh talent from NXT is about to get the spotlight on Raw and SmackDown.

The releases of Gallows and Anderson are particularly notable, as the duo had long been associated with WWE’s Bullet Club-adjacent faction, The O.C., alongside AJ Styles. Their return to WWE in 2022 was expected to be a long-term run, but it appears their time with the company has once again come to an end.

Notably, Anderson is out with an injury with a torn labrum and rotator cuff; he had surgery in November and used the word “indefinitely” in a December interview before setting a return expectation of “at least six or seven more months.” Fightful gave his recovery time as “at least 3-6 months minimum” and noted that Anderson is “in good spirits” despite the highly unusual practice of being released during injury rehab.

As always, the wrestling world will be watching to see where these released superstars land next. Could we see some of them in AEW, TNA, or NJPW? Only time will tell.

WWE’s Karl Anderson To Be Out 6-9 Months

Karl Anderson will be out of action for six to nine months.

Anderson took to Twitter this week to announce that he underwent surgery. He captioned his tweet with, “See you after WrestleMania.”

On the latest edition of his “Talk N’ Shop” podcast, Anderson revealed that he underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff tendon and a partially torn labrum. He said,

“It happened two months ago. I felt something in a match, and didn’t think anything of it because that’s what we do. The next week, something else happened in a match again. ‘That hurt a little worse,’ but still thought nothing of it because that’s how we’ve always rolled. We had three or four more matches, and each other, progressively, I realized, ‘This thing hurts.’”

Anderson added, “I wasn’t able to sleep at night because it was aching and throbbing. ‘Let me tell somebody.’ I talked to the WWE doctors who handled it right away and they immediately scheduled me for an anthrogram. They immediately saw it was a torn rotator cuff tendon and a partially torn labrum.”

Source: eWn

Chase U Wins Tag Title Shot On WWE NXT, Get Attacked By The Good Brothers

A week after winning the “WWE NXT” Tag Team Championships, Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin have officially found themselves a pair of challengers.

During tonight’s episode of “NXT,” Breaker and Corbin took a moment to relish in their recent title win. Before they could properly celebrate, though, the duo were interrupted by Chase U’s Andre Chase and Duke Hudson as well as Nathan Frazer and Axiom – who each staked their claim for a shot at the “NXT” Tag Team Championships. After hearing the pitches of both teams, “NXT” General Manager Ava announced that they would collide in a number one contenders match later in the show.

With a tag team title shot on the line, each team feverishly fought to secure the win. In the end, though, it was Chase U who emerged victorious after Andre Chase caught Frazer with a three-count pinfall to guarantee themselves a future shot at the “NXT” Tag Team Championships. After the match, Hudson, Chase, Frazer, and Axiom were greeted with an ambush at the hands of “WWE SmackDown” stars Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows (together known as The Good Brothers). Riley Osborne, who accompanied Chase U to the ring, was also on the receiving end of The Good Brothers’ surprise beatdown. 

Tonight marks Anderson and Gallows’ first “NXT” appearance since October 2022, when they, along with Cameron Grimes, defeated Schism (Jagger Reid, Joe Gacy & Rip Fowler) in a six-man tag team competition.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tama Tonga Invites AJ Styles To NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, Vows To Dethrone Karl Anderson

Karl Anderson will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga in two weeks at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. This will be the first time that a WWE-contracted talent wrestles on the show.

Tonga took to Twitter to invite Styles to the Tokyo Dome show so that The OC Leader can watch The Good Bad Guy “smash” the WWE Superstar at the venue. He wrote,

“AJ can come too. He can watch me smash his boy. ( still got love for you #PhenomenalOne ) #Wrestlekingdom17 – January 4, 2023 #AndNew #NeverOpenWeightChampion.”

Earlier this year, Anderson defeated Tonga to win the NEVER Openweight Title at NJPW Dominion. It will be interesting to see if Anderson can retain the title in his second outing with Tonga come January 4th.

Source: ewrestlingnews

NJPW Reportedly Breaking Tradition To Accommodate Karl Anderson

It appears that NJPW expects Karl Anderson to return in the coming months. Anderson reportedly is not going to be stripped of his NEVER Openweight Championship despite not appearing at this weekend’s NJPW Battle Autumn event, according to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. WON’s Dave Meltzer reported Friday that NJPW will break tradition by not stripping Anderson of the title for failing to appear at a scheduled event. 

