Kemo
06-11-2016, 03:12 PM
Luke Gallows of The Club spoke with NOLA.com to promote RAW in New Orleans. Among topics discussed was using the “Too Sweet”. Gallows noted that they grew up fans of the NWO and Kliq, and that Kevin Nash and Scott Hall gave them their blessing and they see it as a passing of the torch.
"We all grew up watching the NWO and the Kliq, and thinking that those guys were really, really cool," said Gallows, 32. "We were all big fans of the business as kids. So we kind of started throwing it up. Karl Anderson and Finn Balor started throwing up the Too Sweet in Japan even before I got there."
"When I came in, we did it even more. To the fans, to each other, we even do it in the car. It's a real thing for us. We love it."
And how do those game-changing wrestlers feel about all this?
"We have the blessing of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash," said Gallows, who with Anderson won the tag team championship three times in New Japan Pro Wrestling before they got to the WWE. "They dig it, too. They feel like it's a passing of the torch. Hopefully, we're capturing that cool that they captured all those years ago that captivated us as kids and made us fall in love with sports entertainment."
What was going through your head when you made your Raw debut on April 11?
"It was awesome, man. Honestly, you never know until you walk out there what kind of reaction you're going to get. To be in Los Angeles and get the reaction we got, we were very happy about it. Very, very happy to be back in the WWE and be able to perform in front of the WWE Universe."
What did wrestling in New Japan do for your career?
"I came to the WWE for the first time as a very young man at 21. Getting to go around the world, and specifically to New Japan, helped me a lot because there's a lot of great wrestlers in that company. We formed The Club over there. Karl Anderson, AJ Styles and I found that we have great in-ring chemistry, and we became great friends outside the ring as well. I think the fans can see that we love what we're doing."
You and Anderson have your first tag team title shot June 19? How exciting is the tag team division in WWE right now?
"I've always loved tag team wrestling. I think it's very exciting. There's such a plethora of great teams in the WWE right now. The Dudleys. Karl Anderson and myself were the top team in Japan. Then, with The New Era teams, Enzo and Cass are one of the most exciting acts in the business right now. As well as The New Day, who we dropped and sent a message to two weeks ago. They're (close to being) the longest reigning WWE tag champions in history.
It's an exciting time for us as performers and for the fans because you're going to get to see great, exciting tag team wrestling. And some matches that you've not seen before. So, with all these teams on the scene, I can't remember a time in recent history when the division has been hotter than it is right now.
Was it understood that the word Bullet would have to be removed from The Club name in WWE?
"Yeah, we kind of knew that. We were being edgy in Japan (with The Bullet Club), and there's a bit of a language barrier. The WWE is all about family friendly entertainment. My son and I watch the WWE Network at home all the time. Going with The Club was the way we needed to go to come here and be in this environment, where your kids are watching."
Did you have bad blood with WWE when you were released in 2010?
"No, I never did. I never said anything bad about WWE. I started wrestling when I was playing college ball at 18, and the WWE picked me up right after I turned 21. I was very young and green in the business. The WWE afforded me opportunities at that age that so many guys don't get.
And it gave me a name. When I was released, I wrestled the next day, and I went and I wrestled all over the world. I honed my craft with the goal being to come back and to really be a standout player. That maturity was a good thing for me. I think that it's helping now, and I hope it shows in my work."
What's it like to work with a talent like Styles, the leader of The Club?
"AJ embodies the nickname. He really is phenomenal. AJ has put in some really head-turning performances in the WWE, and he'll continue to do so. He's one of the best I've ever been in the ring with; we've teamed, we've wrestled each other. Sometimes, you're in there with a guy and you know that they're special. And he absolutely is."
What's it like to have a prominent role now that you're back in WWE?
"There's always trepidation when you're coming into the unknown. But we came in confident; we knew we did well in Japan. That's not being cocky or arrogant, but Karl and I knew that we had teamed so much together, we really felt we were one of the best tag teams in the world. We just knew if we had the opportunity to show that, we could get the ball and be able to run with it.
And I think that's exactly what is happening right now. That's a dream come true. We couldn't be happier with the way it's going so far. We look forward to continuing to entertain and impress the WWE Universe.
Will The Club be adding more members?
