Apart from The Revival, the tag team that most people expected to leave WWE at the end of their current contracts was the often underutilized veteran tandem of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. After a Bullet Club-esque invasion to make their WWE debut as a tag team following their departure from NJPW in 2016, Gallows & Anderson saw immediate results paired with fellow Bullet Club alumni AJ Styles in The Club. But once The Club was unceremoniously dissolved, Anderson & Gallows became a comedy act whose appearances grew less and less frequent.
With the rise of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), run by former Bullet Club running mates Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks, and the duo’s former employers NJPW looking to expand into North America, it seemed that combined with WWE’s misuse of tag team wrestling in general and their own infrequent usage, that Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson would seek greener pastures elsewhere. But then a funny thing happened. The Club reformed.
For the past few weeks, AJ Styles has been riding his former Club-mates for not having that killer instinct they had in Japan anymore. This past Monday, AJ Styles finally turned heel once again, re-aligning with Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in The Club as they took out WWE United States Champion Ricochet. That turn was not just a signal that The Club was back – but that Gallows & Anderson had recommitted to the WWE.
Rumored for weeks now that the tag team was on the verge of re-signing with WWE, it was a rumor that many found odd considering their circumstances the past two years. But with a new push and back alongside one of WWE’s elite level Superstars, new reports are coming out that the two have indeed signed new deals, and they are similar 5-year contracts that recent stars like Mike Bennet & Maria Kanellis recently signed, as well as Kevin Owens. With Anderson at 39 years old and Gallows at 35 years old, this will take both of them into their 40s. Both Dave Melzter and award-winning sports reporter Jon Alba have both confirmed that Gallows & Anderson have opted to stay with WWE.
Per a #WWE source, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson signed new five-year deals in the last 24 hours, with a significant raise. Others had reported it was done earlier this week, but source noted they didn't even receive a contract until this past Monday.
— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) July 6, 2019
Once Bullet Club’s most dominant heavyweight tag team, capturing the IWGP Tag Team Championships on three occasions, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson were taking more of a backseat role within Bullet Club by the end of 2015, as Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) began to see more focus as Bullet Club’s primary heavyweight tag team. While Gallows & Anderson have teased reuniting with the Japan crew multiple times on Social Media, it looks like The Club is staying in WWE for at least another five years.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
