Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson discussed their decision to re-sign with WWE in 2019 instead of joining AEW while doing a podcast with Ryan Satin.
Here are the highlights:
Anderson on there being heat on them in AEW over it:
“You know, I would say for a good six months, we told the Bucks and Kenny, ‘We’re coming. We’re f**king coming, like no matter what,’ Because we were that ready to go. This is where it bothers me a lot that we didn’t bet on ourselves and allow ourselves to leave when we knew that we f**king should have. And that’s why I’m so glad with FTR being able to get out on their own terms and being able to do what they did. But yeah. there were some hard feelings I think. Because I think people trusted the Bucks and they told other parties that we were coming. And then we didn’t come and it made them look like they couldn’t close the deal.”
Gallows on people in AEW being upset over it:
“There was probably a little heat internally there. And you know, we have other friends there, we don’t have to drop a bunch of names. But like, a friend who is in a high power position there and wrestler who was like, ‘What the f**k, guys?’ And I think he’s still a little offended by it. My answer to him, if he ever hears this or reads the transcript was; none of this was ever personal. And we appreciated the offer and everything was trying to do. It was clearly a business decision. We were looking at a five-year deal as opposed to a two-year deal with maybe a one-year option. So when you start calculating that money and where you’re going to be in five years, especially with the ‘You’re going to be here for the full five years and there’s plans for you after’ and all that. It’s like, you’re stacking millions and millions against, ultimately, the smaller figure.
“Should we have taken the smaller figure and bet on ourselves and been something really cool again like we were in New Japan? F**k yes. Is the egg on our face? It’s running down my f**king face right now. But I think a lot of people in that situation would go back and look at your kids and wife, and go, ‘All right honey, how do I say no to them backing up a bank truck to the front of the house and dropping the load in front of the door.’ That’s a hard answer…a mistake was made, but there was logic behind it. It wasn’t to be harmful or spiteful or to backdoor anybody. It was a business decision to do what we thought was best for our family.”
Anderson on signing with WWE:
“It’s one of the biggest regrets of my life that that didn’t f**king happen. It kills me, badly. I said it a couple times to Gallows, I was like, ‘We don’t know if it is actually going to take off on TNT, or go on TNT.’ The only thing that we know is with the guys involved, Young Bucks, Kenny, Chris Jericho, those are motherf**kers that are successful and are not going to fail. They’re just not gonna fail. And we knew AEW would be successful, we knew that they would pop off. We just succumbed to the amount of money and promises — kept or unkept, whatever, that doesn’t matter — by WWE. It does [matter], but we signed because of the thought that it was going to be our last contract and we were gonna ride it out and wave the WWE flag as high as we could.”
H/T to 411 Mania
