In case you missed it, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson officially signed with IMPACT Wrestling last week. However, the most recent episode of their Talk’N Shop podcast is what got people talking.
They touched on numerous topics, including their issues with Paul Heyman, AJ Styles, re-signing with and being released from WWE, among other things. But the biggest eye-opener was how close The Good Brothers were to joining AEW.
The two were apparently so close to signing that plans were already made for them to debut on the first episode of Dynamite. Anderson mentioned that they planned on joining The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega in the ring, too sweeting them, and then attacking the trio from behind.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way and Triple H convinced The Good Brothers to re-sign with WWE. Both men even went so far as to say that it was one of the biggest regrets of their lives.
Now all that’s currently left are the ‘what ifs?’.
But before we get into that, let’s just throw out a little reminder. While the end of their WWE careers didn’t show it, Gallows & Anderson are one of the better tag teams in professional wrestling. That’s why they were so highly touted when they initially signed with the company back in 2016.
While they won the RAW Tag Team Championships twice and the WWE Tag Team World Cup, they could never truly keep their momentum going for prolonged periods of time. Not even The Club reuniting could help save them.
Hell, at one time they didn’t win a televised match for almost a year. The fact that they became so underused towards the end of their tenure is a shame. But then again, are we really surprised? This is the WWE we’re talking about after all.
Anyways, if they did end up signing with AEW, they certainly would have added even more talent to the promotion’s already impressive tag team division. Imagine them on the same roster as FTR, The Young Bucks, The Lucha Bros, Omega & ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, and more. That is a stacked division and one that can’t be topped by many.
It almost sounds like their original plans are what FTR is currently doing with The Young Bucks; a rough and tough duo going up against the charismatic high-flyers in a battle for tag team supremacy.
But it also begs the question: would The Good Brothers have won the AEW Tag Team Championships? I think they could have, because there’s a possibility that Omega & Page would have never formed a team if Gallows & Anderson were on the roster. Even if they still ended up winning the titles, who’s to say they would have kept them for as long as they have?
However, what if the same thing happened just like in WWE? More competition is always a good thing, but when is there too much? With so many quality teams in AEW, it’s hard to give every single one of them enough time to properly showcase their talent. Tough decisions must be made, and somebody’s favorite tag team isn’t going to get a shot.
Even if Gallows & Anderson became one of the top teams in the promotion, what happens to some of the others? It’s safe to say that they might not be where they are now. Guys like Best Friends, Jurassic Express, and Private Party might not have received those opportunities and faded away (and possibly classified themselves as obsolete).
On the flip side, they could have also helped elevate those same teams as well. Just look at The Butcher & The Blade; they weren’t doing much of anything before FTR came along. The next thing you know, they’re joining forces with The Lucha Bros to take out FTR and The Young Bucks. Not only that, but they also were a part of one of the best matches on the Fyter Fest card.
Take The Lucha Bros out and replace them with Gallows & Anderson and you most likely get the same results.
Sadly, these are only dream scenarios and fantasy bookings. Maybe one day we’ll get to see The Good Brothers in an AEW ring, but only time will tell. For now, let’s hope they can have a successful run in IMPACT.