Bullet Club

Lore & Background

The group was formed in May 2013 when Irish wrestler Prince Devitt betrayed his Japanese partner Ryusuke Taguchi and joined with American Karl Anderson and Tongans Bad Luck Fale and Tama Tonga to create a villainous stable of foreigners. Before the end of 2013, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and Doc Gallows also joined. Devitt left NJPW in April 2014 and was replaced by AJ Styles, who became IWGP Heavyweight Champion the following month. Kenny Omega became the third leader in early 2016 after Styles, Anderson, and Gallows left NJPW. After a civil war between The Elite and OG factions, Omega, Cody, Marty Scurll, Adam Page, and The Young Bucks left in October 2018 to form The Elite and later AEW, with Jay White becoming the fourth leader. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in 2020, Evil became a temporary top representative in Japan. In March 2023, David Finlay became the fifth leader after Jay White's exit. On January 5, 2026, Finlay and Yota Tsuji announced the dissolution of the stable, merging War Dogs and Unaffiliated into Unbound Co.

In Their Own Story

The arena was already humming when the first bullet-shaped light cut through the darkness. Then another. Then a dozen, sweeping across the crowd in a slow, deliberate arc, and the roar that followed was less a cheer than a pressure wave. Kenny Omega stood at the bottom of the ramp, hands clasped behind his back, watching the ring. Tetsuya Naito was already there, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his eyes locked on the three men in the opposite corner who had the audacity to call themselves the future of New Japan.

The bell rang. For the first two minutes, nobody threw a single strike. They circled. They breathed. The crowd counted the seconds in a low, collective murmur. Then Naito moved — a snap elbow that cracked like a pistol shot — and the Bullet Club's philosophy became visible in a single, brutal motion: no wasted energy, no telegraph, just the bullet finding its target. Omega followed with a sequence so tight it looked rehearsed, each transition seamless, each impact landing exactly where the previous one had set it up. The three opponents hit the mat in a tangle of limbs and gasps, and the arena erupted.

In the back, a manager shook his head and muttered, 'They don't wrestle. They execute.' And he was right. That was the whole point.

Reader's Guide

During its 13 years, Bullet Club held every NJPW title with 75 total reigns, including 6 IWGP Heavyweight Championships. Members won tournaments such as Best of the Super Juniors, World Tag League, Super Jr. Tag Tournament, New Japan Cup, and the G1 Climax. Outside NJPW, they won championships in Impact Wrestling, AEW, CMLL, and ROH. Several members received awards from Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Tokyo Sports.

Did You Know?

• The name Bullet Club was coined by Prince Devitt, referencing his 'finger gun' gesture and Karl Anderson's 'Machine Gun' nickname.
• Other considered names included Bullet Parade, Bullet League, and Bullet Brigade.
• The group's 'Too Sweet' hand gesture was originally used by The Kliq and later led to a cease and desist letter from WWE in 2017.
• Bullet Club's original Bone Soldier shirt was the top seller on Pro Wrestling Tees as of March 2016.
• In 2017, Bullet Club shirts sold 100,000 copies in the first three months at Hot Topic.