Luke Gallows (Festus)- Terrible change in character. Will he be pushed?

[The Pope CTC MEM]

Woah, Festus changes from "The Cornfed Collosus" to the "Straightedge Superstar...'s Minion?

I thought he was horrible: his submission/finisher, his look, his moveset, almost anything you can name. Yet still, I think he can prove a decent "minion" to punk and do alot. On second hand I'm also thinking this will end with Gallows being released.

What do you think?

 

[X]

I actually liked him. He looked somewhat intimidating for the first time ever. It's hard to shed as terrible of a gimmick as a mentally handicapped person, but I thought they did a fairly good job of making Gallows somewhat interesting now. He won't be bad as a bodyguard/enforcer type of minion for CM Punk, honestly I think Punk should start his own stable, and this would be the first step to that. As it is though, I kind of liked the gimmick change. Festus really isn't that bad in the ring, but just like Nick Dinsmore you'd never know that because of his shit gimmick.

I'm slightly interested to see where this goes.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

To tell you the truth, it took me a long while to figure out that Luke Gallows (Yes... that was his name, I believe), was actually Festus. I saw C.M. Punk make his entrance with some guy, and honestly, my reaction was, "Damn, he's big as shit!" Not until a minute or two into Punk's promo did I realize it was Festus.

I don't know how long this C.M. Punk/Luke Gallows tandem will last. I don't know if it will help Festus much. I don't know if it'll help Smackdown at all. I don't know if it will help C.M. Punk at all. Quite frankly, it could have just been done as a way to push Punk without having him compete for the World Title. Or it could have just been done to get Gallows back on TV, and make him more relevant. I don't think it'll work for very long, if I'm being honest.

 

[Kanye South]

I see this as a bittersweet thing for Festus. On one hand, it's a fresh new look and interesting gimmick, one that reminds me of Taker's "American Badass" gimmick, he's going to get a good rub from being Punk's enforcer, and I didn't even know it was Festus until Matt Striker mentioned it. But on the other hand, we are running somewhat thick on the big, dominant guy in WWE. Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Vladmir Kozlov, Ezekiel Jackson, and now this? This is getting stale. But then again, Luke Gallows could come out next week and surprise me with some good mic skills. I really don't know. I guess we'll find out in the coming weeks.

 

[Lethalfan]

I think this gimmick can do wonders for Luke Gallos. He seemed like he could be a good Enforcer during his Jesse and Festus Days. I think once he finds and gets him self a good to decent character and talk on the mic he could do wonders for wwe if he is booked right and given the chance.

 

[The Doctor]

I think this is interesting for both Punk and Gallows. I've always thought Gallows was good in the ring, judging from his matches with The Undertaker and Vladimir Kozlov, and I love his look. Not to mention, he's getting the Punk rub by being his bodyguard.
I think it adds some dimension to Punk's character, by saying "This could be you. I tried to help you." and lets him preach even more.

 

[bucks8897]

This is going to be good for both Punk and Gallows. Punk will be able to draw a ton of more heel heat having an enforcer do all his dirty work.

I'd like to see this develop into a new stable with Punk running show and going after every wrestler that doesn't have the "straight edge" lifestyle. In return another new stable could form in order for Punks stable to fued with.

I think this would be great for the WWE because as of right now I personally am bored with what stables are out there, in particular Legacy. Some new stables will bring some fresh matches and fresh feuds to the shows.

Also most people seem to feel at some point in the near future Legacy will be breaking up starting a feud between Orton and probably Dibiase.

That's what I would like to see happen and it seems like it probably could. Overall I think the WWE is taking steps to make some changes to bring fresh new talent up and create some new feuds which is greatly needed. I know I've gonna go off point but Gallows and Punk teaming up could lead to a lot of new things which will overall benefit both of their careers.

