2024 could see numerous pro wrestlers depart from their current companies to find work elsewhere. Now, NJPW is facing the possibility of losing some key members of the Bullet Club.
NJPW Could Lose More Bullet Club Members
NJPW has lost a few members of their roster in recent memory. With Will Ospreay leaving for AEW, and Kazuchika Okada’s future contract status seemingly up in the air, it appears that their roster will be a bit lighter by the end of 2024.
Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that the contracts of Bullet Club members Gabriel Kidd, Clark Connors, and Alex Coughlin are nearing expiration. Now, we can add Drilla Moloney’s name to that list.
In previous days, Fightful has reported that Gabriel Kidd, Clark Connors and Alex Coughlin all had contracts set to expire in January. They aren’t alone, as we’re told that Drilla Moloney, aka Dan Moloney is among those whose contracts are actually already up. We’ve not heard if he’s been in active negotiations with NJPW.
Drilla Moloney is a former tag team champion with Clark Connors, holding the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles until Wrestle Kingdom 18. He could be a valuable asset to another company.
Moloney also had experience in WWE’s NXT UK brand prior to his NJPW run. He has some acting experience as well. His future remains uncertain, but various opportunities may be open to him very soon.
AEW afforded Jon Moxley the opportunity to pursue his interests in other pro wrestling companies, and he has made the most of that. During his time on AEW television, Moxley made his way to the ring on many occasions with the IWGP United States Title over his shoulder. It was his title to hold throughout the pandemic, but it’s nobody’s title anymore.
Jon Moxley won the IWGP United States Title from Lance Archer at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 4, 2020. Then the pandemic struck, and he held that title until July 21, 2021, when he dropped the title back to Archer at AEW Fyter Fest in a Texas Death Match.
Moxley actually held the IWGP United States Title prior to that. On June 5th, 2019, Jon Moxley won the belt at the Best of the Super Juniors 26, but he dropped it a short time later after failing to make the trip back to defend it due to Typhoon Hagibis.
IWGP United States Title Destruction
The IWGP United States Title was destroyed by David Finlay in a shocking move on December 11th, 2023. In its place, the company will have the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Still, to see the US Title go in such a way was hard to watch.
While speaking to NJPW’s website, Jon Moxley opened up a bit about the IWGP United States Title’s abrupt deactivation. He understands the business, but he did put everything he could into representing that title while he held it.
There are a lot of belts in this business. A lot of championships, and a lot of guys walking round with all kinds of gold and silver on their shoulder or their waist. But a championship is what you make it. It’s how you represent yourself. The championship you wear is a representation of who you are. Your guts, your heart, your fighting spirit, and where you draw the line in the sand between you and your opponent. It says that you will give no quarter and no-one will take it from you.
I put a lot of heart and soul and hard work into that IWGP United States Championship, and I do not take kindly to David Finlay smashing it with a big stupid Mario Kart hammer.
Belts hold up your pants, but championships are a much different thing. The gall it took for Finlay to do what he did, I kind of admire it, but it really does piss me off.
What Happened To The IWGP United States Title
David Finlay destroyed the IWGP U.S. and U.K. titles at Power Struggle. NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi later announced during the Wrestle Kingdom 18 press conference that a replacement title would be introduced.
The jury is still out on how the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship will be represented. Jon Moxley still might have a bone to pick with the Bullet Club leader over how he treated the US Title.
Last night, the July 28 episode of IMPACT Wrestling aired. The episode was recorded on July 15 at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky.
Quick Results
Eddie Edwards (w/ Kenny King) def. Ace Austin (w/ Chris Bey)
Laredo Kid & Trey Miguel def. Johnny Swinger & Zicky Dice
Tiffany Nieves def. Jada Stone
Josh Alexander def. Shera (w/ Raj Singh)
KUSHIDA def. Rich Swann
IMPACT News
Last night, many notable pieces of news emerged from the July 21 episode. We have collected some of the news and updates from last night’s episode.
Honor No More & Bullet Club
Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Kenny King & PCO) will face Bullet Club (The Good Brothers, Ace Austin, Chris Bey & Hikuelo) in a ten-man tag match.
If Honor No More wins, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett will get their Tag Team Title match. However, if the Bullet Club wins, Honor No More will be forced to disband as a group.
