Joe Coffey Opens Up on Costly, Time-Consuming Visa Hurdles That Followed WWE Release

Joe Coffey and his GBOT stablemates — the group formerly known as Gallus — have finally landed in Major League Wrestling, but getting there was far from straightforward. Coffey, a native of Scotland, has spoken candidly about the significant visa complications he faced in the wake of his WWE release, describing the process as both lengthy and expensive.

For international talent, a WWE release doesn’t just mean finding a new employer — it can mean navigating a complex and costly immigration process before they’re even eligible to work in the United States again. Coffey went through exactly that, and the experience clearly left a mark. He’s expressed a desire to see the industry develop a more accessible path for international performers dealing with the same bureaucratic roadblocks.

Coffey and the rest of GBOT have now cleared those hurdles and made their MLW debuts, marking the group’s return to American wrestling television after their time in WWE’s NXT brand. During their NXT run, Gallus — Coffey, his brother Mark, and Wolfgang — were among the more prominent acts on the UK-based NXT UK roster before the brand was folded into NXT Europe.

The visa situation Coffey described shines a light on a real and often overlooked challenge for overseas talent in professional wrestling. When a contract ends, the work authorization frequently ends with it, leaving performers in limbo while legal fees pile up and months pass. For Coffey and company, the wait is over — but his comments suggest the broader issue deserves more attention from the industry as a whole.