When it comes to fantasy scenarios in WWE over the last couple of years, there is perhaps no topic more debated than that involving the Bullet Club. The group’s systematic dominance in the Japanese circuit as well as that permeating offshore into the United States and the UK independent scenes has cemented the very name ‘Bullet Club’ as something of a cultural phenomenon. It’s more of a mystery as to why WWE simply haven’t capitalised on what a goldmine that could be at their very fingertips. Well, that’s somewhat of a lie – they have capitalised on the Bullet Club name somewhat, but in ways that, in hindsight, were wasteful and failed to generate any kind of long-term interest.
Casual viewers of WWE arguably wouldn’t know much about the Bullet Club. The group, established in Japan, have reigned supreme in the country’s premiere wrestling organisation New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The stable itself has seen multiple instances of championship reigns, and has been involved in a considerable number of high profile feuds and superb wrestling matches that have wowed American audiences. NJPW, as we know, prides itself on being a much more athletically-centred wrestling company, with more of an intent to focus on in-ring combat, with wrestling treated as a serious tough athletic contest. Traditionalists often find the Japanese strong-style of wrestling to be more entertaining from an in-ring perspective, as opposed to the storyline-dominated and very formulaic family-friendly entertainment that stems from WWE.
In many ways, one could say that the very idea of Bullet Club simply wouldn’t work in WWE now. The group was founded on the premise of being an all-gaijin (foreign superstar in Japanese wrestling lingo) stable, consisting of non-Japanese wrestlers, who would often disregard the rules and expectations of NJPW matches, and would often have run-ins during their bouts. This practice is, however, nothing new to WWE audiences, not to mention the company already possessing a wide number of foreign superstars. And WWE are notorious for handling storylines that centre around a wrestler not being born on American soil pitifully poorly, with a tendency to cross into borderline-xenophobia territory. The idea of Bullet Club being just another foreign heel stable is simply preposterous on every level.
Having said that, over time, it can be argued that a Bullet Club angle in WWE might be enough to get them through the ratings slump they find themselves in during football season and in the run-up to WrestleMania. The group has become so fiercely popular with Western fans that rarely a day goes by without seeing some form of Bullet Club shirt – a symbol that has become synonymous with independent wrestling. You could even go as far as saying that the Bullet Club is simply the group of the independent scene and Japan, therefore, in essence, everything that WWE isn’t. Just look at AJ Styles and Finn Balor’s intense match from the TLC pay-per-view – both men were universally adored by the audience that chants of “Too Sweet” echoed throughout the contest. WWE would be stupid to ignore the sheer popularity that the name ‘Bullet Club’ has on that basis alone – they have been compared to the New World Order for many years now, and that group was insanely over. Styles and Balor already have many accolades and are still remembered fondly for their work as leaders of the Bullet Club before coming to WWE.
WWE nowadays seem intent on signing anybody with considerable success on foreign shores and other organisations to exclusive contracts. You can look at some members of their vast roster who had made a name for themselves prior to joining WWE or NXT; AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Adam Cole, reDragon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish), Eric Young, Bobby Roode, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami – the list goes on. One could almost say that in recent years, if a star achieves some considerable success in companies like NJPW, or Ring of Honor, EVOLVE, PROGRESS Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, TNA/GFW/Impact Wrestling/whatever they’re calling themselves these days, it almost seems like a rite of passage to getting to NXT or WWE, which is where the bulk of wrestling popularity exists. It’s both a curse and a blessing. But the question remains whether a Bullet Club angle could work. The short answer is, yes it can. The question of whether it will work if everything goes the right way is another story.
The amount of possibilities that exist with even a WWE-centric Bullet Club are so varied, that one article simply wouldn’t cover them all. But I have studied this scenario plenty of times before, so I feel comfortable playing out the best course of action that pits a storyline that most people will enjoy watching. Feel free to agree/disagree in comments. I am not a wrestling booker or writer, but I have written fantasy storylines before and I do find it enjoyable for my own benefit as well as getting a debate going.