After Tiffany Nieves defeated Jada Stone, Killer Kelly made her return to IMPACT Wrestling. Kelly hit Nieves with a pump kick before getting Nieves in a one-hand sleeper. Kelly hit a low-shotgun drop kick on Stone before hitting a double-under hook face slam.
Impact Wrestling‘s Alex Shelley is scheduled to challenge Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship at the upcoming Emergence PPV on Friday, August 12.
This show featured clips of various wrestling personalities talking about the legacy of Shelley.
Among them was Johnny Gargano, who claimed that Alex Shelley is one of the most underrated wrestlers of the current generation:
— ? Kimberley Ford ? (@RoyaltyCanadian) July 29, 2022
KUSHIDA
KUSHIDA made his IMPACT in-ring debut on this week’s edition of IMPACT. The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion defeated Rich Swann in singles action.
At Impact Wrestling’s No Surrender PPV over the weekend, Jay White and Chris Bey turned on the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) and helped The Good Brothers retain the Impact Tag Team Championships. Impact Wrestling recently posted a backstage interview with Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Chris Bey.
“I said that I was going to create the best version of Bullet Club across New Japan Pro Wrestling, AEW, and Impact. I also said that the best tag team in the history of Bullet Club was going to walk away the Impact tag team champions and I was right,” White said during the interview.
“Listen, there ain’t no Bullet Club if the Machine Gun and the Big LG ain’t in it,” Anderson then said. “This right here, like I said since Day 1, since May 3rd of 2013, Bullet Club is 4-life.”
“There was no better place for the Bullet Club to reunite and become one again than here in New Orleans, Louisiana,” Gallows added.
The 4 then gave each other the 2 sweet hand signal, but White said there would be no more throwing the hand signal low as the group had been doing recently.
Following the angle in Impact Wrestling, there was also some tension teased between El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori on a recent NJPW card. The two had a bit of a disagreement regarding the tag match they were in. Jado also expressed to the commentary team that he had no idea White was going to do what he did. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa will be back in Japan next month for the New Japan Cup. Jay White will not be back in Japan for the tournament, however.
An angle with implications for NJPW and AEW took place Saturday night on Impact Wrestling’s No Surrender PPV. The Guerrillas of Destiny were challenging the Good Brothers for the Impact World Tag Team Championships when Chris Bey came to ringside. His distraction seemed to irritate both Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. Then, Jay White appeared and gave a Blade Runner to Tama, leading to Anderson and Gallows retaining.
After the match, it was made clear that White had kicked the GOD out of Bullet Club and welcomed Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows back into it.
Following these events, Jay White tagged the Young Bucks in a post featuring highlights of his Blade Runner to Tama Tonga.
There are implications for the angle in AEW as well. In storyline, Adam Cole brought White into the promotion recently. The Young Bucks and the Good Brothers had previously been aligned along with Kenny Omega as members of the Elite in both Impact and AEW last year. This angle is essentially taking place in 3 different promotions.
Hangman Page didn’t exactly feel like a trailblazer while in the Bullet Club.
When Page was first brought up to The Elite and Bullet Club, many thought he had potential. With that said, he was part of a group with names that had been well established.
Kenny Omega was having all-time classic matches in NJPW, Cody Rhodes was making waves in the U.S., and The Young Bucks already cemented themselves as a top-tier tag team.
Hangman Page Didn’t Feel Superior In Bullet Club
During an interview with Men’s Health, Page wasn’t afraid to admit that he kind of felt like a benchwarmer in BC.
“I was the guy who was the last to join the Bullet Club—on the house show that wasn’t even on TV. I was the guy who was getting beat in all these multi-man matches in New Japan.
“I was the guy who didn’t even have a winning record in (New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament). It feels like a fresh thing in wrestling to be that honest about how you feel in that situation.
“But what other truth could there be than to feel inferior in this group?”
Japanese crowds often reacted favorably to Hangman Page and they were onto something. Page has become a star in AEW and is on the cusp of capturing his first world title.
This Saturday night (Nov. 13), Page will challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at Full Gear.
Adam Cole will face Frankie Kazarian in his first AEW match on Wednesday. Dynamite will take place from the Prudential Center in New Jersey this week. Cole spoke with the Asbury Park Press about the show.
