Behind the Curtain with CJ Gallows

  By Ross Blair:  19 year old CJ Gallows is having a stellar rookie year, with a likely bright future in the world of professional wrestling...

 

By Ross Blair: 

19 year old CJ Gallows is having a stellar rookie year, with a likely bright future in the world of professional wrestling. CJ debuted in February, and continues to impress critics & fans alike across Georgia & beyond with his ring work. Whether as a singles competitor or tagging with his father Doc Gallows or fellow second generation wrestler Avery Styles as the Sons of the Club, CJ has proven to be a bonafide prodigy. GWH recently caught up with CJ, who discussed his amateur background, his debut, wrestling on TV for MLW, and much more. 

GWH: When did you decide that you wanted to become a professional wrestler? 

CJ: I can't pinpoint when exactly, but it was at a very young age. It was always a huge part of my life. As far back as I can remember, I was involved in the business in some shape or form. Later on, in high school, I kinda confirmed that this was what I wanted to do & decided to pursue it all the way. 

GWH: I understand you won a state championship in wrestling. Did you consider pursuing that further? 

CJ: No, amateur wrestling kinda came about by chance. My true passion was as a basketball player, but I wasn't very good at it. I was overly physical, and my coach advised me that maybe I should try the wrestling team. So my junior year, I walked on there. Had no clue & I ended up being a state champion at the 215 pound weight division. I did not, in all honesty, have that much fun & my heart was not in it, so I decided to walk away from that with my ring & my medal. So I was one & done, but I did walk away a state champion. 

GWH: Hey, leave on top...not too shabby. 

CJ: Yeah, I'll be a state champion forever because no one beat me. 

GWH: Who trained you to become a pro wrestler? 

CJ: I am currently still training at a gym in McDonough called New Era Fitness & Wellness. The head trainer there is a lady by the name of Tracy Taylor. She wrestles in the WOW promotion under the name Kalaki. That's the home base for me as of right now. It's a great place. There's a lot of great guys in there. 

GWH: When & where was your very first match in front of an audience, and how did that go? 

CJ: My very first match was actually a couple weeks after I started training in the little town of Temple, Georgia for SECW. I got to tag alongside my dad, the big LG Doc Gallows. We took on Lamar Phillips & Brad Lynch. It was fun to be out there for the first time in front of a live audience. Especially alongside my dad, which took a lot of the pressure off me. I was very happy about how it went, being my first match & that early into my career. I didn't feel a lot of pressure because I had dad alongside of me, so my mindset was "well, if this goes haywire, I'm just gonna tag him in & figure it out from there." 

GWH: You’ve wrestled all over the state & beyond since your debut. What’s your general opinion of the current indy scene in Georgia? 

CJ: Oh man, it's great. There's so many cool pockets around the state — whether you're in south, west, east, or north Georgia — where there's just great talent...both young talent & veterans, and I've gotten the chance to interact with them, whether it be in the locker room or in front of a live audience in a match. From my understanding, Georgia independent wrestling has thrived long before there was a CJ Gallows and long before there was even a Doc Gallows, so it's cool to continue to see that & I'm happy to be a part of it & at the forefront of it right now. 

GWH: You’ve wrestled for quite a few promotions in your young career. Do you have a favorite promotion yet, or does it all just kinda blend together from one show to the next? 

CJ: Oh, it's Lariato Pro of course. Lariato Pro is my home base & we've kinda grown up together. I've been right there alongside it the whole way, so Lariato is undoubtedly my favorite promotion to wrestle at & it’ll always have a place in my heart. 

GWH: What has it been like for you to wrestle alongside your dad, as well as Karl Anderson? 

CJ: Well, I can say this without sounding like I'm burying him because dad said it himself. It's cool to have those moments & it's cool to have those pictures and videos to look back on...but, in the moment, I'm not the biggest fan of it. I think the way dad puts it is I'm young & I want to be a star myself. The way I always think of it is that I could do the coolest move I've ever done or have the best match, but they're just gonna remember the Too Sweet & they're just gonna remember seeing the Good Brothers. So it's fun & I enjoy having those memories...we'll cherish them together forever...but I'm trying to be a singles superstar, ya know? 

GWH: I’ve told anyone that will listen that the coolest thing to happen to Georgia wrestling in a long time is the Sons of the Club taking the scene by storm. You’re both ALREADY so darn good, and your styles really seem to compliment each other. Do you guys train together much? 

