With his WWE debut alongside partner Karl Anderson just hours away, Luke Gallows has slipped into a vacant-eyed catatonic stupor from which he will only emerge when he hears the opening bell of his match on Raw.

A bulbous tongue protruding from his slack-jawed maw, Gallows is now staring into the middle-distance, unresponsive to stimuli — a peculiar affliction that strikes him several hours before each match.

It is believed that Gallows is an “idiot savant” who suffered brain damage seven years ago at the hands of a charismatic cult leader who preached an radical “straight-edge” lifestyle.

Fans who have followed his career know, however, that Gallows will awake at the sound of the bell and wreak havoc — just as he did when performing in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) under the monicker Super Festus.

Anderson was also a marquee star in Japan, where he was known for announcing his own ring entrances with a microphone dangling from the rafters, bellowing his catch-phrase: “Karl Anderson… Annnnnderrrrrsonnnnnn.”