A major creative move in NJPW just opened the door for WWE to make a purchase of one of the coolest brands in pro wrestling history: The Bullet Club.
In 2013, while a member of the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster and going under the name Prince Devitt, Finn Balor, Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale, and Tama Tonga founded the Bullet Club. The group served to help elevate those foreign talents, but when Balor left the following year and created a leadership void in the faction, TNA legend AJ Styles arrived just in time with an updated persona, and the group became a dominant force in NJPW.
However, as important as Styles was as a main event leader, after joining up months after its formation, the Young Bucks used their social media savvy and hustle to expand the brand globally with appearances in other companies, including Ring of Honor.
As the years passed, the leadership changed, the group grew larger, and the Bullet Club remained in the picture for various titles, including the IWGP belt. Furthermore, the best talent outside WWE would go on to join the group. Stars such as Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, Adam Cole, and Jay White. It helped the faction stay constantly fresh and relevant with fans.
However, with many of its biggest names leaving over the last six years — mostly to AEW — Bullet Club has lost a lot of its relevancy and interest with fans in and outside Japan. It has gotten to a point that after 13 years of being a very lucrative brand, at this year’s edition of Wrestle Kingdom, the faction was seemingly ended when members of the group merged with Unaffiliated to become an all-new faction.
If NJPW feels they can’t squeeze more money out of the brand during a low point in the company’s history, it says a lot about how far its value has fallen. However, the decision may open the door for the top company in the world, WWE, to buy it and rebuild it with a fresh coat of paint and some familiar names.
WWE Should Try to Buy the Rights to Bullet Club
Does WWE need the Bullet Club? No. They have a long and successful history of making their own factions (See: DX and The Bloodline). However, we are in a very different time in WWE history with Vince McMahon out of the picture. Under the leadership of Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Nick Khan, the company no longer denies the wrestling world outside WWE. Furthermore, they have formed various alliances around the industry to make it more interconnected.
The Bullet Club is one of the biggest things the industry has ever produced outside of WWE. Right up there with the NWO because of its longevity, members, and cool factor. Trying to acquire that brand at a low point and to rebuild it with the massive resources the company has would be smart business. Furthermore, it is something WWE felt was “best for business” a decade ago.
When the company signed Styles, Anderson, Luc Gallows, and Shinsuke Nakamura in one fell swoop back in 2016, they reportedly also inquired with NJPW about purchasing the Bullet Club rights. An idea that the Japanese company, of course, turned down.
Beyond the massive merchandise possibilities, the creative element is what is really interesting with former Bullet Club stars like Styles, Balor, and Rhodes, now top names in WWE. Any of those individuals bringing the brand to WWE would be a huge story that fans would love to see. However, imagine if the long speculated Rhodes heel turn came as the new leader of the group in WWE?
Even if they didn’t turn back the clock and reintroduce it with a former members, it could still be an extremely useful tool to elevate different stars. Much like it was used in NJPW.
Would NJPW be willing to sell the Bullet Club brand? Probably not. But they should consider it, especially if they plan to mothball it for the foreseeable future. WWE has the money to make a huge monetary offer. However, something that could work for NJPW might be a deal where they still make a percentage of merchandise sales. As well as a stipulation where the rights can revert back to them after five or six years.
Will it happen? Maybe not, but how cool could it be if it did?