Anderson, 42, returned to NJPW in 2021 and won the NEVER Openweight Championship in June of last year by defeating Tama Tonga. The American star was booked to appear in a title match this Saturday at NJPW’s Battle Autumn event in Osaka, but the match has since been rebooked. Anderson was scheduled to take on Hikuleo for the NEVER Openweight Championship. However, earlier this week NJPW announced that “despite extensive efforts” to reach Anderson about the match, “NJPW officials have still been met with no response, and have been left with no other option but to cancel the planned NEVER Openweight Championship match.”

The promotion then said that Hikuleo made a “direct request” to instead face Yujiro Takahashi in a non-title match at the event. Meltzer reported Friday that the match remains a non-title match and that the issue at hand with Anderson appears to be an angle, and that NJPW expects Anderson to return to Japan despite no-showing this weekend. The angle — which Meltzer notes to likely culminate at January’s upcoming Wrestle Kingdom event — comes weeks after Anderson returned to the WWE for the first time since 2020.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Reveals Karl Anderson Will Forfeit His Title If He Competes At WWE Crown Jewel

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returned to WWE earlier this month, backing up AJ Styles as he was seriously outnumbered by The Judgment Day. That raised a lot of questions regarding the tag team’s current status with NJPW. Not only is Anderson the promotion’s Never Openweight Champion, but he is slated to defend that title at Battle Autumn on November 5.

The plot thickened considerably when WWE announced The OC and The Judgment Day will clash at Crown Jewel, a WWE event taking place on the same day as Battle Autumn. In case it wasn’t clear, Anderson confirmed that despite his NJPW booking, he will be competing for WWE on November 5 and will not be in Osaka to defend his title.

After an initial reaction to that news from NJPW’s president, the promotion has now revealed a full statement (thanks, Fightful). “NJPW has for the past several days attempted to negotiate with Anderson, but has not been met with a response,” the statement reads. “Should Anderson decide to renege on his scheduled championship match, he will be required to vacate the NEVER Openweight Championship and return the title belt to NJPW immediately.”

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1585110853187416064

When Anderson confirmed he will be heading to Saudi Arabia on November 5 and not Japan, the Never Openweight Champion also claimed the title defense was booked without consulting him. NJPW denies that was the case, highlighting in the statement above that the match was booked on October 4, and that Anderson was complicit in that process.

What happens next remains unclear. What appeared to be an arrangement between WWE and NJPW when Gallows and Anderson first showed up on Raw now doesn’t seem to be an official deal at all. It now seems like Anderson won’t be at Battle Autumn, and that he will be stripped of the Never Openweight Title. As for returning the championship to the company, that might be a little tricky and could make the situation even more problematic.

Source: TheSportster

NJPW President Addresses Karl Anderson Being Double Booked For November 5

NJPW President Takami Ohbari has taken to Twitter to address WWE Superstar Karl Anderson being double booked for November 5.

Anderson is scheduled to defend the NJPW NEVER Openweight Championship against Hikuleo at NJPW Battle Autumn, which is the same day he is scheduled to team with AJ Styles & Luke Gallows against The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, & Dominik Mysterio), at Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 5.

Back on October 4, NJPW announced Karl Anderson would be defending the NJPW NEVER Openweight Championship against Hikuleo on November 5 at NJPW Battle Autumn. Then on October 10, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows made their surprise return to WWE on Raw, as a back up for for AJ Styles in his battle with The Judgement Day.

It was then announced during the October 17 episode of WWE Raw, it was made official for Styles, Anderson, & Gallows and The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, & Dominik Mysterio) to have a six-man tag match at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on November 5.

In a video posted to Twitter on October 19, Anderson claimed NJPW never confirmed the NJPW November 5 date with his booking agent The Big LG – Doc Gallows. Anderson then said he will not be defending the NEVER Openweight Title at the Battle Autumn event. 

Source: WrestleView

The Good Brothers Return To WWE On Monday Night RAW, Karl Anderson NJPW Update

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, known together as the Good Brothers, made their return to the WWE last night.

A lot of familiar faces have been finding their way back to the WWE within the last few months. Some of these names include Johnny Gargano, Sarah Logan, Dexter Lumis, Candice LeRae, and, most recently, Bray Wyatt.

Last night, two more former WWE superstars returned to the company: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, known together as the Good Brothers. Rumors flew about earlier in the day saying that the pair would be re-signing with WWE, but those rumors came to fruition much faster than anyone expected.

