Is the hostile takeover that World Wrestling Entertainment feared the most finally here?
After being rumored for months, the Bullet Club's Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows emerged from the Los Angeles crowd on Monday Night Raw, more than making their presence known by viciously attacking The Usos following their tag-team No. 1 contenders victory over The Social Outcasts. You could even hear the crowd reign down on the carnage left in the ring with chants of "Bullet Club, Bullet Club!"
So, who are the Bullet Club and what do they want with WWE? And more importantly, is this the beginning of the faction's hostile takeover of the company? Well ... perhaps.
For starters, the Bullet Club is a faction hailing from the New Japan Pro Wrestling circuit. But although they're overseas, they have managed to keep a close ear to what's happening in WWE in the United States. In fact, having only launched three years ago, members of the Bullet Club frequently emulate former WWE legends, including regularly doing the New World Order's "too sweet" hand gesture. WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall's son, Cody Hall, is even a current member of the Bullet Club over in the NJPW.
That being said, you have to think that Anderson and Gallows are going to grow the faction's presence in WWE and if that's their intention, they can look no further than the current No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight title, AJ Styles. "The Phenomenal One" was a former member of the Bullet Club in NJPW, before leaving the company to join with WWE. Why not let him spearhead the group's movement in WWE?
That and could the group also be joined in WWE by the Young Bucks? Last week on Raw, after the League of Nations unceremoniously kicked King Barrett out of their group, the Young Bucks used the move as an opportunity to dangle a Bullet Club offer on Twitter, saying the faction would never treat him like that.
Although Barrett has been rumored to leave the company altogether, would he consider staying and leading the Bullet Club?
All this being said, not once did WWE announcers refer to Anderson and Gallows as members of the Bullet Club on Raw last night, as perhaps the faction's name is too violent for the company's taste. Whether the name gets changed or not, though, wrestling fans know what this is about.
The question is, is this just the start of their takeover and if so, what will the influx of NXT Superstars have to say about it about their invasion?
