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The wrestling world lit up when Tama Tonga, one of the Bullet Club's original members with Prince Devitt (now known as Finn Balor), announced via Twitter that a new athletic member of BC was on his way! Who would the mysterious fighter be?
During KENTA's exhibition match, he betrayed his tag teammate, Tomohiro Ishii, allowing Tama Tonga to pick up the victory. The betrayal continued as he laid into his former tag team partner Katusyori Shibata, sitting on his back and making the signature Too Sweet hand sign for Bullet Club.
He officially joined the faction, making him the first former 205 Live roster member to be a brother in Bullet Club.
Seeing the former Hideo Itami join his friend Finn Balor's Prince Devitt legacy, Bullet Club, is exciting for a few reasons. He's a strong striker, and Bullet Club will be a much stronger and even more high profile faction with his induction.
KENTA stands to not only gain a new level of visibility among Bullet Club fans, but he'll also be a consistent fighter and merchandise mover for NJPW. New Bullet Club members tend to stay with New Japan and their brothers for a long time, so expect to see a lot of KENTA in the coming months.
Shibata, who was integral in KENTA's early pro-wrestling career, has been away from ring work for nearly 2 years due to a life filled with headbutting people. He suffered a subdermal hematoma and had emergency surgery right after winning the New Japan Cup over Bad Luck Fale, the Rogue General of Bullet Club. After he came away with some lingering paralysis, Shibata was told he would never wrestle again.
This comeback for Shibata is poetic: he and KENTA were partners, fighting Bullet Club put Shibata on the shelf, and Shibata's return was met with traitorous behavior and KENTA sitting on his stunned body.
Too Sweet indeed! What do you think about KENTA's new faction? Or is Bullet Club a bad choice for WWE's former Hideo Itami? Sound off in the comments, I want to know what you have to say! I'll see you next time for more breaking news.
