[9.0] "Karl Anderson doesn't get enough credit for helping Bullet Club come to the forefront of professional wrestling, if not breaking down forbidden doors himself. He managed to establish himself as one of New Japan's most reliable tag wrestlers both before and after the rise of Bullet Club. He eventually took his act to the WWE and TNA (alongside Luke Gallows) and did the same. Not only did he eventually return to New Japan as a singles wrestler, but managed to capture their NEVER Openweight Title before taking the title with him to WWE on a rare deal that allowed him to work both promotions. Anderson might not be the most famous wrestler out there, but those are quite a list of accomplishments."
[6.0] "A very mediocre wrestler. A lot of okay bouts that simply can't carry the weight of his overall performance as a wrestler. As he has nothing else that stands out. His presence barely causes a reaction (if at all), and his mic work is lukewarm at best. He is better than his long-time tag team partner, if that amounts to something."
[6.0] "A lot of people seem to have forgotten just how good he was in NJPW. He was also an essential member of the Bullet Club, if that matters or not when it comes to rating him. However, the minute he went to WWE... I just personally feel, as a fan, he has mentally checked out. He's not the same Karl Anderson as he was in NJPW. Even when he left WWE and had a little run with NJPW & TNA, he just wasn't the same. I don't know what it is, because boy he could go back in the day. He has become a shell of his former self. Had some high expectations for him when he first signed, but I think him being stuck with Gallows is dragging him down. I get they're funny, but he needs a singles run to show why he was so highly rated back in the day. Can't give him anything other than 6 given how, I personally feel, he has checked out and not shown a single glimpse of the performer he once was."
[6.0] "From 2008-2015 he was a fixture in New Japan as a singles and predominantly tag team wrestler. He and Gallows in New Japan were very good. Their run in Impact/TNA was also a highlight. However, all of his time in WWE has been one disappointment after another. Now he and Gallows are jobbers in NXT. That's a STEEP fall from grace. So, if I'm ratings his overall career I think 6 is fair."
[4.0] "Die Good Brothers sind so ein Phänomen. Sie sind schon ewig dabei, auch nie schlecht, aber wenn man zwei große Momente von ihnen nennen soll, fällt einem plötzlich nichts ein. Anderson im Verbund mit Gallows - zwar immer etwas langweilig, aber passabel und mit den richtigen Gegnern kommen gute Matches zustande. Dennoch muss man konstantieren, dass sie bei WWE schon wirklich extrem langweilig waren und "The Club" maximal gefloppt ist. Karl Anderson war 2022/2023 bei NJPW als Singles Wrestler wirklich eine Zumutung."
[8.0] "I kinda like the guy. He is solid wrestler, good talker, and a tag team specialist. One of the most important figure in Bullet Club History. He doesn't fit in wwe to be honest, he is perfect as upper midcarder in New Japan."
[7.0] "one of the most notorious overachievers that ends up with a crazy career. There will be people that say he is nothing good other than having one good match with Nakamura in G1, doing BC role calls, popularizing the magic killer, having a banger of a theme, and doing sour boy impressions, and I would say exactly, that all I every needed from him. A true journeyman in wrestling if there every is one."
[7.0] "Not a WWE guy but has had a ton of success elsewhere. In the ring he is very good and is alright on the mic. Always more of a tag guy than a singles guy but he can have a pretty good singles match."
[5.0] ""I can't help but find Anderson dull. The tag team with Gallows is mediocre at best. They are remembered fondly because they were members of the Bullet Club during the peak of their success. Nonetheless, I find the squad to be as boring as the two men involved. Not terrible in the ring, but without any genuine star power or it factor.""
[6.0] "Just a good hand along with his tag team partner. When it comes to singles matches, I have to admit that I haven't seen a good one from him since his G1 days. Maybe he can't do them anymore but mostly it seems like he just doesn't want to."