Looking at the main roster right now, the four men that have formerly been in Bullet Club are AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and Finn Balor. Last year, around the late spring/early summer, WWE grouped Styles, Anderson and Gallows together to form The Club (clever name that one) as Styles turned heel and beat up John Cena with the aid of his buddies. Styles and Cena went on to have fantastic matches together, and Anderson & Gallows were ideal muscle to aid Styles to victory. How did WWE capitalise on this? They sent AJ Styles to SmackDown Live in the Draft, while Anderson & Gallows stayed on Raw, thus breaking up the team. Styles went on to win the WWE and United States Championships and have more terrific wrestling matches, while Anderson & Gallows spent the year floating in and around the tag team division and getting squashed by Big Show, cementing them as generic heels whose way of getting heat nowadays is to call people ‘nerds’.
Finn Balor joined Raw from NXT that very same draft, and became the first ever Universal Champion at SummerSlam in 2016. He suffered a shoulder injury during that match which kept him out of action until after WrestleMania, by which point Anderson & Gallows had lost the Raw Tag Team Titles to the returning Hardy Boyz. Their paths hadn’t crossed except with Balor opposite his former brethren in meaningless tag team matches on Raw, for reasons not really explained. To say that the continuity of the Bullet Club’s relationship has been mismanaged is a huge understatement, aside from one brief encounter involving all four backstage at the aforementioned SummerSlam PPV, which ultimately led to nothing.
That is, until Styles and Balor had their match at TLC (over a year later), which happened almost by accident. It wasn’t meant to take place at all. Yet I for one am glad it did because the two showed great chemistry together, and even with no storyline to back it up, it delivered in spades. It was certainly going to be more enjoyable than another chapter in the never-ending Bray Wyatt feud Balor was stuck in. Styles and Balor sharing a “Too Sweet” gesture at the end was symbolic justice and gave the fans a moment to cheer even louder for. Sadly, that would be short-lived.
The night after such a historic match, WWE had Kane (yes, Kane in 2017) go over Balor on Raw, and in the build to the Survivor Series feud between both brands, Styles (still on SDL) tagged with Raw Tag Team Champions the Shield at the beginning of the night, and later on, joined his home brand in their takeover of Monday Night Raw, donning a blue shirt and tearing up the locker room. It just so happens that Anderson & Gallows were two of the many Raw superstars who were jumped, and for all we know Styles could have been one to attack them amidst the melee.
How do we fix this? Well, for starters, with Styles on SmackDown and the other three on Raw, it seems that the seeds have to be planted across both shows. But this could make some sense if done right. Styles, on the next episode of SmackDown, could demand a rematch with Balor at Survivor Series, since he isn’t going to get Jinder Mahal yet. Balor could then come out on Raw and accept Styles’ challenge.
SURVIVOR SERIES REMATCH: AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
As the two have another spectacular match, this time, it’s Styles who gets the win. At the PPV, the two men share another “Too Sweet”. This ruffles the feathers of the Raw and SmackDown rosters, who have spent the past several weeks trying to one-up each other, with no time for pleasantries. One of two scenarios could happen:
Either Anderson & Gallows come through the crowd, and in a showing of Raw supremacy, attack AJ Styles. For all we know, he could have orchestrated the assault on them during SmackDown’s siege of Raw this past Monday. This creates a (possibly) heel contingent of Balor, Anderson & Gallows who stay on Raw.
Or over the next couple of weeks, as Styles sets his sights on Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship, the seeds could be planted for something greater. As Mahal, reeling from a loss to Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, and Styles have a match at the upcoming Clash of Champions event, the time is perfect for Mahal to drop the title.
CLASH OF CHAMPIONS: WWE Championship: Jinder Mahal (c) vs. AJ Styles
Of course, the Singh Brothers interfere during the match as the referee is knocked out, but in a surprise move, Anderson & Gallows even the odds and take out the Singhs, and level Mahal with a Magic Killer. Styles then wins the WWE Championships for the second time. Fans rejoice.
Ambiguity surrounds Anderson & Gallows’ status on Raw, and whether they have signed with SmackDown or not. Balor meanwhile, goes on to feud with Brock Lesnar in the run-up to the Royal Rumble. Just to throw a spanner in the works, Balor is able to capture the Universal Championship eventually, however probably from Roman Reigns after he dethrones Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 (the likely course of action). But, as Balor is defeated by Lesnar (also likely), Balor surprisingly doesn’t show up for Raw and joins Anderson & Gallows in aiding Styles to victory.
