Luke Gallows provides update on NJPW contract

The former WWE Superstar also commented on EVIL leading Bullet Club.

July 24, 2020

Former WWE Superstar Luke Gallows aka Doc Gallows is currently signed to Impact Wrestling alongside his tag team partner Karl Anderson. In addition to signing with Impact Wrestling, the pair also have some kind of agreement in place with NJPW, the details of which are undisclosed at this time.

The pair, who wrestled in WWE under the tag team name of The Club and The O.C. were unexpectedly released by WWE in April alongside over 20 other in-ring talent, announcers, referees, and backstage staff members.

The release of Gallows and Anderson came as a shock to many fans after WWE offered the pair “retirement money” to sign a new five-year deal with the company last year. AJ Styles, close friend of the tag team partners, was absolutely furious after Paul Heyman reportedly lied to Styles’ face about the nature of his friend’s release from WWE.

Gallows and Anderson have since commented on the nature of their release, almost signing with AEW, and how they can’t wait to get back to Japan. Most recently, Gallows was a guest on The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast, where he provided an update on his contract status with NJPW and commented on EVIL’s ascension to leader of Bullet Club.

When asked about his status with NJPW, Gallows spoke on the nature of the agreement and how COVID is impacting their ability to perform in Japan.

“We have agreed to terms; I guess that would be the best way to put it,” said Gallows. “But there’s no way to put a schedule together or no way to truly put pen to paper because right now there’s one flight a week to Japan. If you get there you have to quarantine for two weeks and then if you come back you have to quarantine for two weeks. So to do a show we’re out a month of our lives and I don’t see how it will be beneficial for either party. Hopefully this stuff will start to decline and we can kinda get back to some normalcy. We’re definitely itching to go back to New Japan.”

Gallows and Anderson as IWGP tag team champions while members of Bullet Club in NJPW.

Before joining WWE in 2016, Gallows and Anderson were prominent members of the Bullet Club. Gallows explained as best he could if he and Anderson would return to the faction formed by their close friend Finn Balor.

“[Laughs] Only time will tell – you’ve got to watch and see,” said Gallows. “The landscape has changed multiple times in the 4-5 years since we’ve been gone. People have stepped up. People have stepped forward and new stars have emerged. Then you still have those battle-hard veterans that are there. Some of the toughest guys in the entire business have done that schedule. Those Japanese guys from the time they were Young Boys all the way through, night in and night out, performing at a high, high athletic level and taking risks. I have all the respect in the world for those performers for sure.”

When Gallows was last wrestling in NJPW current IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental champion EVIL was still just a young boy making his way up through the ranks. Doc shared his thoughts on EVIL’s rise to the top of NJPW and his position as top dog in Bullet Club.

“Honestly it was a surprise. I didn’t know that was coming but what an opportunity,” shared Gallows. “What a hell of a chance to step up and step out and say, ‘I’m the guy.’ That’s what wrestling is made on; it’s cool and a great feeling,” said Gallows. “It reminded me of us stepping into Impact a little bit. It might not have been the move that everybody expected right out of the gate but it’s an exciting time and you wanna put it on your back and see what you can do with it. You can really show who you are as a performer and a character.”

“It’s an awesome opportunity for him as I remember him being a Young Boy and us working with him in the States and a little in Japan. So, to see in few short years that transformation and for him to go to the next level – and I mean Gedo is one of the smartest bookers so there’s a reason for everything that takes place. I think that if he thinks it’s a good decision then it probably is.”