“It’s so incredibly awesome that I’m getting to make my in-ring debut with AEW in that area,” Cole said. “To me, those fans have been some of the most passionate, some of the most excited, and some of the most dedicated that I have ever seen. The fact that I kind of cut my teeth in the Northeast area is something that those fans hold near and dear to them, and it’s something that I hold near and dear to me, too.”
Cole also teased a faction war between the Elite and Bullet Club could becoming to AEW soon. This has been teased in both Impact Wrestling and at the NJPW Resurgence PPV earlier this summer as well.
“I think there’s been tension with the Bullet Club over in Japan and the Elite here in AEW,” Cole said. “The history kind of speaks for itself, seeing the tension between the two teams and the two groups. So, ‘unfinished business’ I think would be an understatement. I think it’s very possible that at some point, me and the Elite are going to have to take care of some business.”
Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows were all members of Bullet Club before becoming members of the Elite. Cole joined the faction in May of 2016 but then left in 2017 when he was killed off on BTE. He won the ROH World Championship while a member of the faction as well.
Cole also spoke about his excitement about the Forbidden Door opportunities currently available in wrestling.
“I keep going back to imagining me as a fan,” Cole continued, “thinking that two promotions could collide and have the chance to have, say, Impact wrestlers come on AEW or New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestlers come there and wrestle AEW stars — and that is just so exciting.”
Over the summer, Bullet Club and members of the Elite have clashed on shows for both Impact and NJPW. On Impact Wrestling, Jay White arrived and inducted Chris Bey into Bullet Club. White got into a back and forth with Anderson and Gallows, however, as they requested White thank them for making Bullet Club the world-famous name that it is.
Anderson and Gallows were confronted by Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa at NJPW Resurgence, however. Anderson again said that the members of Bullet Club need to thank the Elite for putting the faction on the map but when the Guerrillas of Destiny came out to confront the team, Anderson and Gallows simply left the ring area.
Following the main event of last night’s AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega, Don Callis and the Good Brothers spoke about recent comments made by NJPW Bullet Club members, Jay White and Tama Tonga.
“I actually feel bad because they’re our brothers over there,” Callis said.
“The bottom line is when the 3 brothers here left the Bullet Club, it was actually a good thing because it created opportunity for some mid-card guys to move up the chain and fly the flag.”
Callis then compared it to a baseball fantasy camp.
“I think we’ve done something really good here, this is a nice thing that we’ve done. We’ve created opportunity here. Those guys are good guys but you don’t replace Michael Jordan.”
Callis then pretended not to know who the NJPW Bullet Club members are.
“I think the Bullet Club guys in Japan are great, I’m not familiar with what the names are just yet but they are flying the flag so I’d like to put a stop to all these bad feelings.”
Callis then encouraged fans to purchase Bullet Club merchandise to help the faction out.
“I’d like to encourage all the fans out there, please buy the merch. Let’s get them back in the top-40 on Pro Wrestling Tees.”
In the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV, Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers wore Bullet Club branding. Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie, Doc Gallows had the faction’s logos on his gear, and Kenny Omega wore a cut-up Bullet Club Halloween special edition t-shirt. Branding for the faction appearing on Impact was addressed recently by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Everyone thinks it has something to do with New Japan, it’s got nothing to do with New Japan,” Meltzer said.
The words “Bullet Club” were never mentioned on commentary.
“I cannot imagine that wearing a t-shirt would be illegal in any way shape or form. I mean, if he was selling the t-shirt that would be illegal. Giving them publicity for wearing a t-shirt? No, there wouldn’t be anything illegal about that at all. They should be happy that he’s publicizing their t-shirt on television.”
“Why would (NJPW) ever get mad about something like that?” Meltzer continued. “Gallows and Anderson are going to be in New Japan soon enough and they are going to be in Bullet Club. Or at least the theory is they will be in Bullet Club, I don’t know that 100%”
Impact Wrestling is back tonight with the first episode from the tapings held over the weekend. Eric Young will face Rhino, and Jordynne Grace & Jazz will face Kimber Lee and Susan (aka Su Yung) on the show.
When Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows walked to the ring last night at Hard to Kill, they were each wearing Bullet Club branding.
Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie to the ring, Gallows’ gear was all decked out in Bullet Club logos and Kenny Omega wore a limited edition Bullet Club Halloween t-shirt as well. The commentary team never referred to them as Bullet Club, however.
Omega and the Good Brothers defeated the team of Rich Swann, Chris Sabin, and Moose on the show. Moose was replacing Alex Shelley, who was pulled from the event in the days leading up to it.
The Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga has been critical of the faction’s reunion in AEW and Impact. He believes only the wrestler still in NJPW are true members of the faction. Tonga posted the following last night:
“At this point, it’s only BulletClub when the Tongans are in it. Anything else is just guys that wished they were back in BulletClub,” Tonga Tweeted.
Karl Anderson is one of the 4 founding members of the faction along with Tonga, Bad Luck Fale, and Prince Devitt. Gallows joined later in 2013. Omega wouldn’t join until 2014 as a junior heavyweight.
IMPACT Wrestling stars Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows recently joined forces on-screen with AEW Champion Kenny Omega and ‘The Invisible Hand’ Don Callis.
The group aligned during an episode of IMPACT Wrestling back in December; since then fans have been wondering when The Good Brothers would eventually make their way over to AEW Dynamite.
Kenny Omega and Don Callis were the catalyst for the AEW/IMPACT storyline beginning, at least on-screen, and last week saw The Good Brothers invade Dynamite and attack Jon Moxley. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson appeared following the main event which saw Kenny Omega defeat Rey Fenix for the AEW Championship.
The 4 men would then unite with The Young Bucks on screen; revealing that the ‘Bullet Club’ (not named as such on camera) had reunited outside of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Karl Anderson discussed the invasion during this week’s episode of Talk’n Shop. Co-host and NJPW star Rocky Romero would ask Anderson if ‘the boys’ backstage did not know they were going to appear.
Karl Anderson On ‘Bullet Club’ Invasion
“No, no, no [they knew]” Karl Anderson would begin on the podcast. “I guess that’s the difference of the time right? Because there was a couple…I guess there was a couple marks at the hotel here and there?”
Anderson would then discuss how the invasion wasn’t leaked online. “We came in and there might have only been one or two in the hotel? I don’t know how they didn’t see us? Maybe they just are a part of the game, and didn’t want to leak it? I almost think it was probably expected at some point, but where we are in the world right now? It’s just easy to surprise I guess.”
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The conclusion of AEW New Year’s Smash (Night 1) saw the shocking reunion of the Bullet Club. It was the latest chapter in a fast-moving shake-up of the professional wrestling landscape led by Kenny Omega and Don Callis.
Omega recently crossed over to Impact Wrestling and aligned himself with former partners, The Good Brothers (Gallows & Anderson). The trio are set to main event Impact’s next pay-per-view, Hard to Kill. Their opponents will be Impact World Champion Rich Swan and the Motor City Machine Guns.
At Dynamite, the ‘reunion’ came more into focus. Following Omega’s successful title defense over Rey Fenix, Jon Moxley came out. Mox had a barbed wire baseball bat and sought revenge on the man who beat him for the AEW title. Gallows & Anderson appeared and provided backup for The Cleaner. A brawl ensued, with additional AEW talent joining the fray.
AEW World tag team champions The Young Bucks hit the ring, but they soon revealed their true intentions. Nick and Matt Jackson aligned with Omega, Gallows and Anderson. Dynamite went off the air with the former Bullet Club members embracing in the middle of the ring with their famous “2 sweet” hand gesture.
Backstage after the show, the guys posed for this photo:
Bullet Club reunion in AEW
Bullet Club Reunion in AEW
This reunion of Bullet Club members solidifies that this is a bold new direction for AEW. It will likely be be one of the company’s top storylines in the months ahead. It also poses several interesting questions to consider as we look ahead:
Jon Moxley is the current target of Omega and company. He has been a longer in AEW thus far. However, there are strength in numbers. Who could Moxley against this dangerous ‘new’ faction?
Where do former Club members Hangman Page and Cody Rhodes fit into the equation?
The ‘club’ now has a presence in multiple promotions, including AEW, Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Could this angle be the next step signaling a working relationship with NJPW?