[5.0] "Karl Anderson flatters to deceive. He's always had a decent look and showed glimpses that he could break out and be a serious upper midcarder in one of the major promotions. However it just hasn't happened. He's never really developed as a worker and his work is still pretty basic; it's not bad at all but his psychology is still lacking which means a lot of his singles matches descend into nothingness, his only good matches have been with vastly superior workers. His mic work is decent but he's not got the charisma to really get himself over with it. Definitely suited to tag wrestling which is where his better work has been but he gives the impression he thinks he deserves to be something more than that."
[3.0] "He had good matches against Okada, Tana, and Nakamura.......almost a decade ago. Since then, he's been riding on the promise that he can be good; but he just hasn't. His WWE and recent indie are just unspectacular. And i'm sorry but he's not funny at all. Edit: His recent run in NJPW had zero redeeming qualities."
"Karl Andersen had a 160 position drop in the PWI 500 from the year 2021 to 2022. He has great potential in my opinion, but was not pushed to perform at an elite level in the last year too often."
[8.0] "Before he moved to WWE, he was a really solid wrestler all around, whether it be in a tag team or singles role. Unfortunately, his time in WWE seems to have greatly diminished his abilities. Whether that be because of WWE's generally less intense style or aging, or simply a combination of the two, I don't know, but nowadays he's just alright at best. Still, in his prime he was kind of a beast to be honest."
[3.0] "Lacks charisma, always veers on the wrong side of aggressively abrupt, comes across as arrogant and condescending instead of confident and captivating. Mediocre in ring unless working with an overwhelmingly world class opponent."
[7.0] "Tremendous tag team wrestler, decent in ring skills and a passable talker. But he lacks the it factor and charisma to be special. But still he is very solid."
[6.0] "Karl Anderson has a lot of good-will from a few of the singles matches he had from 2012-2013, particularly the title challenge against Tanahashi at New Beginning 2013, but I think the reputation he's developed from matches is overstated, as he's never managed to extend this into comparable performances farther along the line. It's sort of reminds of the reputation Nikki Minaj has maintained because of her great performances on features despite never really standing out in her solo work. I also think his skill on the mic gets overblown, with his role as the voice of the Bullet Club from 2014-2016 never producing any really memorable promos and his delivery often feeling forced. Maybe he really does have more skill than he's being let on, but without any really great matches over the past 7-8 years, I can't really be sure of this."
[5.0] "Not bad in the ring but nothing special has no other redeeming qualities as he's quite small and not much of a talker and lacks any real star power.His best days in NJPW are long behind him"
[6.0] "He isn't the best now, I'd probably have him at a seven if he didn't go downhill. Used to be one of the top guys in New Japan but now he's just a tag guy with Gallows, he's fine though, WAY better than Gallows."
[7.0] "Machine Gun was one of New Japan's best gaijin for the better part of a decade. Unfortunately, I can't give him anything better than a 7 because his stuff with both WWE and Impact haven't really impressed me too much."
[5.0] "Für Karl Anderson gilt das Gleich wie für Doc Gallows. Ich dachte wirklich, dass die WWE-Umstände dafür gesorgt haben, dass er sich nicht vollends entfalten konnte. Monate später weiß ich, dass das nicht unbedingt der Wahrheit entspricht. Sauber, aber doch generisch im Ring. Unterhaltsam, aber wenig vielseitig am Mikro. Passabel, im Tag Team aber brauchbar."
[5.0] "I just can't help but to find Anderson rather boring. The tag team with Gallows is decent at best. They are looked at fondly because they were involved with the Bullet Club at the hight of that group's popularity. But I find the team mostly just as dull as the two guys involved. Not bad in the ring, but just lacking any real star power or it factor."
[7.0] "Definitely the better of the two Good Brothers. Was not bad in his pre Bullet Club days. The gimmick he had in NJPW where he would shout into the camera was good."
[6.0] "Fine as a tag guy but his singles stuff is mostly meh, he was good before wear and tear and injury started to kick in: at that point he started to go pretty downhill in terms of quality and his stuff just wasn't as dynamic as before. At present he's the far better part of the Good Brothers tag team but that's not saying much considering he's sharing a ring with Gallows. Good talker and can certainly cut a strong promo but I don't see him doing much at present considering the very limited state of TNA."
