The newest stable on WWE television, the Club reminds viewers a lot about a similar faction. AJ Styles, Anderson and Gallows might not be on par with Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall who formed the nWo which resulted in WCW gaining ascendancy over the WWE in ratings, but there are similarities to look at.
Both are anti-establishment stables and where the true version of the Club aka the Bullet Club used New Japan Pro Wrestling as its stomping grounds, three of its major former members are already in the main roster and another one, Finn Balor, has just been drafted to the main roster.
Let us analyse the similarities between the nWo and the Club
1. The ‘Too sweet’ gesture
Every stable in the WWE has an iconic gesture to separate themselves from the rest – whether it be DX’s crotch chop or Jeff Hardys’ signature double gun salute. The nWo’s ‘too sweet’ gesture was the most iconic during the 90s and the Bullet Club replicated the same in Japan.
In fact, the gesture was initially used by the backstage group ‘Kliq’ – comprising of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman in the old WWF before the nWO made it their signature pose.
WWE even filed a trademark on the gesture to prevent the Bullet Club from using the same – but now with three former members of the Bullet Club reforming the group as the Club in the WWE, there is nothing preventing AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows from using the same in a WWE ring
2. The invasion aura
The nWo made their name as supposed invaders to WCW from WWE. Even though the Club is not positioned as invaders from New Japan, their efforts are directed at the established order in the WWE, namely John Cena.
This gives the same vibe as when Kevin Nash and Scott Hall came over to WCW and challenged established names like Sting and Randy Savage.
Anderson and Gallows may not be as popular in wrestling circles as Hall and Nash were at the time, but their ring gear has words in Japanese – pointing to their roots and indirectly implying their presence on the Japanese promotion
3. There is a leader
Hall and Nash might have been equal partners when they were the Outsiders, but from the time Hollywood Hogan joined them to herald the birth of the nWo, it was clear that there was only one leader in the group.
Hogan had the charisma, the mic skills and the leadership qualities to push the group forward and it took Kevin Nash to become a booker to put the World Heavyweight Title on himself during the nWo run and Scott Hall never won the big one.
Admittedly, Hall and Nash never looked like leadership material as the former’s short-lived run as leader of the nWo was a failure and Nash’s efforts at taking over seemed slow and boring.
Similarly, Luke Gallows hasn’t shown any leadership skills and seems destined to play the role of a sidekick to AJ. Anderson is way more comfortable on the mic and even had a short stint as the leader of the Bullet Club in Japan. However, much like Hogan, AJ is the boss and he is the one with the charisma to lead the Club.
4. All the history
The nWo had a truckload of history with the WWE as Hall and Nash had just left the company to come over to WCW and Hogan had been the flagbearer for the WWE for a decade. Nash and Hall had history with each other too as they were real life friends backstage.
The same is the case with the Club. AJ, Anderson and Gallows are real life friends and they have a lot of history in Japan.
Will they be as successful as the nWo ?? Only time will tell
5. The possibility of expansion
After the initial run as a threesome, the nWo recruited many superstars into their stable – too many,according to some. Guys like Lex Luger, Randy Savage, Ted Dibiase, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, Sting, The Big Show and Booker.T joined the nWo either in the WWE or WCW.
Looking at the Club, there seems to be plenty of options for new recruits as well, not least the newest entrant to the Raw roster, Finn Balor.
Balor was the original leader of the Bullet Club and it would be great to see him associated with the Club. Don’t forget other talented superstars like Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks the WWE is yet to sign.
