Wrestling Goons Radio: Swords and Guns, Part One: The Birth of the Bullet Club

Wrestling Dontaku is an annual event held in Japan by wrestling promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling and has become synonymous with birth place to one of the greatest factions in wrestling today, the Bullet Club.

On May 3, 2013, during Wrestling Dontaku, Prince Devitt (at the time was the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion) formed a tag team with his new bouncer, Bad Luck Fale and defeated his former partner Taguchi with Captain New Japan. You could argue that the Bullet Club was formed when Devitt recruited Fale but their impact on NJPW wasn’t cemented until later in the event. The now former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi had just defeated Karl Anderson and was met after the match by a ruthless Prince Devitt and company (his new bouncer, Bad Luck Fale). Karl Anderson would help Devitt and Fale beat down Tanahashi with Tama Tonga soon join in.

It was by this singular action that the Bullet Club was born. It was only a matter of time before Devitt would challenge Tanahashi for the title. Prince Devitt would win his second Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He then challenges Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Title and is unsuccessful. Prince Devitt and Tanahashi continued their feud until it’s brutal end during a Lumberjack Deathmatch on September 29 at Destruction, where Prince Devitt was defeated by Tanahashi.

On October 25, we would see the debut of two of the most notable members of the Bullet Club in the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson whom would play a pivotal role in the reshaping of the Bullet Club.

On November 9, 2013, at Power Struggle, The Young Bucks won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship and on January 4, 2014 at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in the Tokyo Dome, Karl Anderson and the newest member of the Bullet Club, Doc Gallows won the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

It should be noted that captured in the picture is the Young Bucks holding the Ring of Honor, PWG and IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships, all of which they held at the same time.

Later in the same event, the defending IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Kota Ibushi would defeat Prince Devitt to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. Devitt’s loss marked the end of his 14-month long reign as champion.

On April 6, 2014 at Invasion Attack, a returning Ryusuke Taguchi went one on one against his long standing rival, Prince Devitt. The Young Buck tried to interfere with the match to help persuade the victory for Devitt but he wasn’t allowing it. This action caused the Young Bucks to turn on their leader and Devitt to subsequently disassociate himself from the Bullet Club. The next day, he announced his resignation from NJPW. Although, this was seen as the self-destruction of the Bullet Club, it is known that in order to build one up, sometimes you must break them down so that they may rebuild stronger and more powerful.

Later that night, a debuting AJ Styles make his allegiance known and attacks the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada beginning a storied rivalry and the rebirth of the Bullet Club.