BULLET CLUB (Original)

Lore & Background

The group was formed in May 2013 when Irish wrestler Prince Devitt betrayed his Japanese partner Ryusuke Taguchi and came together with American wrestler Karl Anderson and Tongan wrestlers Bad Luck Fale and Tama Tonga to form a villainous stable of foreigners, which they subsequently named Bullet Club. Before the end of the year, the stable was also joined by three other Americans, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and Doc Gallows. Wrestlers from the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion have also worked tours of NJPW as members of Bullet Club, which led to the formation of an offshoot group named Bullet Club Latinoamerica in CMLL in October 2013. The stable marked a major turning point for the career of Devitt, a longtime fan favorite, who began his ascent out of the junior heavyweight division and into the IWGP Heavyweight Championship picture. In April 2014, Devitt left NJPW and was replaced in Bullet Club by American wrestler AJ Styles. The following month, Styles captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The stable continued adding members, most notably Canadian wrestler Kenny Omega, who became the group's third leader in early 2016 when Styles, Anderson and Gallows all left NJPW. After a 'civil war' between The Elite and OG factions within the stable, Omega, Cody, Marty Scurll, Adam Page and The Young Bucks quietly left the faction in October 2018 to continue on their own as The Elite and to later form All Elite Wrestling (AEW) with New Zealand wrestler Jay White taking over as the fourth leader of the group. Due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions in 2020, Evil becoming a temporary top representative member of the group in the Japan-based contingent of the group. In March 2023, David Finlay became the fifth leader of the group following Jay White's exit from NJPW. On January 5, 2026, David Finlay and Yota Tsuji announced the dissolution of the stable, officially merging both War Dogs and Unaffiliated into the new Unbound Co. stable. During the 13 years of Bullet Club, the stable held every NJPW title, with a total of 75 title reigns, including 6 reigns with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Bullet Club members also won several NJPW tournaments, like Best of the Super Juniors, World Tag League, Super Jr. Tag Tournament, New Japan Cup and NJPW most prestigious tournament, the G1 Climax. Outside NJPW, Bullet Club also won

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium was thick with tension, the crowd's roar shifting from cheers to boos as AJ Styles stepped into the ring. Flanked by his lieutenants, he didn't bow to the Japanese tradition; instead, he leaned on the second rope, staring down the local champions with a smirk that dared them to make a move. 'This isn't just an invasion,' Styles whispered into the microphone, his voice cutting through the noise. 'It's a takeover.' The lights flickered as the group surrounded their opponent, the original Bullet Club standing united in a moment that signaled the end of one era and the violent birth of another.

Reader's Guide

Bullet Club was conceived by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in early 2013, following a positive fan response to a storyline, where Prince Devitt turned on his longtime tag team partner Ryusuke Taguchi to form a villainous partnership with Bad Luck Fale. Originally, Devitt and Fale were scheduled to go on as a duo, but the storyline was altered with them instead coming together with Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga to form an all-gaijin (foreigner) stable. Devitt came up with the name Bullet Club, which was in reference to his finger gun hand gesture and 'Real Shooter' nickname and Anderson's nickname, 'The Machine Gun'. In naming the group, Devitt has stated that he specifically did not want the word 'the' in front of the name or a name consisting of just three letters. Other names considered for the group included Bullet Parade, Bullet League and Bullet Brigade. As of May 2016, the Bullet Club trademark is owned by NJPW. Behind the scenes, the four founding members of Bullet Club were best friends and travel partners. The group has been compared to the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) stable New World Order (nWo). As a way of paying homage to the nWo, members of Bullet Club began using the stable's signature 'Too Sweet' hand gesture. The gesture, originally conceived by The Kliq's Sean Waltman and referred to by Kevin Nash as the 'Turkish wolf', had supposedly been used by Anderson and Devitt behind the scenes since 2006. In March 2015, WWE filed a trademark application for the hand gesture. Some, including Matt and Nick Jackson, suggested this was done due to Bullet Club's popularity. The application was ultimately abandoned by WWE. In August 2015, after Devitt had joined WWE as Finn Bálor, WWE released Bálor Club merchandise playing off Bullet Club. WWE recognized Bullet Club in the first week of January 2016, when discussing rumors about members of the stable joining the promotion, preceding A.J. Styles' debut in the WWE as a 2016 Royal Rumble contestant. In April 2016, the former Bullet Club tag team of Gallows and Anderson debuted for WWE, with their NJPW background again being acknowledged by the company, eventually forming The Club with Styles. On September 25, 2017, Bullet Club appeared outside WWE's Raw show in Ontario, California, spoofing a segment from 1998 where D-Generation X 'invaded' WCW's Nitro. Afterwards, WWE sent members of the stable a ce

Did You Know?