[8.0] "He's excellent as part of a tag team or stable, but not so good as a singles wrestler. I can potentially see him as an upper mid-carder, but he should preferably stay in a tag team with someone."
[6.0] "Solider Wrestler, aber absolut nix Besonderes! Nicht irgendetwas das hervorsticht, weder Look, In-ring-skills oder Showtalent. Brauchbarer Tagteamwrestler, mehr leider nicht."
[8.0] "His role as Bullet Club´s mouthpiece and co-leader after Prince Devitt´s departure was awesome. Good brawler with one of the best Spinebusters in the business and some pretty good matches against Tanahashi and an awesome tag team wrestler, doing wonders with Joey Ryan, Matt Bloom, Goto and Gallows. However, the bad bookings in WWE and his allance with Doc/Luke Gallows hinder outshine his abilities"
[8.0] "Hugely underrated no matter where he goes. Not quite on the same level as the top of any card but you could put him in a main event with top stars and he would easily deliver a great match."
[7.0] "Kann nur seine Leistung innerhalb der WWE bewerten. Diese sind befriedigend, könnten aber besser sein wenn die WWE ihm mal eine Chance geben würde."
[8.0] "Machine Gun Karl Anderson is a brilliant tag team specialist who is also a top-notch singles guy in his own right. He has one of the better concepts of execution and timing on the roster and he's also pretty charismatic in segments and on the stick. Anderson may never get to branch out from the tag scene in the WWE but whenever he's in a singles match, you can truly see how talented he is. Oh, and he has a hot Asian wife."
[8.0] "Besonders im Tag Team-Bereich eine absolute Koryphäe, kann allerdings auch in Singles-Matches überzeugen. Schade um das schwache Booking in Stamford, man kann nur hoffen, dass es bald bergauf geht."
[6.0] "Ein solider Tag Team Wrestler! Mehr ist er dann in meinen Augen auch einfach nicht und war er auch in Japan nie, da ja immer wieder kommt er wäre bei WWE verschwendet worden. Nein, Karl Anderson ist einfach nicht mehr als ein solider Tag Team Wrestler. 6 Punkte."
[8.0] "He is really, really good. Good talker for sure. Very good in ring talent, too. Unfortunately, he is just one of many victims of wwe's bad booking. In new japan, he was completely different. A badass machine gun. Delivered many good/great matches. Now, he is booked like a joke, comedy wrestler. Just another waste of talent by wwe."
[10.0] "Possibly the best tag team wrestler of our generation, and a damn good singles competitor as well. It's a shame he came to WWE just to have his talents almost completely wasted, and also a shame NJPW never put a singles title on him. That said, his accomplishments in Tag Team wrestling are already fantastic, and I'm sure he still has a few more tag titles in his future. He also has the best Spinebuster in wrestling today, one that would make Arn Anderson proud. Simply put, The Machine Gun is one of my favorites of all time, and a good brother to boot."
[4.0] "Aus der krachenden Machine Gun wurde ein leichter Furz. Karl Anderson, war nie ein über Wrestler, allerdings konnte er mit fähigen Wrestlern auch gute matches zeigen. Sein Charisma ist einfach nix für die WWE und das er nicht mehr das machen darf was ihn over gemacht hat, (Alles mögliche in den Gun Stun zu kontern wie z. b. ein Backdrop oder Brainbuster und die Air Machine Gun) hilft auch nicht"
[5.0] "Anderson ist ordentlich, aber mehr auch nicht. Sicherlich der Bessere im Team mit Gallows und auch im Ring wirklich über dem Durchschnitt, aber er mangelt komplett an Charisma. Der Typ hat einfach 0 Ausstrahlung und das finde ich neben dem Ring Work sehr wichtig. Belasse es mal bei 5 mit Tendenz nach oben."
[8.0] "A very underrated wrestler. He had great matches on Japan and I think that he don't was a Main Eventer because Okada needed to be the face of the company at the time. Now he is in the WWE and is Tag Champion, so I hope that WWE give him a singles push to show his potencial."