Finn Balor’s Judgment Day stable stood in the ring to cut a promo. Balor called out AJ Styles and told him to come to the ring; for the past few weeks, Balor had been recruiting Styles to Judgment Day with no success. Styles came to the ring and pretended to accept Finn’s offer. In reality, though, he was reintroducing his good friends and teammates, Gallows and Anderson.

They were among the crowd released due to “budget cuts” in 2020.

During their time away from WWE, Gallows and Anderson competed in AEW, IMPACT, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. They won the IMPACT Tag Team Championships. In NJPW, Karl Anderson won the NEVER Openweight Championship and is technically still billed as champion. He was supposed to defend at Battle Autumn on November 5.

NJPW updated the Battle Autumn card following The Good Brothers’ WWE re-debut, but not because Anderson needed to be removed from it. The Never Openweight title defense against Hikuleo remains, and according to Wrestling Observer, it will go ahead as planned. The show takes place in Osaka, Japan on the same day as WWE’s Crown Jewel, so don’t expect to see The Good Brothers on the first Saudi show without Vince McMahon in charge.

This clearly wasn’t a case of Gallows and Anderson showing up in WWE without permission, nor the pair finding a loophole or keeping a title in their possession after their contracts lapsed. NJPW has retweeted WWE’s clip showing the pair as they rushed to the ring to flank Styles. A deal must have been struck, but the finer details of that deal currently remain unclear.

Gallows and Anderson returning and confirming WWE has some sort of working relationship comes just days after Tony Khan revealed details about a conversation he had with CEO Nick Khan. The AEW owner spoke with Nick in 2021 following reports WWE had spoken to NJPW about working together. Tony called Nick a con man live on Dynamite after being assured by NJPW that no such deal was in place.

Source: TheSportster

The Good Brothers’ Contract With Impact Wrestling Is Almost Up

The Good Brothers, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, have had an eventful run with Impact Wrestling, but it appears to be coming to an end.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson currently hold the Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship but Fightful Select has reported (via Jeremy Thomas at 411mania) their contracts with the company may be just about up, set to expire at the end of this week.

The Good Brothers started their Impact Wrestling run in July 2020. They’ve had prominent placement in the tag team division that includes holding the Tag Team Championship, cumulatively, for about half their tenure, spread across three reigns. They found themselves in an especially featured spot during the period when Kenny Omega stepped through the Forbidden Door to simultaneously reign as AEW and Impact World Champion.

Omega revived his old partnership with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson across both brands during this time. Of late, The Good Brothers factored into an issue between Honor No More and The Bullet Club, including a wild No Disqualification Match at the recent Emergence PPV.

The Good Brothers are presently two months into their third reign as Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions. They have reportedly signed a contract extension to finish up with Impact for their August 26 and 27 TV taping dates in Dallas, where they will presumably drop the titles and tie up remaining loose ends with the company.

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows established themselves as a top tier tag team in New Japan Pro Wrestling and are due to work dates there next month. After that, though, the pair will be free agents, and it will be interesting to see where they land next. There are some natural stories for Gallows and Anderson to continue in AEW with The Elite. Meanwhile, though their previous WWE run together was underwhelming, under Triple H’s creative and in a relatively thin tag team division, there’s reason to believe they’d enjoy better success if they were to return there. Time will tell what’s next for the talented tandem.

Source: TheSportster

The Good Brothers Returning To NJPW For Tag Team Turbulence

NJPW announced Friday that The Good Brothers will be returning to the company in July to compete in the Tag Team Turbulence tournament on NJPW Strong.

Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, former three-time IWGP Tag Team Champions, will face the team of Clark Connors and TJP in their first round match. It will be The Good Brothers’ first appearance on NJPW TV since their departure from the company in Feb. 2016.

The NJPW website has announced the following first-round match-ups:

Clark Connors & TJP vs The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows)

LA Dojo (The DKC & Kevin Knight) vs West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)

Yuji Nagata & Ren Narita vs Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta

Violence Unlimited (Brody King & Chris Dickinson) vs Team Filthy (JR Kratos & Danny Limelight)

The first round will take place on July 16, and will be available for stream on NJPW World and FITE.

https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1406086836133384195
https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1406084320415170566
https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1406114519714250757
https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1406099419850850310

Source: Wrestling Inc.