9 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About Karl Anderson

5. He Went To Japan Pennyless

karl anderson luke gallows
NJPW

After spending four years trying to make ends meet on the independent scene, teaming with Joey Ryan and winning championships in promotions such as EWF and the NWA, Anderson got his big break when he headed to the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo in Los Angeles.

It was his role in the NWA that first saw him get booked in Japan, where he replaced Yuji Nagata in the New Japan Cup in 2008. Anderson lost in the first round to Koji Kanemoto, but impressed management enough to be offered a one-year contract practically on the spot. 

Anderson jumped at the chance, not so much because NJPW was his dream job but more because he had flown to Japan with just $26 in his bank account. The prospect of stable money for a while (especially in such an unstable industry) was too good to refuse. 

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.