 

[PEP3]

Let's be honest here. There is nothing the WWE could have done to short-change Drew Hankinson (Festus) more than they already have. Seriously, the guy was strapped with a mentally-deficient hillbilly gimmick. That's not giving the guy much to work with from the start, so anything is a drastic improvement. Placing him alongside one of Smackdown's most over heels is instantly more of a rub than he's ever had at this point, and he's going to have an opportunity to participate in storylines he would never have touched just six months ago.

Meanwhile, it allows Punk to become something of an on-screen leader with a minion to do his dirty work. That sounds like not only an instant heat magnet, but it's also the start of a great gimmick. Imagine if he was allowed to take various WWE cast-offs and "show them a new way of life." He could surround himself with guys in need of a second chance and actually develop a kind of cult-leader style persona basically the exact opposite of what Raven was known as. Besides, giving Punk a potential partner also opens him to the tag team division, which could prove an effective distraction since he's not currently in the World Title hunt.

Ultimately, there's no way this could really do much to harm either of these men, least of all Festus. If anything, he's been given a new lease on life and, hopefully with sufficient time, people will forget Festus ever existed. It's something that has worked time and time again with WWE, where they have a long history of repackaging failed superstars into new, significantly more successful personas.

Do people even remember Mike Rotunda's two tag title reigns, or will he for the rest of his career be IRS? Papa Shango served his purpose, but the The Godfather really got over with fans. And let's not forget one of the greatest repackagings of all time: Kane -- who would NEVER have gotten very far as Dr. Isaac Yankem!

 

[MoneyMack]

I absolutely LOVE this idea! I had thought about Punk starting some kind of "cult" type stable in the last couple months- just never had the time to share it here. Great way to get Punk hated even more and a fine way give Festus... Errr...I mean Luke Gallows a rub.

I have no problem with "lukes" new "look". I honestly didnt know it was him until Punk said the name, and I was like: wait...lemme rewind that! & sure enuff- he did say Festus. The shaved head was a absolute MUST since the man is obviously balding. I honestly woulda liked to see a more "Niedhart like" goatee on him. This one looked like a 17yr olds goatee. Thats being picky I guess, but its just what I thought when I saw him. I would also lose the camos and the black ?military? boots. It just looked goofy on Gallows- almost chicken legged. I guess if more "followers" will be added to the group, and "they" wear the same camos & boots also- then, Im fine with it. Kinda makes it a uniform of the "followers".

Speaking of the "followers": I thought the best person to start "following" the SE-lifestyle of Punk could have been ECW newcomer Vance Archer. It woulda set up perfect: Archer could talk about how he was- lost in his ways the last few years (however long he was in TNA) but he now has a new friend that has showed him a new way to live. Makes perfect sense to me- and Vince even gets in a small dig on TNA. BUT: he has already debuted on ECW, so there goes that idea!

Other possible "followers" include:
Mike Knox: would a tag-team of Knox & Gallows work? I think they could be an intimidating duo. But of course that would mean Vince would have to actually give a rats-ass about tag-teams anymore!
Paul Burchill: I thought I read something about him goin to SD & Katie goin to RAW. GOOD- break them up. PB joins "the lifestyle" & let Katie actually wrestle on RAW. Good for her!
Curt Hawkins or Charlie Haas: Mid-card "follower". They both need some help getting back on TV, dont they?

I like the post I read about likening it to a "Ravens Flock" type stable. I was thinking the same thing. & People can just keep joining the SE-lifestyle, cuz they see "it works"! It really has no limits. Of course- you dont wanna over-do anything.

Any other thoughts/ideas, moving forward for Punk & Gallows?

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

I've been trying to think of a good name for a stable, should this go any further than the "Bodyguard" role that we are all so fond of. Ahem. He seemed to be mentioning interventions a lot. And you can't admit that "The Intervention" doesn't sound kick ass? AM I RIGHT? In terms of Gallows, I think it was great. I can't actually believe how good he was at being Festus, considering I couldn't tell. Maybe its just now that he dressed a bit more like Punk, he looks coherent.

