Karl Anderson Discusses Potential WWE Opponents, Brand Extension — Plus More
Speaking with the Amarillo Globe-News in Texas, WWE superstar Karl Anderson promoted this weekend’s live event and discussed a number of topics, including his transition to the WWE, the big changes upcoming for Smackdown, as well as potential future opponents.
After wrestling in Japan for eight years, both for Pro Wrestling Noah and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Karl Anderson talked about his connection with former NXT champion Finn Balor and how they made a name for themselves in New Japan.
“Myself and Finn Balor formed the Bullet Club in 2013 with some other guys. It exploded and became this really cool thing. Then Finn Balor ended up signing with the WWE before anyone else so we ended up bringing A.J. Styles in the Bullet Club followed by Luke Gallows, and it just got bigger and bigger. It was organic and it was cool.”
The 36-year-old Anderson, who revealed that he has wrestled in at least 10 different countries in his career thus far, talked about making the transition to the WWE.
“It’s been unreal. This is where we wanted to be. To be able to come in and make an impact like we have in the WWE with two of my best friends and working together like this has been cool.”
With the news of Smackdown going live on Tuesdays in July and the brand extension forthcoming, many fans see The Club — consisting of Anderson, Luke Gallows and A.J. Styles — as potential faces of the show. Anderson talked about the upcoming change to programming and how it can jettison a career.
“The brand extension is going to offer different opportunities. What they did back 2001 or 2002 or whenever it was, I think John Cena ended up on Smackdown and ended up turning himself into a global superstar. There is a ton of depth on the roster and we’re all excited for the opportunity. It’s going to give everyone a chance to grow.”
When asked about a dream match in WWE, either tag team or singles competition, he spoke about how he felt being in the ring with a returning John Cena and more.
“Being in the ring with John Cena on Monday night was something crazy. I’d love to get in the ring with Randy Orton. Roman was cool to be in the ring with, Dolph Ziggler would be really sweet. But I think Randy Orton right now would be pretty cool for me.”
Anderson is a big fan of “The Legend Killer” apparently.
“He’s somebody I look up to. We’re about the same age but he’s been on TV for a long time so it’d be pretty cool to get in there with him.”
Analysis: It’s very cool when someone like Karl Anderson gets to talk candidly about his career and opportunities in a new place for him like WWE. His appearance — along with Gallows — on Talk Is Jericho was another revealing and entertaining interview for Anderson. He has quickly become one of my favorite wrestlers on the roster, and I love the work he’s doing with Gallows and A.J. Style with The Club. There is a ton of potential going forward with the three of them, especially with Finn Balor making his main roster debut hopefully soon.
Very surprising to see how much of a fan he is of Randy Orton, hopefully the two of them get to work together later this year.
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