[7.0] "Very smooth, very agile worker who looks very tough. Like an old school heel brawler with a better physique, he really surprised me when I saw him live. Really underrated and underutilized right now."
[8.0] "Anderson is actually a good ring worker. He is very underrated by the wrestling world. One of the prime guy to revitalize the tag team division of NJPW. To the talent he has he can be a great mid carder and deliver some cool singles matches. But his WWE booking is kinda dissappointed me. Despite being a tag guy Anderson has some good single bouts with Hiroshi Tanahashi, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada. He has good mic skills as well and has good movesets. Overall i miss the Machine Gun Anderson in WWE"
[6.0] "I feel very bad for Anderson. He is clearly a talented wrestler who has been in plenty of very good or even great matches, but he is overshadowed by his consistent constraint to the tag divisions of NJPW and WWE alongside the dreadful Gallows. Being restricted to tag team wrestling means that Anderson is very limited in what skills he is able to display because both promotions require him to follow very specific formulas to produce the matches that they think their fans want to see. Anderson's tag team matches are quite bad however. They don't allow for proper match pacing or any actual connection with Anderson's character, unlike his singles matches where greater time is given to Anderson to allow him to impress the audience, and impress them in a more direct way too since Gallows isn't there taking any of his focus away. On mic Anderson is quite entertaining because he can play ridiculous role with a straight face, heightening the hilarity. He can also do a good job playing a goofy character without coming off as annoying. In the ring Anderson is quite good, knowing how to properly execute moves so as to make his offence look damaging and threatening. His selling is also quite good, even though he is occasionally made to play a comedic role with it a few too many times. If Anderson was to go on a singles run he would be immensely more entertaining. For now I'll just have to settle for enjoying his few exciting moves during tag matches alongside Gallows."
[4.0] "Wow this guy is totally forgettable as he has no personality or charisma. In ring ability will get you only so far. Anderson cannot connect with a crowd or get heat. I guess he and Gallows are only over in Japan or ROH audiences. I don't get what they see in him. A bland bald Basham brother bullet club vanilla midget if I ever saw one."
[9.0] "Pretty underrated. Right behind AJ when it comes to quality in the Club. He is a great wrestler, he can even talk, and has a bit of a charisma. As much of a tag specialist as he is, i still want to see how his singles run would look like."
[7.0] "Karl Anderson is the unsung hero of Bullet Club -- and it's his technically-gifted heavyweight style that helped rejuvenate NJPW's tag-team division. He's not just a good wrestler, either; Anderson is funny when he needs to be, tough when he needs to be, and excellent on the microphone in general. Sure, he doesn't have the size of his partner Luke Gallows, but you'd never know it from the way he hits. Anderson fights like a heavyweight, and is utterly convincing in his role. Is he ever going to be a singles star? No, probably not. He's just not at that top level of charisma and has always been a bit wanting for "it factor. " But he's found the perfect niche as a tag-team specialist, and his role fits him like a glove."
[8.0] "Hisself along with Luke Gallows and AJ Styles are bringing an importance back to stables in WWE. WWE is equipped for multi stable warfare with the Bullet Club, Wyatt Family, New Day, and upcoming tag teams like Enzo and Cass, American Alpha, Dash and Dawson, and Gargano and Chiapa."
[8.0] "Der Ideal-Wrestler ist er vom Gesamtpaket nicht, aber er ist ernst zu nehmend und ein guter Techniker. Seine Gürtel geben ihm recht und um seine Arbeit braucht er sich erstmal keine Gedanken zu machen, auch wenn die Steigerung ausbleibt!"
