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.

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.