"That I can't really talk about right now. That's Club business. I can tell you this, though: The Club is all about sending messages, putting everybody in this New Era on high alert. We're here, we're here to stay, and we're here to be the top dogs.
"We all grew up watching the NWO and the Kliq, and thinking that those guys were really, really cool," said Gallows, 32. "We were all big fans of the business as kids. So we kind of started throwing it up. Karl Anderson and Finn Balor started throwing up the Too Sweet in Japan even before I got there."
"When I came in, we did it even more. To the fans, to each other, we even do it in the car. It's a real thing for us. We love it."
And how do those game-changing wrestlers feel about all this?
"We have the blessing of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash," said Gallows, who with Anderson won the tag team championship three times in New Japan Pro Wrestling before they got to the WWE. "They dig it, too. They feel like it's a passing of the torch. Hopefully, we're capturing that cool that they captured all those years ago that captivated us as kids and made us fall in love with sports entertainment."
What was going through your head when you made your Raw debut on April 11?
"It was awesome, man. Honestly, you never know until you walk out there what kind of reaction you're going to get. To be in Los Angeles and get the reaction we got, we were very happy about it. Very, very happy to be back in the WWE and be able to perform in front of the WWE Universe."
What did wrestling in New Japan do for your career?
"I came to the WWE for the first time as a very young man at 21. Getting to go around the world, and specifically to New Japan, helped me a lot because there's a lot of great wrestlers in that company. We formed The Club over there. Karl Anderson, AJ Styles and I found that we have great in-ring chemistry, and we became great friends outside the ring as well. I think the fans can see that we love what we're doing."
You and Anderson have your first tag team title shot June 19? How exciting is the tag team division in WWE right now?
"I've always loved tag team wrestling. I think it's very exciting. There's such a plethora of great teams in the WWE right now. The Dudleys. Karl Anderson and myself were the top team in Japan. Then, with The New Era teams, Enzo and Cass are one of the most exciting acts in the business right now. As well as The New Day, who we dropped and sent a message to two weeks ago. They're (close to being) the longest reigning WWE tag champions in history.
It's an exciting time for us as performers and for the fans because you're going to get to see great, exciting tag team wrestling. And some matches that you've not seen before. So, with all these teams on the scene, I can't remember a time in recent history when the division has been hotter than it is right now.
Was it understood that the word Bullet would have to be removed from The Club name in WWE?
"Yeah, we kind of knew that. We were being edgy in Japan (with The Bullet Club), and there's a bit of a language barrier. The WWE is all about family friendly entertainment. My son and I watch the WWE Network at home all the time. Going with The Club was the way we needed to go to come here and be in this environment, where your kids are watching."
Did you have bad blood with WWE when you were released in 2010?
"No, I never did. I never said anything bad about WWE. I started wrestling when I was playing college ball at 18, and the WWE picked me up right after I turned 21. I was very young and green in the business. The WWE afforded me opportunities at that age that so many guys don't get.
And it gave me a name. When I was released, I wrestled the next day, and I went and I wrestled all over the world. I honed my craft with the goal being to come back and to really be a standout player. That maturity was a good thing for me. I think that it's helping now, and I hope it shows in my work."
What's it like to work with a talent like Styles, the leader of The Club?
"AJ embodies the nickname. He really is phenomenal. AJ has put in some really head-turning performances in the WWE, and he'll continue to do so. He's one of the best I've ever been in the ring with; we've teamed, we've wrestled each other. Sometimes, you're in there with a guy and you know that they're special. And he absolutely is."
What's it like to have a prominent role now that you're back in WWE?
"There's always trepidation when you're coming into the unknown. But we came in confident; we knew we did well in Japan. That's not being cocky or arrogant, but Karl and I knew that we had teamed so much together, we really felt we were one of the best tag teams in the world. We just knew if we had the opportunity to show that, we could get the ball and be able to run with it.
And I think that's exactly what is happening right now. That's a dream come true. We couldn't be happier with the way it's going so far. We look forward to continuing to entertain and impress the WWE Universe.
Will The Club be adding more members?
"That I can't really talk about right now. That's Club business. I can tell you this, though: The Club is all about sending messages, putting everybody in this New Era on high alert. We're here, we're here to stay, and we're here to be the top dogs.