In an exclusive interview with PWMania.com’s Lee Tarrier, former WWE star Luke Gallows opened up about the origins of his unforgettable Festus character, Vince McMahon’s direct involvement in bringing it to life, and the untold backstage stories behind one of WWE’s most unique gimmicks. Gallows also reflected on why he’s never been embarrassed by the role and how it changed his career. You can read the entire interview by clicking here.
Here are some highlights:
On Vince McMahon pitching the Festus character:
“We [Good brothers] were supposed to debut as Jesse and Justice Dalton, pig farmers in overalls. Then, right before our first TV match, they pulled us aside: ‘Vince wants to see you.’
So we go into Vince’s office, and he explains this Festus character to me—saying he knew someone catatonic as a kid, which I’m pretty sure was bullshit. (laughs) But he starts doing the Festus face at me, tongue out and all, and makes me do it back. ‘Not like that, goddamn it—like this!’ Here I am, 23 years old, never spoken to Vince before, and suddenly we’re sticking our tongues out at each other. Totally surreal.”
On Vince’s reaction after Festus debuted on TV:
“I was fishing for feedback, and all I was told was: ‘He loves Festus. Just… be weird.’ (laughs) That was the guidance.”
On how Festus came to life:
“A couple days later, they called me and said, ‘You need to practice—don’t wrestle like a wrestler anymore.’ So instead of headlocks and holds, they had me do big bear-paw punches, slaps, weird offense like the nuts-to-the-face spot. They wanted Festus to look like he didn’t know how to wrestle.”
On never being embarrassed by Festus:
“I’ve never been embarrassed by it. Of course, every wrestler dreams about being Ric Flair with the robe and the long blonde hair, but being a character like Festus was a lot of fun. It literally bought me my first house.”
Gallows also opened up about working with CM Punk in the Straight Edge Society, his time with AJ Styles and Karl Anderson in The Club, and his current ventures outside WWE. You can check out the complete interview at this link.https://www.pwmania.com/luke-gallows-on-working-with-vince-mcmahon-the-undertaker-wwe-exits-njpw
If you use any portion of the quotes from this interview, please credit PWMania.com with a h/t to PWMania.com for the transcription.
