10 Wrestlers WWE Gave Up On In 2016
2. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
Few acts went from something to nothing faster than Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows this year. The former NJPW duo made an explosive debut by hopping the barricade and destroying The Usos on an episode of Raw, and eventually, they connected with their former Bullet Club colleague AJ Styles to form The Club.
Everything seemed to be going well, and Anderson & Gallows looked like they were being set-up as the tag division’s biggest heels. Misfortune was just around the corner, however: their use was eventually restricted to playing Styles’ fall guys in feuds with Roman Reigns and John Cena, but the worst was yet to come. The Brand Split sent The Club their separate ways, and Gallows & Anderson have but nothing but flounder since being forced to strike out on their own.
The feud with The New Day was particularly damaging. Anderson & Gallows became a two-bit comedy act focused more on crude humour and bad skits than doing damage in the ring, and they lost to the Tag Team Champions time and time again. Their credibility was ground to dust, and while recent weeks have seen them drop the lab coats and retirement packages, WWE have done little with Gallows & Anderson since. Once one of Japan’s most prominent tag teams, they’ve become a set of glorified enhancement guys on Monday Night Raw, and the damage might be irreparable.