Treating the ‘Bullet Club’ as able to float between both shows, as kind of an unassigned stable would be most interesting. Even having Balor join them, as unaffiliated with either brand, with Styles as WWE Champion, would bring a lot of intrigue. They would be able to wreak havoc on both shows, and eventually as Balor becomes Universal Champion, with the Bullet Club possessing BOTH top titles, it seems only a matter of time before things start to get shaky.
ROYAL RUMBLE: Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor
Lesnar retains as expected, Balor then assaults Paul Heyman backstage with Anderson & Gallows. They “Too Sweet” each other.
ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH
A surprise entrant in the form of Adam Cole, who is a topic of interest amongst wrestling fans.
Adam Cole’s call-up as NXT Champion makes things even more interesting. Cole refuses to go back to NXT after competing on the main roster, and subsequently, one week, joins the Bullet Club as an unaffiliated free agent, able to work both shows. Imagining a scenario where Styles as WWE Champion, Balor as Universal Champion and Cole as NXT Champion, reigning supreme over the WWE roster is nothing short of spectacular. Highly unlikely, but nonetheless achievable.
If we want to go a different route, the idea of pitting THE Bullet Club against WWE would have to come at the expense of a working agreement between WWE and NJPW (even more unlikely). The seeds for this could be treated as something of a shoot, but one that is worked in a way that is believable in the social media age we live in.
As Jimmy Jacobs was let go from WWE due to sharing a selfie with the ‘real’ Bullet Club in their ‘invasion’ of WWE, the premise could work, if worked. With either a hidden camera, or at a press conference or something similar, having non-WWE performers appear on screen seemingly uninvited would get people talking. Imagine at a press conference for WWE’s next tour of Japan (if such a conference would exist), and during someone’s speech, through a side door, out come Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks with their respective IWGP Championships. Just that alone is enough to plant the seed for an inevitable swirl of rumours across wrestling insider sheets as to whether it was scripted or not.
To play along accordingly, WWE should treat it as a shoot and therefore, make no mention of the incident and refuse to answer questions about it. As WWE goes on tours of Japan, during a match, the same thing happens again. Commotion in the crowd as Omega and The Bucks walk through the crowd and watch the action as it goes on. The participants in the WWE match going on (seemingly unaware) just stop wrestling and stare at The Elite. Security rush out, commentary stops, crowd goes crazy, social media blows up, the Elite are escorted out.
During a NJPW show (conveniently around the same time), sending a WWE drone of sorts would be an appropriate game of one-upsmanship. Say, someone with real fighting experience, goes out and gets involved in a NJPW match. Or, better yet, having Shinsuke Nakamura make a surprise appearance, by stepping in the way of Kazuchika Okada, his former CHAOS partner, as he embarks through the audience would be a sight to behold. NJPW could tell the story that this is unplanned and not supposed to happen, and it would send shockwaves through the wrestling world.
Forbes
But at the risk of booking a whole NJPW vs. WWE angle, the Bullet Club should remain at the focal point. Imagine building to matches pitting The Elite against The New Day and/or The Revival, playing on their social media beef. Cody Rhodes, an outspoken critic of WWE’s recent use of Starrcade would be able to cut vicious promos on the organisation. Because this is wrestling, the only way fit to settle the score is by getting in the ring. It could even go as far as Anderson, Gallows, Balor and Styles (and possibly Adam Cole), showing their allegiance to Bullet Club and joining forces with them again. Nakamura even ‘re-joining’ NJPW would be incredible sight to behold, wouldn’t it? Imagine the panic that spreads throughout the WWE locker room on screen, as the NJPW faithful cut a ‘shoot’ promo vilifying WWE for how poorly they have handled their careers since joining. Vitriolic and with real fuel behind the fire of the promos. Oh, to dream.
It’s so hard to come up with ideal scenarios of how to book Bullet Club in WWE, but the fact remains that it could be good television, would make great merchandise sales, could successfully relaunch the careers of deserving talents and make good cross-promotional angles as well as international business. The publicity for this angle, however they play it, would be off the charts and could keep casual viewers invested throughout the challenging winter months, so that before long, nobody forgets the name Bullet Club.
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