Perhaps the biggest question is how this new faction relates to the current incarnation of the actual Bullet Club. The organization’s members currently include NJPW stars Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale, KENTA, El Phantasmo, Dick Togo, Jado, Taiji Ishimori and more.
What do you think about the Bullet Club reunion in AEW? Let us know in the comments section.
At the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega, Anderson & Gallows and the Young Bucks closed the show by reuniting and sharing the “2 Sweet” hand signature. It was a reunion of 5 wrestlers who all ran as members of Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling from 2013 to 2018.
“Machine Gun” Karl Anderson is one of the 4 founding members of the group. Prince Devitt, Bad Luck Fale, and Tama Tonga are the 3 others. Doc Gallows would join later in 2013, as would the Young Bucks. Kenny Omega would arrive in late 2014 and would wrestle in the Junior Heavyweight division until AJ Styles left in 2016 and he moved to heavyweight.
Bullet Club original Tama Tonga reacted to the reunion in AEW. He tweeted after Dynamite:
Tama Tonga tweeted the following about the Bullet club’s presence on Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling on AXS TV. He thinks that any incarnation of the Bullet Club that does not include the Tongans is illegitimate.
At this point, it’s only BulletClub when the Tongans are in it. Anything else is just guys that wished they were back in BulletClub https://t.co/8wnwlybt7y
Tama Tonga and brother Tanga Lao, known as the Guerrillas of Destiny, captured the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships for a record 7th time earlier this week at Wrestle Kingdom 15.
The Guerrillas of Destiny have defended the title 9x thus far across their 7 title reigns. They need to win one more IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match to tie both Cho-Ten and Tencozy for the record of 17 combined title victories + title defenses.
AEW President Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone returned to Impact on AXS TV this week with another sponsored ad spot. Khan said they are continuing the holiday spirit of helping the less fortunate by funding Impact with the paid ad.
Schiavone ran down the card for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. It will be the first night of a 2-week special, New Year’s Smash.
Tony Khan then denied Don Callis’ claim that he was partially responsible for the formation of AEW. Khan said that he was the man responsible for AEW’s funding, resources, television relationships, booking, hiring talent and more.
Khan told Callis, “You do nothing for the wrestling business. You’re a parasite on this business.” The Tony’s will be back on Impact next week with another ad, and he’ll pay for the air time with a $100 bill his grandmother sent him for Christmas. Tony Schiavone’s reaction to this line was priceless.
Watch Tony Khan & Tony Schiavone’s latest paid advertisement from this week’s Impact Wrestling in the player embedded below:
Kenny Omega, Don Callis and The Good Brothers also appeared on Impact on AXS TV. They hyped their upcoming match at Hard to Kill on January 16th.
Omega, Gallows and Anderson addressed their opponents, Impact World Champion Rich Swan and the Motor City Machine Guns. Omega said those guys are teammates for now, but they’re not family like Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers.
The gang said they are Bullet Club for life. Watch the promo below:
New Japan Pro Wrestling star and Bullet Club member Tama Tonga recently discussed what has made BC such a lasting force in pro wrestling. Tonga commented on the long running stable during the latest episode of his Tama’s Island podcast.
The group was initially formed back in 2013, with Prince Devitt/Finn Balor, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale becoming the nucleus and initial core group of foreign talent to call themselves Bullet Club.
Bullet Club would add (and then later throw out) some of the biggest names in pro wrestling. AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Kenny Omega and Adam ‘Hangman’ Page are all alumni of the prestigious group.
Tama Tonga on Bullet Club
“It was the foreigners doing it big in Japan” Tama Tonga would state on the podcast, saying why the group began to gain momentum. “When Americans could see like these Americans doing it so big in Japan? I think that was something they gravitated to, it was awesome.”
Tama Tonga would then heavily praise the ‘second wave’ of members who joined the group. Most notably, The Young Bucks Matt and Nick Jackson. “Another thing was The Bucks” Tonga stated. “The Buck were red hot and on the indie scenes. They brought over a lot of fans to watch us [in NJPW].”
Tonga would finish by saying that the way the group utilized social media was also a massive part of their growth and enduring nature. “It was just some of our like social media things that we were doing up there. It was this against the grain type attitude, It was just cool, it was. We’re just cool.”
