Doc Gallows wasn’t sure how fans would respond to Festus’ big return. Either way, he made sure he was clear to do so in the first place.
Gallows brought back WWE’s infamous Festus gimmick during a surprise appearance at MLW Battle Riot VIII. Killer Kross, the winner of the match and new MLW World Champion, told WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard that Gallows originally had doubts about reviving the character.
During a follow-up interview, Gallows went into more detail about his initial reservations, explaining why he was hesitant to revisit the controversial gimmick.
“I looked into it to make sure that I was safe. And I talked to my trademark lawyer about it, so we’re in the process of that now, just in case. But I hadn’t thought about that in a long time,” Gallows explained. “Machine Gun and I have been going everywhere. [And at] all of these shows and meet and greets and conventions that you do, we were shocked by the amount of people who would ask about Festus.
“Because I didn’t think there was a huge demand to see Festus. I kinda put him—he goes in a certain gimmick category, if you will, without bringing up any other names. But the interest really, really seemed to be there.”
Doc Gallows is very pleased with the reaction that Festus got
Fans were making their own Festus merchandise, so Gallows thought, albeit cautiously, that it’s something to consider bringing back.
“[The reaction] was extremely, extremely positive, and people popped to see it. But everybody was very patient in dealing with that. A lot of guys in the modern era probably haven’t worked with a character quite like that before. Everybody did a great job with that. It got a big reaction and it was fun, but it was nerve-racking because I’ve been out of the gimmick realm of this for so long.”
Gallows says he questioned fans responding to the gimmick, or if they’d even remember it at all. Despite his concerns, there were plenty of fans who knew, which resulted in a great reaction at the event.
Gallows said he was equally as concerned about the potentially controversial nature of the Festus gimmick and the reaction to it.
“I remember winding it down years ago, thinking it’s probably good to put this thing on the shelf with the way the world is going. But I think now, it’s looked back at with a wink and a laugh. You can describe it a certain way, so I was happy that people were happy to see it. At the end of the day, especially in a Battle Riot setting or a Royal Rumble appearance, that’s something that I always look forward to and watch a match like that. [I want to see] what surprises will they pull out, and I thought Festus was a great surprise.
“I don’t think it’s something I can go out and do every single week, nor do I want to. But I think for special occasions that it could definitely work, especially with the right type of audience. The MLW audience, it’s more of an adult-themed audience. They show some blood, you see some cursing, and I like all of that. I’m a fan of the ‘Attitude Era’ that we grew up in, so I think that was cool and the right place to do it.”
Doc Gallows teases a future Jesse and Festus reunion
Gallows pointed out that he’s still very good friends with Ray Gordy, who played Festus’ partner, Jesse. Gordy currently works as a law enforcement officer, but Gallows teased that
“He wants to go out and do some signings and stuff. So I think there will have to be at least one Jesse and Festus reunion down the line, because why not? But other than that, we’ll see if there’s a time and a place for old Festus in between.”
Doc Gallows portrayed Festus from 2007 to 2009. He was eventually separated from Jesse in the 2009 Supplemental Draft and became Luke Gallows, CM Punk’s enforcer in the Straight Edge Society. Punk claimed that Gallows’ past as Festus was due to his addiction to pills, but Punk got him sober and gave him the new persona.
MLW will be in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on May 9 for an MLW television taping. Visit the MLW website for more event information.
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