I don't see how this is a "terrible" change in character. It got him from being basically a comedy wrestler to a serious threat. Not to a title, but ya know, to other mid card wrestlers. who knows, maybe if we see his new character really develop under Punk's wing, we can see him challenge JoMo. Something like "The Intervention" was just what CM PUNK needed to keep from turning stale, and the addition of Festus, which no one saw coming, was excellent. It fits so well, and depending on how he fares on the mic, or rather if he leaves the talking to Punk, we could see his next run on Smackdown being very fruitful.

I'm interested to what happens when Luke Gallows meets Slam Master J now.

 

[Leafy]

I forgot Festus was in the company, so getting him back on TV is good for Festus. Festus is built to become a minion, he's huge and hopefully we'll hear him talk more, he apparently is good on the mic as the deacon. So in no way is this a bad change, maybe the real start to his career.

 

[The Best At What I Do]

I was so excited when CM Punk got himself a lackey... but when he mentioned that guy was Festus, I wasn't so excited anymore hahaha. Hopefully those ROH guys will come in and make it a stable, and hopefully putting Punk back in the title picture

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think this could be a very good thing for the both of them. Let's be honest, Luke Gallows is a big step up from a mentally deficient/savant hillbilly in every measurable way. The bodyguard/disciple thing that's going on could wind up being a good thing for both himself and Punk.

Now, Punk has someone to do his dirty work and watch his back. Now, Punk has added a little something to help him get over as a heel even more. After all, it's even easier for fans to boo someone that doesn't fight his own fights. Ric Flair made a career out of it.

I'd like to see it go even further eventually and have Punk create his own stable of WWE "rejects". Take guys that have gone nowhere in the WWE, form a straight edge stable and go from there. Punk has charisma, he can cut really good promos and a a handful of guys can get a rub at the same time just by being associated with it.

Is it a terrible change in character? Hell no. It's hard to become worse than Festus. Gimmicks like that just need to be done away with altogether. Even if it turns out that this doesn't really go anywhere, it's not going to hurt either guy.

 

[gd]

I don't see how this could possibly be a bad thing for him. He was likely going to be released anyway if he stuck with the Festus gimmick, at least now he has a chance to do something. Him being involved with Punk gives him instant credibility. Bodyguard charaters are usually pretty good, too. You'll get Punk squirming out of matches and Gallows replacing him, which saves the WWE from giving away too many Punk matches and makes things more interesting.

If you remember, Gallows isn't bad either. He had a pretty kick ass match with Taker on Smackdown last year. With a serious gimmick and fans actually caring about him, who knows where he'll go?

 

[CHAOS]

I'm bored of this guy already, I was never that impressed by him as Festus, but at least Festus had more depth to his character. I don't see a future for Gallows, though i will give him the benefit of the doubt and see what he does in the coming weeks, currently however, I see him being released within the next 5-6 months, if that.

 

[wrestler36]

I like it. Festus was going NOWHERE. I thought him and Jesse would've been entertaining tag champs, but oh well. People have been saying that him being Punk's lackey is bad. Remember, Batista started as some sleeveless dude with a stupid collection box following Rev. D-Von. You gotta start somewhere. Seeing the other commentaries, it would be cool to see Punk start a group of misfits, similar to Raven's flock (sorry, don't really keep up with TNA or ROH, so there's probably a better and more recent comparison). I see the new group growing and Punk becoming more and more arrogant leading to a falling out, whether it be Gallows or somebody else, and a new feud starting. It would be cool to see a chick in the group too, like Mickie. Weren't she and Punk supposed to debut together? Anyways, I see a good future for Gallows. For a guy his size, he can MOVE around that ring.