Do you think that Bullet Club will continue to rise into the next decade? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM Bully Ray recently discussed the NJPW faction Bullet Club. This past weekend saw New Japan hold their Dominion event, which was headlined by Tetsuya Naito putting his IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships on the line against his Los Ingobernables’ partner EVIL.
EVIL would win the bout following interference from Bullet Club, after which he joined the infamous group. Bully Ray would talk about EVIL joining the group on Busted Open, where co-host Dave LaGreca claimed that EVIL joining ‘breathed new life’ into Bullet Club.
Bully Ray on EVIL
“So I just want to talk about what you said about EVIL joining Bullet Club; breathing life into the Bullet Club” Bully Ray began on the show. “I kind of see where you’re coming from, but I don’t think the Bullet Club has been anywhere near what it was in the past.”
Bully Ray elaborated further, saying “I’m not even talking about when Cody and the Bucks where there [in New Japan]. Just that original inception of the Bullet Club, the heydays of the Bullet Club. EVIL being there is cool. Jay White as the head of the Bullet Club? I’m still on the fence [about that].”
Jay White
Ray would then state that he is a fan of White’s in-ring work, but that as a personality he is lacking in terms of ‘leadership.’ “I don’t think Jay White has the personality to be the leader of a group like the Bullet Club. I’m not talking about Jay White in the ring. Jay White is frickin phenomenal in the ring yada yada. But the Bullet Club is/was something special. It had that nWo-esque feel.”
Bully Ray would then reveal who he thinks should be leading the group. “To me, Tama Tonga has to take control of the Bullet Club, because he has that edginess. He has that killer instinct, that vibe. I want to see Tama be the head of the Bullet Club. Just think of him as the spokesperson for that Club? I think restores it to its original badassery. That’s just my take on the Bullet Club.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
You can add the Bullet Club Beach Party to the growing list of coronavirus canceled events.
The stable shared the unfortunate news via their Bullet Club Beach Party Twitter account. The official statement noted how their first priority is to the health and safety of their guests and talent. They added how “No one is more disappointed in this outcome than us.”
“We are as upset by this outcome as you all are, but we do not want to let this be the end of the road. We have plenty of gas left in our tank, and we fully intend on running an event in the distant future, within calendar year 2020.”
Bullet Club conceded that the entire coronavirus situation is “fluid.”
They added that they are working diligently to get fans refunds for their tickets and meet and greet purchases.
Bullet Club members Tanga Loa, “Switchblade” Jay White, KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Haku, Bone Solider and El Phantasmo were just some of the club’s members scheduled to appear. Other wrestlers included RUSH and Dragon Lee.
Although WrestleMania 36 still seems to be going ahead, plenty of other promotions have taken action to help combat spreading the virus. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has canceled several New Japan Cup events, and ROH has recently canceled their 18th Anniversary pay-per-view.
Tanga Loa who is part of Bullet Club recently talked about The Elite’s departure from the stable in an interview.
Tanga Loa has seen the faction go through a lot of changes and transitions. A member for more than five years, the 6-time IWGP Tag Team Champion talked about the major change that happened in Bullet Club.
Subgroup The Elite – comprising of The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll and Hangman Page – officially left Bullet Club at the G1 Special in San Francisco in 2018.
The split was inevitable as The Elite had become separated from the identity of Bullet Club, according to Tanga Loa. He said that it had become necessary to establish what the faction meant to them and where they wanted it to go.
“One, I think you could see fans could see there was a real difference in the Bullet Club at that time, and Kenny [Omega] and The Bucks are amazing talents, and then Cody of course, was a part of Bullet Club at that time too. Marty [Scurll] was too, and I think when two of the members, the original members of Bullet Club feel like the club is not holding on to its roots, the tradition, that mindset of what started Bullet Club, I think they felt it necessary to pump the brakes and establish what it meant to be a part of Bullet Club, and San Francisco, I think was that point where we had to draw the line in the sand,” Tanga Loa told POST Wrestling.
After the departure of The Elite, Bullet Club is under the leadership of Jay White, who joined in October 2018. Tanga Loa has been with the faction since March 2016.
Bullet Club will be hosting Bullet Club Beach Party during WrestleMania 36 weekend in Tampa, Florida. The event is set to take place on April 4 at Whiskey Joe’s and many names from the pro wrestling world will be present. You can find more information about the event and ticketing here.
