Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows Discuss Thier Road to WWE, Doing A Comedy Gimmick, More

WWE Superstars Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows recently appeared on The Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast. Here are the highlights:

On Their WWE Experience:

Karl Anderson: I don’t think we realized that any of this was going to happen, nor did we care. We are happy that we are here. We’re happy we are going to be on the SummerSlam card. It all just came out of nowhere. It’s been unbelievable.

Luke Gallows: I was 20 years old when I went to Tough Enough. I’ve been wrestling since I was 18. New Japan had breathed new life into me completely, with the [Bullet] Club. Ended up bringing Karl [Anderson] with me to the Club and here we are today.

On Coming Over to the WWE:

Karl Anderson: The fact that we saw a 203 area code call our cell phone (Connecticut area code). I said, brother, the real deal just called us. I had woken up to all those rumors that were starting, it was nuts. The timing worked perfectly to leave; to leave New Japan and do what we are doing here, it’s just been unreal.

Luke Gallows: We had other deals on the table, and then, the Phenomenal One was negotiating. It was a point where we were given offers somewhere else, but it was time, it was the timing. It all just worked out.

On Going from Being Serious Characters to Comedy:

Karl Anderson: Like Gallows said, it’s been nuts. This last skit we just did, I kept losing it because we had to re­do it, it was very funny. We go back and forth in the car. I’m popping him, he’s popping me, we’re just laughing­­we’re crying, and AJ has his headphones on because he’s heard these jokes 150 times. Every now and then you’ll hear AJ chuckle, a little pop, so we know we got him, then just looks at us and says we’re stupid, we have fun.

Luke Gallows: It’s part of being ourselves. We have a big sense of humor. We had our own podcast, that is what, I think we endeared to people that way. We’re not just these mean dudes who beat people up. We clown ourselves constantly so if you can do that, and let everybody in on it too, you’re on the right path.

On The Locker Room Takes Their Sense of Humor:

Luke Gallows: I think you turn into a grizzled young vet after a while. Seriously, we’ve been in the business for 14 years, so it’s kind of ok for us. At first, you’re kind of walking on eggshells, doing all that. It’s kind of our house now, so some people like it, some people don’t.

Karl Anderson: We’re very respectful to the guys. It’s all a tribute to them. Our last Podcast, AJ did a Nature Boy impression, so we’re backstage and give each other a big hug, and would confirm there’d be no heat with the guys. I wake up to messages the next morning where people would say, there’s heat with the Nature Boy, I’m like, what? So, I saw him backstage and gave him a big hug. He loved AJ’s impression too by the way. He thought it was me who would do the impressions.

On the Festus Character:

Karl Anderson: The best part of the Festus character is that we heard from Talent Relations, or the Head of Talent Relations is that Vince doesn’t even remember that he was Festus.

Luke Gallows: I don’t know if we’re even allowed to say the word, but my wife didn’t even know that I was Festus when I married her, which is real.

Karl Anderson: We go up to the Gorilla Position, and Mark Carano would say, I’m going to go tell Vince and remind him that you were Festus. I would say, don’t tell Vince, I need this run right now.

On Their Run from the Indy’s to the WWE:

Karl Anderson: Yeah, I remember before Finn Balor debuted on Raw the other night, that was emotional for me. He’s one of my best friends. Kevin Owens is there, Sami Zayn is there, all my brothers. It’s cool to be one of AJ’s best friends, we’re all on this main roster right now. It’s nuts.

Luke Gallows: I think it’s a credit for all of them, and how hard they’ve worked. To be here right now at this time, I was saying this in another interview before we started. Not only is it a great time for the wrestlers and performers, but it’s also a great time for the fans. It’s kind of like we’re all on this same ride together. You watched us from the beginning and now to see us here it’s very cool.

Anderson on His Ambition to Be in the WWE: I always wanted to get in the ring with John Cena, and I didn’t realize I would beat him up on Monday Night Raw. Who doesn’t want to work with John Cena? He’s the top of the top. So, I never thought I would get a chance to face any of these guys. I would love to get in the ring with Randy Orton, I think he’s unbelievable. I can name all of them. Getting in the ring with New Day. While we were in New Japan, we would keep an eye out on them. The locker room is great, the boys are cool, everyone is great.

Gallows on Their Concerns over the WWE Locker Room Accepting Them: Well, there was a lot of trepidation. We didn’t know it would be like that. We kind of walked in and said, hey we are going to watch out for each other, the three of us are going to watch each other’s backs. Then we got there and, the first few weeks and over the months, the guys have been great. This is awesome.