Since its inception in 2013, the Bullet Club has taken the world of professional wrestling by storm. Starting off in New Japan, they’ve turned into a global phenomenon that’s eventually spilled over into WWE.
What started off as a means to get Prince Devitt, WWE’s Finn Balor, over as a heel over in Japan, has grown into a sort of subculture amongst wrestling fans. The Bullet Club are amongst the biggest merch movers in the business today and their trademark logo is instantly recognized by wrestling fans.
Right now members of the Bullet Club and its spin-off, WWE’s The Club, work with the three biggest wrestling promotions in the world: New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor for the original Bullet Club, and WWE for The Club.
The stable formed at Wrestling Dontaku in 2013 when Karl Anderson turned heel by attacking Japanese legend Hiroshi Tanahashi before joining up with Prince Devitt, Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale. The all gaijin stable quickly took over New Japan, using heelish tactics like interference and distractions which aren’t generally used in Japanese wrestling which is steeped in tradition.
They won everything they could lay their hands on from tournaments to titles under the leadership of Prince Devitt. When Devitt left for WWE, AJ Styles was brought in as the new leader. Earlier this year, on the night after Wrestle Kingdom 10, Kenny Omega destroyed Styles, who had just signed with WWE, and took over as the current leader of the Bullet Club.
Like all factions, the Bullet Club has had its share of good and bad members. Although it wasn’t easy, I’ve ranked every Bullet Club member ever in this article, according to in-ring ability, charisma and their impact on the Bullet Club’s legacy.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Bullet Club.
Bullet Club 4 Life.
Note: Only full-time members have been included in this list. Also, with Adam Cole and Adam Page just joining up last week, it was too soon to include them in this list.
N/A: Adam Cole & Adam Page
Adam Cole joined the Bullet Club at last week’s ROH Global Wars in Chicago. He, along with the Young Bucks and the Guerillas of Destiny, interfered in the main event between Jay Lethal and Colt Cabana, laying waste to everyone and everything in sight. Cole is a very gifted wrestler and it certainly a very interesting move, one that I look forward to checking out. However its much too early to rank him, or Adam Page who joined on the night after Global Wars, in this list.
11: Yujiro Takahashi
Yujiro Takahashi is the only Japanese wrestler ever to have been made a Bullet Club member. Why? I have no idea. Takahashi just isn’t very good, either in the ring or out of it. His pimp shtick is dated and he doesn’t look the part anyway. If Takahashi wasn’t a part of the Bullet Club he’d probably be somewhere near the bottom of the card.
If Takahashi had been visibly improving, then he could have been cut some slack, but he just isn’t. He regularly botches moves and his kicks and punches are faker than your average Roman Reigns promo.
Takahashi just doesn’t look like he belongs in the ring with his Bullet Club brethren. There’s absolutely nothing about Takahashi’s work that makes you interested in what he’s doing. He’s just there to pose and run his fingers through his hair.
At best, he should be a glorified valet.
10: Tanga Roa
In Tanga Roa’s defense, he hasn’t been around that long.
Fresh off his stints in WWE as Camacho and Micah in TNA, the newly christened Tanga Roa finds himself as one half of the IWGP tag team champions, with his brother Tama Tonga, within a few months of signing with New Japan. It undoubtedly helped Tanga Roa that he’s Tama Tonga’s brother, who is one of the founding members of Bullet Club.
Tanga Roa himself isn’t necessarily bad in the ring, he just doesn’t seem to have any sort of charisma or flair. His ability so far has looked passable, but with the elevated position NJPW seem to have planned for him, he’ll need to improve and improve fast. His first few performances have been underwhelming to say the least.
9: Cody Hall
The son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall, Cody made his first appearance on the night after Wrestle Kingdom 9. He was described as the Bullet Club’s personal young lion (trainee) and comes out to matches with members and creates distractions.
Although his early performances left a lot to be desired, he’s improved in leaps and bounds since his debut and unlike Tanga Roa, looks like he’ll be a serious player in the future. He has the look and the charisma to be a big star in Japan, not to mention lineage.
In recent months, Hall came out as the muscle for The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, helping them win matches. His progress got curbed earlier this year when a serious injury at Invasion Attack in April left him sidelined for the near future.
8: Bad Luck Fale
It’s a little unfair to rank Bad Luck Fale this low down in the list. He’s a founding member of the Bullet Club and is one of the senior members. He plays the part of the monster foreign heel well and he’s played a major role in the Bullet Club’s success.
However, Fale just isn’t very good in the ring. He’s slow and his in-ring work is one dimensional. He’s better as part of a tag-team than a singles wrestler even though he’s wrestled all the big names in New Japan, including Hiroshi Tanahashi who he’d been feuding with recently.
7: Tama Tonga
Tama Tonga is another one of the Bullet Club originals. He’s also a vastly improved wrestler from when he started off in NJPW. Tama Tonga is currently one half of the IWGP tag-team champions with his brother Tanga Roa, and it’s fair to say that he carries the team.
Although Tama has been near the bottom of the Bullet Club’s hierarchy in the past, things are definitely looking up for him in 2016. With his brother by his side, it looks like Tama Tonga’s time to rise up the card has finally come.
Also, Tama Tonga has the best corner splash in the business since Sting. Maybe even better. It’s a thing of beauty.