Villain Enterprises’ resident Mercenary, Flip Gordon, has broached the idea of Villain Enterprises and Bullet Club forming an alliance. Gordon will be in attendance at Bullet Club’s upcoming Beach Party where he will compete against Tama Tonga in a flip cup tournament.
Speaking to Wrestling Inc. Daily, Gordon confessed how he dreamed of being a part of Bullet Club, especially as he had so many friends within their ranks. He highlighted how Villain Enterprises’ leader, Marty Scurll, was even a member of Bullet Club at one point before adding, “Can’t we be friends with them? I don’t know. But I’m also the mercenary and money talks.”
Flip Gordon On Backstage Interactions
Bullet Club members Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga have previously wrestled on the same ROH cards as Flip Gordon and Villain Enterprises. Despite having the opportunity to cross paths backstage, Gordon admitted that the two factions generally stay away from one another.
“We actually kinda keep our distance. The Bullet Club and Villain Enterprises, we don’t share the same locker room,” revealed Gordon. “We’re not walking by and giving each other hugs. We’re respectful and say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ when we see each other in passing, but we’re not buddy buddy.”
Flip Gordon is scheduled to compete against Slex. The two face off this Sunday at ROH’s Free Enterprise event.
WWE Superstar Finn Balor recently reunited with a few friends from New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
The former Universal Champion took some time to catch up with some of his former Bullet Club stablemates for a Sunday BBQ. He joined Tama Tonga and Tonga’s father, Haku, for the event. They were also joined by NXT Superstar KUSHIDA, who made a name for himself in NJPW before signing with WWE.
Both Balor and Tonga uploaded photos of their reunion to social media to commemorate their day. Balor wrote “Family. @Tama_Tonga & HAKU” to caption the picture of himself, flanked by Tonga and Haku. In the picture, Balor is throwing up the Too Sweet gesture on both hands.
Tonga uploaded a few photos, including the one Balor uploaded, alongside the caption:
“Had some friends over for a Sunday BBQ reminiscing about our good times together in [Japanese Flag Emoji]. Surround yourself with good people and keep moving forward.”
Had some friends over for a Sunday BBQ reminiscing about our good times together in 🇯🇵. Surround yourself with good people and keep moving forward. pic.twitter.com/aPFGDIfUEM
Balor was at one point the leader of Bullet Club in NJPW, back when he was known as Prince Devitt. He recently returned to NXT, announcing that he was once more part of the black-and-gold brand during a confrontation with current NXT Champion Adam Cole. Tama Tonga, meanwhile, is one half of the current IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions in NJPW alongside his brother Tonga Loa.
A Bullet Club member has turned his back on his stablemates and instead joined the rival faction CHAOS at the NJPW Southern Showdown event in Sydney on June 30.
Robbie Eagles had enough of Bullet Club and turned on them by joining CHAOS’ Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada.
Eagles was frustrated with Bullet Club as he felt that his spotlight was stolen by the addition of Canadian indie star El Phantasmo to the group.
On Night 2 of the NJPW Southern Showdown event, Eagles was part of the six-man tag team match where he teamed up with Jay White & Bad Luck Fale against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Okada & Ospreay of CHAOS.
After the match, Eagles turned on Bullet Club after having enough and was subsequently beaten down by his now-former partners. Surprisingly, Ospreay returned to help Eagles and offered him a spot in CHAOS, which he accepted.
New Japan has revealed that there will be a new member of the Bullet Club debuting soon. A promo package teased the new arrival to NJPW at a recent New Japan Cup show (video below). The package showed a lone figure standing in a dimly light ring, that figure was UK based star, El Phantasmo.
The Canadian born performer originally got his start in NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling, where he debuted in October 2005. El Phantasmo worked his way through the Canadian independent scene before relocating to the UK. Phantasmo then started with Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) in 2017.
Rev Pro and New Japan have a close working relationship. El Phantasmo actually won the British J Cup event co-hosted by Rev Pro/NJPW in 2018 at the Manchester Wrestling Media Con. Phantasmo defeated Rich Swann, Rocky Romero and KUSHIDA in the final of the tournament to take the cup.
