The Bullet Club is heading to WWE. Well, that’s what many people are hoping now that rumors of New Japan Pro Wrestling stars being signed are gaining steam. A lot more speculation has started going around that WWE actually purchased the license rights to the actual “Bullet Club” name and it freaked out people even more, but that may not actually be the case.
First of all, the primary rumors are that Shinsuke Nakamura is heading to WWE along with Bullet Club members AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson. It’s expected that Styles and Gallows could start with WWE as soon as this month’s Royal Rumble while the other two will come in the following few months.
Would the group be able to come into WWE and use the Bullet Club name?
Fansided reported that a rumor started on Thursday stating the WWE had somehow purchased the rights to that very stable name. It would have been extremely ironic and coincidental that the rights to the name would be available right when rumors of signing these big stars came about.
A photo had been posted on Instagram by @thedavebogart , and it showed Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks representing a shirt for “The Elite.” A fan came in and said the shirt ruled before asking if it meant that WWE owned the license for “Bullet Club.”
At that point, the Instagram account for Pro Wrestling Tees came in and responded with, “yea wwe owns the bullet club license now.”
The rumors got extremely out of hand after this confirmation of sorts and it was believed that WWE somehow, some way, grabbed ahold of the license for the Bullet Club name and took it right out from NJPW.
As Wrestling Inc. reported, things escalated further when Rob Feinstein of RV Video later said that WWE had purchased the rights to the Bullet Club logo. There wasn’t much more to Feinstein’s report, but it was an interesting add-on twist.
Shortly after, Pro Wrestling Tees admitted that they were just joking around and being “saracastic,” but no-one seemed to get it.
— OneHourTees (@OneHourTees) January 7, 2016
In the past, Finn Balor, a former member of the Bullet Club, has hinted at there being a “Balor Club” in NXT or WWE, and it’s a rumor that has started heating up again. There is an official Balor Club shirt in the WWE Shop and it has been there for some time.
Apparently, WWE is interested in really pushing these shirts for the current NXT champion, and the former leader of the Bullet Club could be getting another stable. The Observer is also reporting that the defections from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Bullet Club may not be over.
If a Balor Club, or some form of the Bullet Club, is forming in WWE, it would mean that more members are needed and why not bring in the actual members? The latest report is that two more current Bullet Club members, Bad Luck Fale and Tama Tonga, could be heading to WWE.
The current mindset in Japan right now is that Kenny Omega is the leader of the Bullet Club with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks, Fale, Tonga, and some others. While that’s how it is now, the Balor Club, or whatever it ends up being called, could pick up the rest of the members later.
Jim Ross did give his thoughts on the whole Balor Club idea. He has an interesting storyline that could be in the works. His most recent blog post on JRs BBQ touches on his thoughts and what it could mean for the future of WWE.
“Could a Balor Club get created and if so can they be made to be villains? The answer is ‘absolutely’ especially if the proposed Balor Club is friendly with The Authority. Or the Balor Club could be positioned against the Authority to make them bigger fan favorites of which they will likely be if this much talked about matter goes down.”
Is The Bullet Club heading to WWE? Well, some members such as AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows appear to be on their way, but the name of the “Bullet Club” appears to be staying with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Whatever happens, it’s going to be a few interesting months for wrestling fans and full of surprises.
[Image via NJPW]