• The group was formed in May 2013 by Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale, and Tama Tonga.
• Devitt came up with the name Bullet Club, referencing his finger gun gesture and Anderson's nickname 'The Machine Gun'.
• Bullet Club held every NJPW title during its 13-year existence, with 75 total title reigns.
• The stable's Bone Soldier shirt was the top seller on Pro Wrestling Tees as of March 2016.

Origins and Formation

Conceived by New Japan Pro-Wrestling in early 2013, this faction emerged following a positive fan reaction to a storyline where Prince Devitt betrayed his long-time tag team partner Ryusuke Taguchi. Initially planned as a duo with Bad Luck Fale, the concept evolved into an all-foreigner stable when Irish wrestler Devitt united with Americans Karl Anderson and Tongans Tama Tonga and Fale in May 2013. Devitt coined the name Bullet Club, drawing inspiration from his 'Real Shooter' nickname and finger gun gesture alongside Anderson's moniker as 'The Machine Gun.' He deliberately avoided adding 'the' to the title or using a three-letter acronym, rejecting alternatives like Bullet Parade or Bullet Brigade. Behind the scenes, these four founding members were close friends who traveled together. The group quickly expanded before year-end, welcoming Americans The Young Bucks and Doc Gallows, while also establishing an offshoot in Mexico known as Bullet Club Latinoamerica through CMLL tours.

Leadership Transitions and Global Reach

The stable's leadership saw significant evolution over its thirteen-year history, beginning with Prince Devitt before his departure to WWE in April 2014. He was succeeded by AJ Styles, who captained the group until early 2016 when he left alongside Anderson and Gallows. Canadian Kenny Omega then assumed command as the third leader following a period of internal factional conflict known as a 'civil war' between The Elite and OG members. This turmoil led to key figures like Cody, Marty Scurll, Adam Page, and The Young Bucks departing in October 2018 to eventually form All Elite Wrestling. Jay White took over as the fourth leader until his exit from NJPW in March 2023, paving the way for David Finlay as the fifth captain. Throughout its existence, Bullet Club operated globally, appearing not only in NJPW's U.S. subsidiary and partner promotions like TNA, ROH, and AEW but also across independent circuits in Australia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

In-Story Concept and Cultural Impact

Bullet Club was frequently compared to World Championship Wrestling's New World Order (nWo), a parallel that members embraced by adopting the signature 'Too Sweet' hand gesture. The faction's popularity drew attention from WWE, which filed a trademark application for the gesture in March 2015, allegedly due to Bullet Club's rising influence. Although WWE later abandoned the application, tensions flared when members spoofed a historic D-Generation X invasion segment outside a Raw show in 2017, resulting in cease and desist orders regarding intellectual property. Despite these conflicts, nWo founder Kevin Nash praised the group as a more athletic iteration of his own stable, informally passing the torch between the two legendary factions while acknowledging mutual respect.

Championship Dominance and Legacy

Over its thirteen-year run, Bullet Club achieved an unprecedented level of success within New Japan Pro-Wrestling, eventually holding every single title available in the promotion. Members accumulated a staggering total of 75 championship reigns, including six distinct runs with the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Beyond individual titles, the stable proved dominant in major tournaments such as the G1 Climax, Best of the Super Juniors, World Tag League, and the New Japan Cup. Their influence extended far beyond Japanese borders, with members securing championships in Impact Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, and Ring of Honor. The group's excellence was further recognized through numerous awards from publications like the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Tokyo Sports. This era concluded on January 5, 2026, when leaders David Finlay and Yota Tsuji announced the stable's dissolution to merge into a new entity called Unbound Co.

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