6: The Young Bucks
Since the stint as Generation Me in TNA, brothers Matt and Nick Jackson have made a name for themselves as the most successful tag team on the independent scene. In the last few years they’ve re-invented themselves constantly and today they aren’t just high-flyers, they’re two of the best heels in the business.
The Young Bucks joined the Bullet Club way back in 2013 soon after making their first appearances for New Japan. Since then they’ve cemented themselves as important members in their own right and they’ve won multiple tag-team championships on the way. They duo now sit at the top of the Bullet Club Elite along with Kenny Omega, and they’ve been delivering superkick parties all over Ring Of Honor and New Japan since.
5: Doc Gallows
Gallows has been impressive in the little we’ve seen of him since his WWE debut as part of the Bullet Club offshoot, The Club. His previous stints in WWE as fake Kane, Festus and CM Punk’s associate wasn’t the most successful, but Gallows hit the ground running when he joined NJPW to tag with Machinegun Karl Anderson.
His size and ability made sure he stood out in Japan as he and Karl Anderson ran rough shot through New Japan’s tag team division. He joined the Bullet Club upon his NJPW debut at the 2013 World Tag League, going on to win the tournament along with Karl Anderson before going on to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles at Wrestle Kingdom 8.
Although he went on to achieve great success in the tag team division, he never really managed to cement a place for himself as a singles performer. He improved dramatically during his time in Japan, and has clearly cut down on weight since his first run in WWE. His success along with Anderson prompted WWE to sign the duo in early 2016.
4: AJ Styles
AJ Styles in 4th place would be considered by some as a slight to him. I see it more as a complement to the Bullet Club.
Styles made his NJPW at Invasion Attack 2014, immediately taking up the mantle of Bullet Club leader following Prince Devitt’s departure to WWE. Style’s leadership re-invigorated the floundering Bullet Club and he led them to new heights under him.
AJ won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestling Dontaku 2014, when Yujiro Takahashi turned on champion Kazuchka Okada to help Styles get the win. AJ went on to lead the Bullet Club till the night after Wrestle Kingdom 10, when Kenny Omega attacked him and threw him out of the group. This freed AJ to finally sign with WWE, right in time for the 2016 Royal Rumble.
AJ’s time in Japan with the Bullet Club gave new fire to his career and earned him rave reviews from both critics and fans. Although he was never at his best as a heel, his work in Japan was exemplary.
Styles is currently the leader of WWE’s version of the Bullet Club with Luke/Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson being the other members.
3: Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega is the future of the Bullet Club.
A former WWE trainee, Omega left WWE developmental for Japan in 2008 for the DDT promotion. Omega is fluent in Japanese unlike most other gaijins having lived in Japan for over 6 to 7 years.
Although Omega initially refused to join the Bullet Club before his NJPW debut in late 2014, stating that he was different from other gaijins, being a full time resident of Japan and being in touch with the country’s culture. He reneged on this upon debuting and claimed that he’d lied and all he was interested in was fame and money.
Since then, Omega has come a long way in his one and a half years in NJPW and the Bullet Club. He’s a former Junior Heavyweight Champions, and currently one-third of the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Champions along with the Young Bucks and also the holder of the prestigious NJPW Intercontinental Champion.
Omega is currently one of the top stars in New Japan and the top gaijin in the company. He is also the current leader of the Bullet Club, which he took over from AJ Styles at New Beginning 2016. His stars are aligning good so far in 2016, and his future at the top of New Japan’s card seems cemented.
Kenny Omega is an obnoxious, disrespectful, no-nonsense ass-kicker who has charisma in bucket loads. In other words, he’s everything that the Bullet Club stands for.
2: ‘Machinegun’ Karl Anderson
Karl Anderson is currently the holder of the longest stint as Bullet Club member from 2013 to 2016. The man IS the Bullet Club having been one of the founding members. He acted as second leader for BC behind Finn Balor and was acting leader during AJ Style’s early run as leader when his appearance in Japan were limited to the big shows.
Anderson has a decorated career in Japan and is a multi-time tag team champion with Doc Gallows and also the winner of the 2013 World Tag League with him. Machinegun KA ended his NJPW career as a crowd favorite and his departure arguably hurt the Bullet Club as much, if not more than, the departures of Balor and Styles. He contributed a great deal to the Bullet Club’s international success before signing for WWE in 2016 along with fellow members AJ Styles and Doc Gallows.
On his last appearance in New Japan, Anderson vowed to return one day to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
1: Prince Devitt/Finn Balor
Prince Devitt currently plies his trade in WWE as Finn Balor. His time in WWE has been a raging success and he currently holds the record of the longest NXT Championship title reign. Currently, Balor is waiting for his rematch against Samoa Joe for the NXT Title and is also awaiting his main roster debut.
Before joining WWE, Balor was the original leader and one of the founding members of the Bullet Club as ‘The Real Rock-n-rolla’ Prince Devitt. The group’s actions during its early days revolved around Devitt’s desire to rise to the top of the New Japan card ending up as one of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling.
During his time as Bullet Club leader, he enjoyed a 14 month reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and the winner of the 2013 Best of Super Juniors.
A decorated leader and wrestler, Balor led both the Bullet Club and New Japan to international prominence before leaving for WWE in 2014. Whether or not he will be a part of WWE’s version of the Bullet Club however, remains to be seen.
