Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson aren’t saying WWE had to keep them around — but they definitely noticed that some other veterans were apparently given an option they never got.
A number of longtime WWE names have exited the company in recent months, with stars including Sheamus and New Level saying they were given the opportunity to stay if they accepted reduced pay. Gallows and Anderson say that conversation never happened with them. During the latest episode of Talk’n Shop, Gallows joked that WWE could have at least put the option on the table before showing them the door.
The Good Brothers were released by WWE on February 8, 2025, ending their second run with the company after returning in October 2022 to reunite with AJ Styles as The O.C. It was also their second WWE release after the company previously cut them in 2020 following WrestleMania 36.
“They could have offered us a pay cut. I mean, that would have been kind.”
Anderson immediately wanted to know whether Gallows actually would have taken less money to stay. Gallows initially tried to dodge that part of the conversation, making it clear the bigger issue was that they never even got the choice.
“Doesn’t matter. It would have been nice if we had been offered it, though.”
The two then started debating whether they really would have swallowed a pay cut if WWE had given them the chance. Their first instinct was no — but that confidence didn’t last very long.
Anderson finally cracked and admitted they probably would have taken the deal, saying, “Okay. We would have accepted the pay cut.” Gallows wasn’t far behind, “So, I probably would have accepted the pay cut.”
The release caught them off guard for another reason as well. Anderson later revealed that he was injured when WWE released The Good Brothers, and he had assumed the company would at least allow them to finish out their contracts before making a decision. They eventually got back on the road after WWE, with Gallows and Anderson returning to NJPW together at Resurgence in May 2025.
That’s what makes the whole thing sting a little more. Gallows and Anderson weren’t demanding WWE match their old contracts or begging for another deal — they just would have liked the same decision some other veterans apparently received before their run came to an end.
In the end, WWE never made them choose between less money and leaving because the choice was apparently made for them. Judging by the way Gallows and Anderson talked about it, they might have been willing to takethe financial hit if it meant keeping the Good Brothers in WWE a little longer.
Do you think WWE should have offered Gallows and Anderson a reduced contract before letting them go, or was it simply time for both sides to move on? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
