Karl Anderson has opened up about a very difficult period that followed his return to WWE in 2022, when he was still holding NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Championship. He said the reaction from some fans went as far as death threats.
In a recent interview with LNG Productions, Anderson discussed the uproar his signing with WWE caused as he looked back on the chapter of his career that the Diary of a G1 Finalist project will cover.
“As a NEVER Openweight Champion, I signed with WWE. I mean, I got death threats.”
Anderson won the NEVER Openweight Championship by defeating Tama Tonga at NJPW Dominion in June 2022. A few months later, he and Luke Gallows made a surprise return on the October 10 episode of Monday Night RAW, reuniting The O.C. with AJ Styles.
The situation grew even more complicated when Anderson was set to defend the championship against Hikuleo at NJPW Battle Autumn on November 5. But WWE had scheduled Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia for that same date, and Anderson was on the card, competing in The O.C.’s six-man tag team match against The Judgment Day.
Despite the intense backlash, Anderson later explained that WWE and NJPW had already reached an agreement allowing him to fulfill his commitments in Japan. He described the Battle Autumn problem as nothing more than a miscommunication.
Anderson returned to NJPW that December and defeated Hikuleo to retain the title. His reign did not end until Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January 2023, when Tama Tonga won the championship back at the Tokyo Dome.
WWE released Anderson again in February 2025. He is still teaming with Gallows as The Good Brothers, and the duo currently holds the MLW World Tag Team Championship.