The revelation of a bad case of the mumps running through Raw‘s locker room caused several big changes to this Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view, most notably the return of Kurt Angle in a WWE wrestling ring as an active competitor for the first time in 11 years. But while some WWE internet fans seem upset that they would allow someone with much time off back in the ring, it should be noted that Kurt has not been inactive during that time. Ten of those 11 years were spent with Impact Wrestling, his last match was against Cody Rhodes this past March at Northeast Wrestling (NEW) and prior to that he was working in the UK with WCPW and RevPro where he faced the likes of Joe Coffey, Joe Hendry and Zack Sabre Jr. – he hasn’t exactly been idle.
But the other big match is one that while many are lamenting as a random match actually is one with significant backstory. That of the match featuring Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles, who is replacing the ill Bray Wyatt. Not only is this a dream match for many (and has been for several years), but there are huge overtones of the Bullet Club in this match, whether intentional or not.
THE BEGINNING OF THE BULLET CLUB
Bullet Club was founded by Finn Balor (then Prince Devitt) in NJPW in 2013. Prior to the formation of the industry’s hottest faction, Finn Balor was a popular face character in NJPW, as part of the successful junior heavyweight tag team Apollo 55 with Ryusuke Taguchi. They were 4x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and beloved by the NJPW audience. It was Finn’s turning on Taguchi in May of 2013, with help from his bodyguard Bad Luck Fale, that started the chain reaction that would become Bullet Club. Over the course of Bullet Club’s first year under Prince Devitt, they added Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Tama Tonga, and The Young Bucks. But on April 6, 2014, at NJPW Invasion Attack, The Young Bucks would turn on Devitt and super kick him out of the very faction he founded just under a year ago previous. Devitt would re-surface in NXT months later, changing his name to Finn Balor.
NEW LEADERSHIP
Late in the same event that saw Devitt ousted from Bullet Club, former Impact Wrestling World Champion AJ Styles interrupted the main event and attacked Kazuchika Okada, joining Bullet Club in the process. AJ soon assumed the role of leader of the Ring of Honor branch of Bullet Club and slowly began to become the figurehead of the entire group (Karl Anderson was the de facto captain of the NJPW branch). During Styles’ run with Bullet Club, the group continued to expand, adding Kenny Omega, Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens and Cody Hall, while retaining the Bucks, Tama Tonga, Bad Luck Fale and Anderson & Gallows. AJ also presented Bullet Club with their first (and only) claim to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (a feat he accomplished twice in his 2-year tenure in the Club). But in January of 2016, history repeated itself, with the Young Bucks ceremoniously super kicking AJ Styles out of the Bullet Club and Kenny Omega assuming leadership mantle of the group and setting up the three-man power trio, The Elite.
POST-DEVITT/STYLES
From the outset of Omega anointing The Elite the sole leaders of the Bullet Club (apart from a small trial of Adam Cole running the ROH branch), the faction saw a dramatic shift in its priorities. Before The Elite took over, Bullet Club never officially declared any official leadership – it was more of a one for all, all for one attitude. And while the Bucks had taken one of their hand gestures as their own – the now controversial Too Sweet symbol – it began to see increased usage by newer members, with the original main hand gesture, the gun salute, fading away. Omega’s Bullet Club dropped Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows and Cody Hall, replacing them with ‘hipper’ younger stars like Cody Rhodes, “The Villain” Marty Scurll, “Hangman” Adam Page and adding a tag team partner for Tama Tonga, in his brother Tanga Loa. But as the past year began to focus more on The Elite and less of the original stars, it’s begun to cause dissension in the group’s core. Bad Luck Fale, one of the last of the original founding four (Devitt, Anderson, Tama and Fale), has been quite vocal of his growing disdain for The Elite’s “leadership”.
I think it's time for the OG's to take back the #BulletClub .@Tama_Tonga #toosweet #4Life
— Rogue General (@TOKSFALE) October 18, 2017
The #BulletClub has always been about fighting the establishment.
So Fuck the establishment!
Fuck one sweet!#toosweet #4Life— Rogue General (@TOKSFALE) October 19, 2017
He even attacked The Elite’s new hand gesture, the “One Sweet”.
If you come pointing a finger at me i'ma break it!#toosweet #4Life
— Rogue General (@TOKSFALE) October 21, 2017
THE WWE SHOWDOWN
The WWE has not been shy in mentioning both men’s involvement with the Bullet Club on WWE programming, both in NXT and on the main roster. AJ Styles was even teamed with fellow members Anderson and Gallows in The Club, an obvious reference to their lineage and alliances from Japan. For the past year, fans have clamoured at the prospect of a full reunion of the four, or at least some kind of showdown between the former leaders. Well, thanks to the mumps, we finally have that match. The man who took over the Bullet Club the same night that the other one was kicked out, will be facing each other in a throwback to the original legacy of Bullet Club, while it’s future is currently seemingly coming to a head between divided sides. And with Raw’s roster in question with the precautions and impending illnesses, Raw’s creative are scrambling to write some new angles. With TLC being a Raw brand, could we see Gallows and Anderson interject for either side in the match?
Either way, the fans – WWE, ROH and NJPW alike – are in for a fun year of storytelling from Bullet Club, and this Sunday, it will happen at TLC. And it looks like even Bad Luck Fale will be cheering from Japan.
Good luck my bros @FinnBalor @AJStylesOrg #Suckit #TooSweet pic.twitter.com/1jRgqXydRX
— Rogue General (@TOKSFALE) October 21, 2017
