NJPW history: Prince Devitt introduces The Young Bucks as the newest members of Bullet Club

The Young Bucks with Prince Devitt (middle)
The Young Bucks with Prince Devitt (middle)

The backstory

In the aftermath of an absolutely disappointing run with TNA/Impact Wrestling, Matt and Nick Jackson--collectively known as The Young Bucks--were finally set to make their debuts for New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2013.

Heading into their New Japan debuts, The Bucks had already cemented their place as one of the fastest rising tag teams on the planet and having befriended New Japan star Kazuchika Okada during their stay in TNA, The Bucks eventually got the booking with NJPW.

The Young Bucks join Bullet Club

Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson made their New Japan Pro Wrestling debuts as part of the 2013 Super Jr. Tag Tournament and upon their debut, the two men immediately aligned themselves with Bullet Club.

On their very first night as part of BC and as part of the New Japan roster, The Bucks were scheduled to face-off against the American tag team of Brian Kendrick and Beretta in the Super Jr. Tag Tournament. And, prior to their first match for the promotion, then-Bullet Club leader Prince Devitt introduced the two men as the newest addition to the group.

By the looks of it, it was pretty clear that The Young Bucks were all set to represent Bullet Club in the Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Division and the duo got off to a great start in NJPW when they picked up a vital win over Kendrick and Beretta in their first match. However, if it wasn't for Bullet Club and their pre-match beatdown on Kendrick and Beretta, then things might've been a lot different.

Nevertheless, from there onwards, stopping The Young Bucks was pretty much impossible, as Matt and Nick eventually went on to win the Super Jr. Tag Tournament and also captured the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships, as well. And, with the backing of Bullet Club, which by then consisted the likes of Devitt, Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Tama Tonga, The Bucks cemented their place as one of NJPW's greatest Jr. Heavyweight tag teams of all time.

The Young Bucks eventually went on to become Bullet Club mainstays and also had vital moments with the faction. Both Matt and Nick also helped in BC's rise in the US and also represented the group in Ring of Honor. The Bucks would conclude their NJPW and ROH careers with seven IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title reigns, one IWGP Tag Team Title reign, and three ROH World Championship title reigns.

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The aftermath

In 2018, The Young Bucks along with other members of The Elite officially disbanded from Bullet Club after causing a Civil War within the group. Matt and Nick eventually sided with Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Khan Family, as they inaugurated their brand new wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling.

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