Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang Sign With MLW (Exclusive)

MLW continues to expand its ever growing roster with the signing all three members of the faction formally known as Gallus.

The faction signed with WWE for the NXT UK brand back in 2018 and spend several years on that brand before being brought over to NXT proper in 2022. In May 2025, WWE released Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang from their NXT contracts.

Beyond a few appearances across the European independent scene, the trio kept a relatively low profile throughout the rest of 2025 before making their surprise debuts in MLW as a part of Battle Riot VIII. Less than two months later, The Takedown on SI can exclusively confirm that all three men have signed contracts with Major League Wrestling.

Joe Coffey got right into the swing of things when he entered the RIOT!

Watch the replay of MLW Battle Riot now on our official YouTube channel: ▶️ https://t.co/xLsUDPoTK4 pic.twitter.com/ZKpDd7UWEe
— MLW (@MLW) March 13, 2026

Joe Coffey speaks with The Takedown on SI about signing with MLW

Newly signed MLW star Joe Coffey recently spoke with The Takedown on SI regarding their decision to sign with the company after the initial feeling out phase of working Battle Riot VIII earlier this year.

"Well, you know, we were part of MLW's Battle Riot in Kissimmee, Florida. And it seemed like a good fit," Joe Coffey said. "We wanted to go and show what we could do. And it just seemed like a really good environment to be in. Especially like getting a taste of the Battle Riot.

"MLW has a deep and talented roster, and a lot of people who I really want to go mix it up with, so hopefully the MLW fans just get a slight taste of what I, Mark, and Wolfy are about."

Goodbye Gallus, hello GBOT

While most WWE fans have gotten very familiar with the Gallus faction name, it was a trademarked name created during the trios time in NXT UK. Thus, the faction needs a new name in MLW, a name that Coffey explained the meaning of later in the interview.

"We are the GBOT. It stands for a lot of things, but it's Glasgow Boys on Top," Joey Coffey revealed. "We're from Glasgow, and that's the mentality we have. I've done my time, just playing my part and being a good soldier. You know, Killer Kross, I'm not really interested in him. I'm interested in what he's got around his waist, to be honest.

"But, like him, we have a familiarity, GBOT. It means one thing: I'm not here to just play a part. I'm here to really establish myself and who I am, because before my time for the past couple of years that I've had in other companies, I was a world-traveling superstar. I was wrestling people from Hall of Famers to world champions. I'm not here just to make up any numbers. I'm here to show what Joe Coffey is all about and what I can do, and I'll be leaving my mark as well."

Interest from AEW and tribalism in wrestling

NO MERCY
Paul Walter Hauser. https://t.co/OuCDZkG6WX
— Joe Coffey (@Joe_Coffey) February 6, 2026

Reports emerged in January from WrestleVotes Radio that people backstage in AEW were pushing to bring the trio into the company. Ultimately, that didn't happen, and GBOT chose to sign with MLW instead. According to Coffey, it was all about keeping their options open and encouraging fans not to engage in tribalism in wrestling right now.

"We just like to keep our options open," Joe Coffey admitted. "The thing is, the tribalism in pro wrestling, I'm not really a fan of. I couldn't really care less. The business is thriving as a whole, so I don't understand why people aren't happy. And I take it back to when I was a kid, and WCW closed and WWF at the time, bought it. I was really disappointed, and kind of fell away from it.

"And then there was an amalgamation of all these talented wrestlers. And I kind of felt like that. And looking back, I go, why did you feel like that? It's stupid. There was so much talent in that one company at the time, with all the WCW guys and everyone coming, and obviously, offshoots and stuff like that.

Moments before. pic.twitter.com/gCsy1IM2AU
— Joe Coffey (@Joe_Coffey) March 20, 2026

"I just don't understand the tribalism. So we just like to keep our options open. It's never gonna say never, but MLW is the place I want to be because it's going forward, it's moving forward, it's pushing on, it's becoming bigger and bigger every time. So that's something I want to attach my name to."

Joe Coffey gets candid about work visa issues after his WWE release

Being released from WWE is never easy for a talent, but for a wrestler who is based overseas it's even more difficult when work visas are attached to your contract. When Gallus was released in WWE last year, Coffey spent several months landlocked in the United States unable to wrestle while trying to get his work visa situation handled. A problem that took way longer than anyone could expect.

"It took a lot longer than expected," Joe Coffey admitted. "And that's the thing. Being an international talent, people don't see that side of things. Our visa was attached to our contract. I've set up a life here. I've got a girlfriend who's from Orlando. I had to go home, so I didn't see her for, I don't know, four months. It was a longer process than I wanted. It's not really anyone's fault. It's just the way American immigration is now; that's just the way of things.

🎯 https://t.co/3SmVwAhdvP pic.twitter.com/UVJAO9hWpf
— Joe Coffey (@Joe_Coffey) March 24, 2026

"I did get to go home and see family, and I did get to wrestle. I wrestled for ICW, Clan Wrestling, and Power Pro, which was good to get back in and just keep busy. And now that we're back, it's been such a frustrating year, like, I can't tell you, and there's some personal stuff that's happened as well that has been a nightmare for eight months. People think, oh, it's all roses and that. And then they think you'll leave WWE and you'll do all these signings and all these.

"Nah, it doesn't work like that. Especially because, let's be honest, we were cooled off majorly on the way out. So I'm basically starting from square one again, and I'm hungry, and I'm ready to build my reputation up, because I've always bet on myself. I know how good I am in the ring. And actually give me a microphone as well, you barely had me talk for the three years. I can talk the hind legs off a Donkey. Not a problem."