The Good Brothers Are Proud The NJPW Fans “Illegally Cheered” Them
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, better known as The Good Brothers, appeared on Thursday's edition of SiriusXM's Busted Open Radio.
The duo had just returned from Japan after appearing at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku on May 1 in Fukuoka. The pair appeared and reunited with The Bullet Club. Karl Anderson disclosed just what it meant to them to return to Japan.
"We went to Japan with WWE. We were lucky enough to go four times, we went every single year," Anderson said. "Each time, it always brought back great memories, but nothing was like landing back in Tokyo, getting picked up by the New Japan office, the same office that picked me up six years ago, taking me over to the same hotel I stayed in back in the day, seeing all the same people.
"I got to the hotel room, me and Gallows were texting back and forth, sending videos of all the drinks we got from the convenience stores and how excited we were. We felt like children. Gallows even sent me an emotional video. I don't know if it was because he was half-hammered coming off the plane, but it just felt right to be back in Japan, even before we got to the New Japan show in Fukuoka five days after landing."
Doc Gallows also added just how surreal it was to be back in the country, and stated that it couldn't have been any better.
"Man, it was almost surreal," Gallows said. "So cool, like you said, getting to see our old friends, guys we used to go out with and have dinner every night in different towns and stuff like that. I definitely missed the eating tour of Japan. [Tommy] Dreamer and I were talking about that after we were on Busted Open the last time, when he ate 86 pieces of sushi just to impress us. But yeah, all the way around, it couldn't have been better. And to get to go to the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, run out there again with wrestling happiness. [It's a] wrestling utopia, brother."
One major notable observation from The Good Brothers' appearance at Wrestling Dontaku was that the New Japan fans gave them a reaction, even though legally, they were supposed to remain silent and wear masks due to current restrictions. Anderson says the NJPW fans were excited to see them.
"You know what I like the most? It is that Japanese wrestling fans, and Japanese sports fans in general right now, legally, are not allowed to cheer," Karl Anderson said. "They're not allowed to make noise. They have to wear their mask and no noise is allowed to come from their mouth. That was my first disappointment, was I said, 'man, we're not gonna get a pop.' So before we went out, I said, 'listen, we know we aren't going to get a reaction, they have to be quiet, don't worry.'
"We run in there, we slide in, we beat him [Okada] up, I took my hat off, and I heard the pop. I thought that was an audible pop, they're not allowed to cheer. They're illegally cheering for the boys."
The Good Brothers will be back in action this Saturday at IMPACT Wrestling: Under Siege 2022 when they team up with fellow Bullet Club members Chris Bey, Jay White & El Phantasmo to take on Honor No More consisting of Eddie Edwards, Kenny King, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven & Vincent.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit SiriusXM's Busted Open Radio with a h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.