CJ: No & that's something a lot of people don't realize. Obviously, Avery & I have had interactions growing up because our dads have travelled the world together...but with him being in Gainesville and me being kind of on the other side of Georgia in Jackson, we weren't like hanging out that much as young kids. I can remember meeting each other a couple of times, but really the first time we had true interaction was the first time that you saw us in the ring together. But I think, like you said, our styles compliment each other so well & we have a great natural chemistry where it just works. GWH: You’ve got a big match on November 21st in Dublin for Lariato Pro. Let's get your thoughts on that match, which is Sons of the Club versus Good Brothers versus John Skyler & Jason Hotch versus James Ellsworth & Alexander Lev for the Good Brothers' Lariato tag titles. 

CJ: This is the first time that dad & I will be on opposite ends, not teaming together but against each other. He's walking out with something that I want to get my hands on. I've never held a title in Lariato & I almost feel like gold in Lariato is a birthright of mine. Whether I have to pin him, the Machine Gun, Alexander Lev, Jason Hotch, John Skyler, or James Ellsworth, I wanna walk away with those belts. Avery & I have been talking, and we want some gold around our waists. I'm excited for it. There's a lot of personal history for Avery if you really look down the rundown of that match. And actually, if you're familiar with Lariato, John Skyler & I have a little history as well, so I'm looking forward to it & I completely 100 percent plan to walk out of Dublin, Georgia and into the Talk 'N Shop live podcast as the Lariato tag champion. 

GWH: You recently debuted in Major League Wrestling. What are your thoughts on wrestling for MLW? 

CJ: MLW puts on a great show with great talent from all over the world. Obviously, you've got the Good Brothers there. You've got Killer Kross & all these stars up and down their roster, and I'm proud to be a part of it. It's a cool thing to get my feet wet, working in front of an audience like that & on television. MLW is the first place I've gotten the chance to do that, so I'm super excited about it. My debut came last month on Fusion, and there's some big things in the works there. 

GWH: Do you have a favorite match or opponent thus far in your rookie career? 

CJ: In August at Appalachian Mountain Wrestling's Superbowl of Wrestling event, I got to take on "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters...what a learning experience that was! Obviously, we've all seen Chris back in the day during his time in WWE.

GWH: Was it a singles match? 

CJ: Yes, it was a singles match & before you ask...yes, I did get caught in the Master Lock, but that's neither here nor there. It was a great experience to get in there with a guy like Chris Masters. What I learned from that match was way cooler than anything we did in the ring, so that is so far my favorite match of my career. GWH: Who are some of your biggest influences thus far in your wrestling career? CJ: Of course, dad & Machine Gun have been a big part. And I've got to give credit to all my trainers — Tracy Taylor, a guy named Cody Jack, and everyone that's helped me train. Really all the veterans I've gotten the chance to interact with have been so kind & gracious about my start in wrestling. A lot of times you hear about some of the old timers being a little rough with younger guys...especially coming in the way I have with a dad who's been at the highest level, but I've had nothing but great experiences so far...but I would really be doing a disservice to a lot of the guys if I just named a few. 

GWH: What are you passionate about outside of pro wrestling? 

CJ: That's a bad question to ask because I'm pretty boring across the board. I don't have many passions or hobbies, and I think that's why pro wrestling was a great thing for me. I love watching football but, outside of that, I think wrestling is the only thing I was ever truly passionate about. 

GWH: What are your future goals for your pro wrestling career? 

CJ: Right now, I'm not getting too ahead of myself. I want to learn as much as I can to really hone my craft & get in front of as many eyes as I can...in front of different audiences across the country and around the world. But my five year goal would be to get into the NXT system/get into the Performance Center. That was my lifelong dream as a kid & still is -- to become a WWE superstar, and that's the best path to that. That is the "Future's Favorite" CJ Gallows' long term goal. 

GWH: Best of luck to you, CJ, and thank you for your time today. Before we close out, is there anything you'd like to add? 

CJ: I'll just throw in a shameless self plug here. Check out my Instagram at @_cjgallows. Check me out on Twitter at @CJGallows, and tune in to my podcast Bump 'N Feed. It's an affiliate of the Talk 'N Shop network & it's a whole lot of fun. We love talking about wrestling, so check us out anywhere you can find your podcasts. 

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Note: Thanks to Alex Snider for the caricature graphic at the top of this article.