 

[AJ STYLES I AM]

Gallows kinda scared me. Why on earth would wwe want CM Punk to have a "minion". Festus was better when he was the corfed collosses. It is so incredibly stupid. CM punk is becoming like the Brian Kendrick. Mabey ending with his release it sucks. I hate the wwe sometimes

 

[Baller]

Gallows kinda scared me. Why on earth would wwe want CM Punk to have a "minion". Festus was better when he was the corfed collosses. It is so incredibly stupid. CM punk is becoming like the Brian Kendrick. Mabey ending with his release it sucks. I hate the wwe sometimes
Reply With Quote

You are 100% wrong. This not only opens up the dimensions for CM Punk but also makes Festus somewhat revelant in WWE. Punk and Brian Kendrick are in two completely different leagues. Kendrick was a midcarder for life and the WWE was really never too high on him, while they love Punk at the moment and are giving him a big heel push.

 

[Remix]

Kendrick was a midcarder for life and the WWE was really never too high on him.

Kendrick however, was just high.

and on the subject of Gallows, he seems good and a bigass enforcer suits Punk. He's better than his competition, so he doesn't want to get his hands dirty fighting the misinformed, deluded, drunken addicts that hate him because he's right. No, he's better than them, so it's better for his follower to teach them the error of their ways while Punk can deliver his sermon after his first convert shows that the straight edge way is the only way to success.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This is a good gimmick change for Gallows. Most people didn't like the Festus gimmick and now he can actually be taken seriously. I think that he will end up being overshadowed by CM Punk though, kind of like Cade was by Jericho last year, because this new character (while MUCH better than Festus!) just seems so generic. There are too many generic characters, although that is a discussion for another thread. I think that Gallows would have been released had it not been for this gimmick change. He was on Raw a grand total of twice after getting drafted there. He was in a pointless backstage segment one time, and the only time he actually got in the ring on Raw he sang with Jillian. The "Luke Gallows" character will go MUCH farther than the "Festus" character ever could have hoped to.

 

[Chill]

Well in terms of Drew Hankinson's career progressing, anything is going to get you further than Festus! While I didn't mind Festus as I found him entertaining at times, there is no doubt that him donning a black beanie and aligning himself with CM Punk was a smart move.

In saying that though, from the little glimpse I caught of Luke Gallows the other night I can't say I'm blown away by Hankinson's latest gimmick...but still you can't deny that he will now (in the very least) be taken more seriously than he was as Festus. I'll make up my mind though after I've seen Luke Gallows a few more times because it's far too early to tell if he will bomb or not.

 

[Shanks18]

The company obviously has a lot of interest in him, this is like the fourth time he's been on our screens.

I love the idea of CM Punk forming a Straight Edge stable. Bring in Curt Hawkins who feel into depression alcohol after being dropped from the main roster. Bring up Kaval as a perfect example of how abstaining from vice can help you stay focused and a complete bad ass and give them some diva who's obsessed with CM Punk.

 

[NSL]

Tonight was my first look at "Luke", and I can't help but think this is a trainwreck waiting to happen. During the promo with CM Punk, I was waiting for him to drop to his knees and show CM just how much he loved him. This is a shit gimmick, maybe even worse than Festus was.

I credit WWE with trying something new, but they failed here. Here's to hoping they do something better with him in the future. Even Kane went through shit before striking gold.

 

[Remix]

Tonight was my first look at "Luke", and I can't help but think this is a trainwreck waiting to happen. During the promo with CM Punk, I was waiting for him to drop to his knees and show CM just how much he loved him. This is a shit gimmick, maybe even worse than Festus was.

Oh Good. I'm not the only one who thought that Luke seems a little too fond of Punk than would be expected. And then there's his finisher...

So yeah, Luke Gallows is a reformed tablet taker who seems to be in love with his saviour. But that's a better gimmick than a brain dead ****** who miraculously becomes a monster when he hears the ring bell. Because the ****** gimmick just wont take you far. Just ask Eugene... or does he prefer to be called U-Gene now?

 

[Alex]

Well Festus never interested me, I saw tag matches where and his partner (forgot his name) had matches with Miz and Morrison and he just lumbered about, this new gimmick can be a sink or swim, he can make it work or it will fail