WWE News: AJ Styles Reacts To Release Of Former Stablemates Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
On Wednesday, less than two weeks after they both played a key role in AJ Styles’ Boneyard Match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were released by WWE, making them just two among dozens of on- and off-air talents who were let go or furloughed by the company. Aside from this and the fact that they had signed new long-term contracts with WWE last year, their longtime real-life friendship with Styles made their inclusion in this week’s mass releases quite surprising to a number of fans.
Now, Styles has issued his first public comments on WWE’s decision to cut Gallows and Anderson, and it appears he isn’t happy about what has gone down.
As quoted by WrestlingNews.co, Styles appeared on a recent livestream on Mixer, where he admitted he felt guilty for not being able to save his “little brothers” Gallows and Anderson from being released. He said that their inclusion in WWE’s wave of job cuts “hurt really bad,” considering how close he has been to the so-called “Good Brothers” over the years.
“That’s the way I feel about it, I’m the oldest and I’m supposed to take care of them. I didn’t manage to do that and I feel responsible in some weird way for them being released. It’s devastating. I don’t know any other way to explain it.”
In addition to Gallows and Anderson, Styles also mentioned a number of superstars who were also released on Wednesday, including Rusev, Drake Maverick, Heath Slater, and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. The former WWE Champion said it feels “weird” and shocking to see so many colleagues get cut, but added that it was “expected” for the company to let go of personnel, considering the negative economic impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
— Karl Anderson (@MachineGunKA) April 16, 2020
Prior to joining WWE in early 2016, Styles, Gallows, and Anderson were all members of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Bullet Club stable and were among the company’s top gaijin — or foreign wrestlers — during their time in Japan. Per Daily DDT, Anderson has dropped some hints on social media suggesting that he plans to go back to NJPW, though there are a number of factors — including the ongoing situation with the coronavirus and the 90-day noncompete clauses for WWE’s main-roster talents — that could delay his potential return to the promotion.
Styles isn’t the only top name from the Monday Night Raw roster to comment on this week’s job cuts. However, when he took to Instagram live to air his thoughts, Seth Rollins reportedly got his share of flak from social media users who didn’t appreciate how he criticized those who felt negatively about WWE releasing so many people in one day.