[7.0] "Anderson ist so ein Mann, der ungemein von dem starken Niveau des New Japan Rosters profitiert. Aus meiner Sicht ist Anderson gut im Ring, von sehr gut jedoch ein beträchtliches Stück entfernt, überdurchschnittlich sicherlich, aber seine ganzen 4 Sterne Matches hat er zu einem Großteil auch seinen Gegnern zu verdanken. Zudem sehe ich kein überbordendes Charisma, Reaktionen zieht er meistens, wenn er die Trademarks des Gegners nachäfft, was lustig sein kann, aber manchmal einfach nur nervt. Ich glaube es ist ersichtlich, dass ich nicht der allergrößte Anderson Fan bin, trotzdem muss man seine Leistungen schon so gut es geht objektiv bewerten, und da stehen nunmal doch zahlreiche gute Matches aus den letzten Jahren im Matchguide. Deswegen bekommt er noch knapp die 7."
[7.0] "Anderson's greatest success to date comes in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he has become one of the central figures in the heavyweight tag division ranks, most notably with former partner Giant Bernard and current partner Doc Gallows, the latter as the main heavyweight team within Bullet Club. He has a good mix of technical, brawling and power-based offense and a knack for blending with various partners (though he can also go as a single). Over the last few years he has also wrestled for Ring of Honor and Global Force Wrestling through their partnerships with NJPW, and still might break out in the US as much as he has in Japan."
[9.0] "Für mich klares Main Event Potential. Finde ihn stark am Mic (gut ist jetzt nicht etwas was man bei New Japan bräuchte, aber trotzdem nettes beiwerk) und wirklich gut im Ring. Er überzeugt oft im Singles bereich wie zb. Gegen einen Styles oder einen Tanahashi. Im Tag Team bereich mit Gallows sind sie leider nur Solide. Die Chemie zwischen den beiden Bullet Club mitgliedern passt nicht so, aber trotzdem schaffen sie es ganz ansehnliche Matches zu bringen."
[7.0] "Ein starker In Ring Worker, wenn auch nicht überragend, der für mich ein perfekter Heel ist. Am Mic kann ich nicht viel über ihn sagen aber das was man so sieht bzw. hört ist auch in Ordnung. Ich hätte nichts dagegen wenn er bald auch mal übergangsweise den World Title bei NJPW gewinnen darf."
[9.0] "Since he first showed up in Ring of Honor, it has seemed as though Mike Bennett was destined to wind up on the WWE roster. In fact, in order to get heel heat for him, ROH has almost come straight out and said, "You should be booing this guy because he is a WWE-style wrestler in a promotion that has historically not promoted WWE-style wrestling. " The gimmick works because, quite frankly, Bennett really does have most of the tools that would give him the opportunity to make a solid run with the big promotion up north. He is lacking some of the size that one would typically except to see a main eventer have in the E, but, in terms of in ring performance and general personality; he could be plugged right in. Interestingly enough, in addition to making the fact that he is a WWE-style wrestler part of his gimmick, it seems as though Ring of Honor has actively been attempting to get him ready for a run with a major league company. Bennett has had numerous matches with bigger "name" wrestlers from outside ROH who know what working WWE style is all about, whether it was his three match series against Lance Storm, some bouts with Nick Dinsmore when ROH was cross-promoting with Ohio Valley Wrestling, and even this past weekend's battle with Jerry Lynn in Lynn's final Ring of Honor match. Bennett has stepped up in all of those situations and will no doubt continue to step up as his career takes further strides towards the top."
[9.0] "Anderson ist wirklich sehr gut! Der Mann hat den Sprung vom Tag Team Spezialisten auch in den Singles Bereich geschafft und gerade 2012 einen tollen Climax gewrestlet. Aus Booking Sicht hat man nun bei ihm zwar etwas die Handbremse angezogen. Man liess ihn zum Bullet Club turnen, wo er lange nur die zweite Geige spielte. Trotzdem wird er sich mit ziemlicher Sicherheit früher oder später ganz oben in der Heavyweight Division etablieren. Mittlerweile kann er sogar starke Promos halten, auch wenn dies bei New Japan nicht so wichtig ist. In seinen Matches überzeugte er mich sowieso schon seit Jahren. Wie bei Davey Boy Jr. warte ich mit den 10 Punkten noch bis zum glaubwürdigen Heavyweight Title Run, der hoffentlich kommen wird."
