10 Wrestlers Who Turned Down AEW

8. Luke Gallows & Karl Andesron

CM Punk AEW
AEW

At one point in time, AEW actually had plans to bring in Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and a certain AJ Styles as part of a shocking end to the very first Dynamite.

While Gallows, Anderson and Styles would opt to sign new, lucrative WWE deals at that point in time, both Gallows and Anderson had additional talks with All Elite Wrestling upon being handed their WWE release in April 2020.

Speaking to Wrestling Inc a couple of months after that release, the big LG detailed how there had indeed been loose talks about possibly signing with AEW in the aftermath of that WWE exit. Yet, Gallows admitted that IMPACT's Scott D'Amore was quicker to bring more to the table for the Good Brothers.

D'Amore not only showed a belief in what this tandem offer, he was also keen to co-promote Gallows and Anderson's podcast and their Talk'n Shop brand.

Despite deciding to call IMPACT their home, though, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have still managed to become part of the AEW product, becoming a key part of the ongoing on-screen rivalry between these two companies.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.