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Former WWE wrestlers Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra) and Luke Gallows (Drew Hankinson) are officially headed to Impact Wrestling on two-year deals.

Anderson, 40, and Gallows, 36, (aka “Big LG” Doc Gallows) confirmed reports in a video posted on Impact Wrestling’s verified Twitter account, as well as their live Talk’N Shop Podcast. Anderson and Gallows will make their Impact Wrestling debuts this Saturday night at Slammiversary 2020. Per the longtime tag team, they will be able to work New Japan Pro Wrestling dates as part of their agreement with Impact Wrestling.

Prior to teaming with Anderson, Gallows wrestled for Impact Wrestling as part of top heel stable Aces and Eights in 2013 and had a previous run with WWE from 2005-2010 as The Freakin’ Deacon (developmental), Fake Kane (seriously), Festus, and later, Luke Gallows, as part of CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society group .

Shortly after Gallows’ original Impact Wrestling run, he linked up with Anderson in NJPW, alongside AJ Styles as part of the Bullet Club stable (originally founded by Finn Balor aka Prince Devitt).

Gallows and Anderson proceeded to win three IWGP Tag Team Championships and the 2013 World Tag League in NJPW as part of the hottest stable in professional wrestling at the time. In Jan. 2016, Anderson, Gallows, and Styles parlayed their massive success in Japan to a major WWE run and high-paying deals.

Styles saw consistent main event success throughout his WWE career, while Anderson and Gallows’ run as top talent only lasted through the Spring/Summer of 2016 and on rare occasions from that point forward. For most of their WWE run, Gallows and Anderson aka The O.C. (Original Club) were booked as midcarders who often weren’t portrayed serious threats when not grouped with Styles.

Ironically enough, both men were arguably in the midst of their best WWE push since 2016 when they were released on April 15 — just six months after rejecting All Elite Wrestling to sign lucrative contract extensions. Their last official WWE appearance was in the critically-acclaimed AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker Boneyard Match in the WrestleMania 36 Night 1 main event.

Gallows and Anderson also confirmed reports of AJ Styles and former WWE Raw Executive Director Paul Heyman butting heads backstage following their releases, which lead to Styles moving to the SmackDown brand. Heyman has since been relieved of his backstage duties in favor of Bruce Prichard, who now oversees Raw and SmackDown creative.

Styles asked Vince McMahon himself why Gallows and Anderson were released. McMahon responded it “was a Heyman thing,” which seems awfully convenient for the CHAIRMAN to say and a weak excuse atop a mountain of B.S.