Breaking Down Keys to Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson Thriving on WWE Roster

WWE's newest jackals, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, need the right environment to prosper. The two bruisers aren't can't-miss prospects who can overcome subpar booking. Their prey, partnerships and presentation have to be just right.

They need to be able to feast on other teams. They have to incorporate themselves into a pack. And all while balancing what first created the buzz that earned them a trip to WWE with fresh elements.

In the early stages of Gallows and Anderson's run, WWE has already hit its share of bull's-eyes and errant shots. 

Teasing a reunion with AJ Styles, for example, is smart. Their alliance in New Japan Pro Wrestling as part of The Bullet Club is why fans are so intrigued by their arrivals to WWE. Having them play Roman Reigns' victim, though, is a sign that the company may not be sure how to best set the stage for Gallows and Anderson.

Path of Destruction

WWE needs to let Gallows and Anderson play fearsome brawlers who run over people. That's where they have been at their best.

Allowing them to devour much of the tag team division will not only paint them as formidable forces, but it will also play on their strengths. Gallows and Anderson are hard-hitting bruisers who are better at talking with right hands than one-liners.

We saw a glimpse of that at play in their in-ring debuts on Monday night.

Gallows and Anderson hammered The Usos for much of their matchup. Anderson floored Jimmy Uso with a nasty clothesline. Gallows dumped Jey Uso over the security barricade like a bag of garbage.

The bout played out, as LaToya Ferguson wrote for the A.V. Club, like a "decently lengthed execution."

And Gallows and Anderson looked right at home in all of it. WWE will need to showcase their dominance more down the road, having them pick apart teams like The Social Outcasts and The Prime Time Players. This is the path to making them believable threats.

On Monday's Raw, however, WWE undid all the work it did with that match against The Usos. Reigns charged in to stop them from hurting his cousins, and with little effort, the babyface dropped both men. They couldn't handle Reigns despite their numbers advantage.

Credit: WWE.com

As FloSports' Jeremy Botter tweeted, that scene makes it hard to stay invested in these titans:

That's part of the reason why The League of Nations never gained any traction. Reigns often ran through them like faceless goons in an action movie. The audience struggled to see them as anything other than fodder.

That's a fate WWE has to avoid with Gallows and Anderson. 

Cogs in a Machine

It's no coincidence that Gallows' career peak so far came as part of The Bullet Club in NJPW. He's not charismatic or a good enough in-ring performer to carry a storyline by himself. Being a part of a red-hot faction, though, allowed him to reach his full potential.

He's a strong bruiser with good size and an intimidating aura. That made him a key part of The Bullet Club.

Anderson is better in the ring and possesses a bit more presence on the mic, but he is best suited to be a part of a team, too. He's had brief, successful stints as a singles wrestler, but he made his name teaming with Giant Bernard (NXT's Jason Albert) and later with Gallows and company.

WWE has to not only keep Gallows and Anderson together, but it should also expand their current group. Having someone else serve as leader will allow these two to focus on fighting. Let Styles or Finn Balor take over and be the marquee star of the group.

And right now, WWE is wisely inserting them into the kind of storyline that maximizes their presence.

Intrigue surrounds them as fans wonder whether they will turn on Styles or align with someone else. The Miami Herald's Scott Fishman laid out a scenario that is on many a mind:

Keeping Gallows and Anderson involved in tales like this is vital. They don't have the personality to thrive otherwise. 

That's what made The Bullet Club so successful. It took guys such as Gallows or current members like Bad Luck Fale, who would be marginal stars on their own, and made them a part of a group that lent itself to high-profile angles. 

Fusion of Old and New

WWE can't just recreate The Bullet Club. It will feel like a cheap ripoff of someone else's angle. But the company doesn't need to start from scratch with Gallows and Anderson, either.

Adding new elements of how it presents those two while borrowing some from what worked in Japan should be the goal.

That's the strategy WWE took with Sting. In a way, it had him reprise his days as WCW's bat-wielding avenger, but it adjusted the act. It began to call him "The Vigilante." His gear was often a blend of his colorful garb from his time at TNA with the black-heavy clothes from his WCW tenure.

So far, WWE is doing well in that department with Gallows and Anderson.

Yes, they are hinting at their old partnership with Styles and using their Magic Killer finisher, but they also now enter the ring to new music and sport jackets that look plucked from a sci-fi movie.

Credit: WWE.com

Giving them a team name should be next on the agenda. "Gallows and Anderson" doesn't have nearly the ring that "The Bullet Club" did. 

And as WWE crafts the duo's backstory, it can use their Japanese success as part of it, but the company should also give them something else to work with. Paint them as mercenaries or sadists, but don't just rely on their NJPW momentum.

Add WWE flair to the Gallows and Anderson act and let them loose. They are capable of being enthralling figures as they go on the hunt.