It is likely that the close affiliation between Rev Pro/NJPW is the reasoning behind Phantasmo’s signing. The Canadian star is one of the standout performers in the UK and will soon taking on PAC for the Fight Forever promotion.
It wasn’t that long ago that Jay White was officially recognized as the new leader of Bullet Club. This revelation led to a mix of emotions from fans of NJPW and Bullet Club, given how relatively new he was to the Club itself.
Other people’s feelings on the matter didn’t faze Bullet Club itself, however, as Tama Tonga took to Twitter to proclaim White’s leadership to the world. That, in itself, acted as a seal of approval from the newly supposed ‘Good Guy.’
Speaking recently with Digital Spy, Jay White spoke about being elected Bullet Club leader. He also discussed training at the NJPW dojo, and about wrestling fans who might be looking for alternatives to WWE.
“I don’t know if people thought it was going to be awkward,” White admitted. “I’ve known those guys for years. I’ve got more claim to being one of the Bullet Club OGs than others may think because I was brought in by guys like Prince Devitt and Bad Luck Fale and I was there as a ‘young boy’ and I knew those guys.”
“A Lot Of Fans Complain, But They Never Try To Watch Anything Else”
Speaking of training at the NJPW dojo, White admitted that he was somewhat of a “blend” during his time there.
“To the Japanese guys, I’m a foreigner,” he explained. “To some of the new foreign guys, I’m almost like a Japanese person in terms of knowing their culture and their ways and how things are backstage. It depends who you compare me to, I’m like a blend of the two, I’m in between.”
He then claimed that New Japan’s product was “[…] more of a sport than a TV show. You see so many fans getting tired of the same WWE stuff. A lot of fans complain and complain, but they never try to watch anything else at all. The things that they’re often complaining about New Japan has and offers. So all those things you’re able to find with New Japan.”
A lot has happened within the New Japan landscape since the end of Wrestle Kingdom 13, which took place January 4th.
The former IWGP Heavyweight champion, Kenny Omega, has candidly stated that he needs time away from NJPW. New IWGP US Heavyweight champion, Juice Robinson, has signed a multi-year deal with the company. Rocky Romero has also re-signed.
Now, “The Crown Jewel” Chase Owens has also officially re-signed with New Japan.
Taking to his Twitter account, Owens shared the news, stating:
“Happy to announce I have signed contract with njpw. #packagedrivereveryone2019″
There had been a lot of confusion regarding the status of Takahashi and Owens in regards to Bullet Club. Despite wearing BC logos and consistently adorning black and white, the two were adrift from the core group ever since last July’s G1 Special event in San Francisco.
That show would see the then-Firing Squad (comprised of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Haku) assault the Bullet Club, including Takahashi and Owens, over internal frustration with Elite member’s Kenny Omega, Cody, and The Young Bucks. Their issue stemmed from Bullet Club having an uneven heirarchy due to the Elite’s very existence.
During the company’s New Year Dash event on 5/1, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens were officially welcomed back into Bullet Club.
Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens are back in Bullet Club. The two had been seemingly kicked out of the group by the Firing Squad last year and placed with the Elite on NJPW tours. They were accepted back into the faction earlier today at New Year’s Dash in Korakuen Hall, however.
“For months people have been asking what side are you on or why does chase still wear bulletclub gear. Well last night I answered ;) bc4life”
Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens Back In Bullet Club
Owens and Takahashi interfered during the NEVER 6-Man tag team championship match at New Year’s Dash. Their run-in allowed Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Taiji Ishimori to keep their belts. After the match, Owens and Takahashi were accepted back into Bullet Club.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi Being Booked With The Elite
Even after members of the Elite began saying they were no longer members of Bullet Club, Owens and Takahashi never did. Owens Tweeted out “BC 4 Life” shortly after news broke the Elite were officially leaving Bullet Club. Takahashi seemingly never realized he’d been placed with the Elite, as evidenced by his comments on an episode of Being the Elite during the World Tag League tour. Takahashi and Hangman Page teamed together in the tournament.
“What’s up with Elite B*lls**t?” Takahashi asked Page on the BTE episode. “Am I supposed to be in it?”
“That’s not really up to me,” Page responded. “We kind of thought you’d be booked to be with the Tongans, to be honest. Maybe that’s why they don’t trust you completely yet.”