[8.0] "Hat in den 2 Jahren NJPW, die ich verfolge, eine große Entwicklung vom guten Tag Man zu einem starken Singles Wrestler durchgemacht. Nach klasse Show bei New Beginning, und in Anbetracht der anderen Matches, kann ich ihm getrost 8 Punkte geben."
[8.0] "Ich habe Karl Anderson das erste mal im Jahr 2007 in der Undercard von ROH gesehen und ihm damals fast nichts zugetraut. Er wirkte farblos und ganz einfach austauschbar. Dass ich mit der Einschätzung falsch gelegen habe, kann die Machine Gun mittlerweile immer wieder aufs Neue beweisen. Er ist zudem ein weiterer Beweis dafür, wie gut das New Japan Dojo ist, denn hier hat Anderson sehr viel gelernt. Fand ihn im Tag Team mit Bernard schon gut aber als Singles Wrestler gefällt er mir mittlerweile noch besser. Es freut mich, dass er nun seinen Shot auf den IWGP Title bekommt, auch wenn er wohl nicht gewinnen wird aber der Intercontinental Title ist in diesem Jahr auf jeden Fall drin, vielleicht sogar Pflicht. Er scheint auch das Vertrauen der Offiziellen zu genießen, schließlich stand er dieses Jahr im Finale des G1."
[8.0] "Karl Anderson hat den Sprung vom Tag Team Wrestler zum Singles Wrestler auf eine Art und Weise geschafft, wie ich es ihm nicht zugetraut hatte. Durch seine ständige Arbeit im New Japan Ring ist er immer besser und besser geworden und gehört zurecht seit Jahren zum Stammkader der Promotion."
[8.0] "Bewertung vom 17. 01. 2010 7 Punkte: Guter Mann, kein Top-Player aber ansehnlich im Ring mit stets solider Leistung. Update vom 12. 11. 2012, absolut verdiente Aufwertung auf acht Punkte."
[8.0] "Seit dem Bad Intentions-Split hat Anderson eine unfassbare Entwicklung genommen. Großartige Ausstrahlung, starkes In-Ring-Work, mittlerweile ist Machine Gun in der ersten Liga der New Japan-Wrestler anzusiedeln. Sehr guter Worker, der die Chance auf eine langfristige Etablierung im Main Event hat."
[8.0] "A man that improved a lot since debuting in NJPW. Now, not limited by the sloppiness of Giant Benard, he appears to be the strongest heavyweight gaijin in Japan and supposedly his first IWGP Heavyweight Title shot is to come very soon."
[6.0] "Ist in Japan sicherlich besser aufgehoben als in den US Indys, wo er für mich gerade als Singles Wrestler nur bedingt überzeugen konnte. Dafür fehlt ihm einfach die Ausstrahlung und das gewissen Etwas. Im Team mit Joey Ryan ging er noch gut klar und nun bei New Japan scheint er an der Seite von Giant Bernard auch seinen Platz gefunden zu haben."
[6.0] "Zusammen mit Bernard gefällt er mir gut. Auch seine beiden Climax-Auftritte sind in Ordnung. Ich denke, er könnte in Zukunft mal den IWGP Heavyweight Champion fordern und es vielleicht auch noch werden. Aber dazu müsst man ihm erst Bernard wegnehmen, was ich aber nicht hoffe, da die beiden mir sehr gefallen."
[9.0] "Guter Gaijin, den ich mir durchaus als IWGP Champion vorstellen könnte. Das Climax Turnier wird er anscheinend nicht gewinnen, aber es gibt ja noch andere Wege nach Oben zu kommen. Trotzdem durch seine guten Leistungen im Ring 9 Punkte!"
[7.0] "Ich wußte lange Zeit überhaupt nichts mit ihm anzufangen, aber langsam finde ich ihn richtig gut. Er ist sicherlich weniger charismatisch und unscheinbarer als die meisten seiner Gegner, aber Anderson ist einfach ein solider Wrestler, der weiß, was er macht."
