Many pro wrestlers in the mainstream today have been taught their skills in a faction of wrestling called The Bullet Club, which is created by Prince Devitt, now known as Finn Balor. When the group first started out, it consisted of Devitt, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fall. Finlay was only a member for a short time since he departed to join WWE in June 2014.
On the “Extreme Life of Matt Hardy Podcast,” former 10-time WWE Tag Team Champion and current AEW Star Matt Hardy revealed how Vince McMahon reacted to seeing Bullet Club merch all over wrestling fans at WWE shows.
When the Bullet Club phenomenon was happening, and they were selling a lot of merchandise, Vince McMahon would say to Hardy that he saw it coming. There was one instance where Vince would ask “Where are all these people coming from?” He was wondering who these Bullet Club shirts belonged to, as well as whether or not the members were getting involved with WWE. Vince figured out that this rival group of wrestlers was indeed real hot, and even asked for them in order to get them on his roster.
Vince McMahon wasn’t able to manage all of the talent that went throughout the Bullet Club; however, he was still able to make successful acquisitions such as Adam Cole and The Good Brothers. Those three were no longer with WWE but ended up being successful during their time with the company, as Cole became the second Triple Crown champion in NXT history, and The Good Brothers won a World Tag Team Championship every other year.
Both AJ Styles and Finn Balor have found success in WWE through their time away from the ring. Styles and Balor are now on “Monday Night Raw” as current champions.
Among the potential talents, WWE showed interest in were some from the greatest rivals since WCW—AEW. Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and former Bullet Club member “Hangman” Adam Page had all shown interest in a WWE career, but none of them chose to play outside the company and placed themselves with AEW when it was a startup company. Omega and the Bucks were original EVPs at AEW and have all won championship gold in the promotion.
While the Bullet Club still exists, its international fame has faded with time. The current leader of the Bullet Club is Jay White, who was behind former members such as Omega and Gedo.
