Backstage Details On How Long WWE Had Interest In Good Brothers Return

A new stable war kicked off on the season premiere of "WWE Raw" between Judgment Day and the reunited trio of AJ Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, known collectively as The O.C. 

However, according to a new report from Fightful Select, WWE had an interest in bringing back Gallows and Anderson "as early as this summer" when The Good Brothers were still under contract with IMPACT Wrestling. The report noted that both Gallows and Anderson "were very transparent" about WWE's interest in them towards the end of their IMPACT contracts, which ended up "going a month longer than expected."

The earlier interest from WWE likely explains the Styles – Judgment Day storyline that has been ongoing for weeks, with Finn Balor repeatedly trying to recruit The Phenomenal One to his stable. During last night's show, Styles would initially answer Balor's ultimatum by agreeing to join Judgment Day, hugging his fellow former Bullet Club leader and bowing down to Balor on one knee. Just as Balor said he knew Styles would eventually come around, Gallows & Anderson ran down to the ring amid loud "Holy S–t" chants from the fans. The segment ended with The O.C. clearing house and Styles, Gallows & Anderson standing tall, much to the delight of fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Fightful's report added that there's still uncertainty over Anderson & Gallows working NJPW dates, even though the duo had previously indicated they were committed to wrestling for NJPW through the Wrestle Kingdom event in January 2023. Anderson, the reigning NEVER Openweight Champion, is currently scheduled to defend his title against Hikuleo on November 5.