May 3, 2022 marks the 9 year anniversary of the creation of Bullet Club.
Started by Prince Devitt in 2013, the group has long been a refuge for gaijin wrestlers who have found themselves disenfranchised with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
With founding members Machine Gun Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale and Tama Tonga, Bullet Club quickly became the top heel faction in the company.
From Devitt to AJ Styles to Kenny Omega to now Switchblade Jay White, the leadership of the group has played such a huge part in its history.
Despite several changes and different leaders, the stable has continued on through all the twists and turns in professional wrestling.
After the most recent reigniting of the faction, here is how Switchblade Jay White set his plot to revive Bullet Club once again.
Prince Devitt brings Jay White to NJPW
To bring us to the present, we have to look back on the past.
Prince Devitt, now known as Finn Balor, was seen as an up and coming gaijin in New Japan Pro Wrestling until seeds of resentment led to him bringing together Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Machine Gun Karl Anderson to form Bullet Club in May 2013.
In 2014, Devitt teamed up with a young Kiwi upstart Jay White in the UK. After the match, Devitt gave White his card and told him to keep in touch.
Speaking with Chris Jericho on Talk Is Jericho, Jay White revealed that it was Prince Devitt who discovered the Kiwi star and was responsible with helping him come to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
When asked about being the leader of Bullet Club, White answered:
“I don’t think I predicted being at the front of the group, but it was almost determined from the start would be a part of the group. Connections I had to (Prince) Devitt and (Bad Luck) Fale are what brought me into NJPW in the very first place. There’s too many roots that were planted in me from the start, I think.‘
It was Fale who convinced NJPW to give Switchblade a spot in the New Japan dojo.
The fellow Kiwi and Devitt along with Shinsuke Nakamura helped White sort out his visa to move to Japan.
These roots set in motion what was to come even before he became a young lion in the NJPW system.
Jay White meets Juice Robinson as a young lion in the New Japan dojo
Upon his arrival in the NJ dojo, Jay White met Juice Robinson.
After requesting his release from the company, the former CJ Parker left WWE following a not-so-successful run with the NXT brand.
Robinson came to New Japan Pro Wrestling, looking to start from the bottom and work his way to the top.
With the stamp of approval from Bullet Club founding members, White always had loftier goals than many other young lions in his class.
White and Robinson had their first singles match in NJPW against one another on December 16, 2015. This set in motion a feud and a bond that would influence both men’s careers.
Following their stints as young lions, the two men went in direction directions though.
Enter the Switchblade
Jay White went on excursion in Ring of Honor and set his sights at the top upon his return to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
At Power Struggle 2017, the world was introduced to “Switchblade” Jay White when the young star returned to challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
The two men faced at Wrestle Kingdom 12 with Tanahashi retaining, but this didn’t stop White’s pursuit for a top spot in NJPW.
The following night at New Years Dash, Switchblade was offered a spot in Bullet Club by the leader at the time, Kenny Omega.
However, White not only turned it down, but he also laid out Omega to challenge him for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.
Switchblade used a rift in Bullet Club between Omega and Cody Rhodes to defeat The Cleaner at New Beginning to win his first title in New Japan Pro Wrestling, which led to a showdown with a familiar face.
A showdown of former young lions over the IWGP US gold
That familiar face was his former fellow young lion, Juice Robinson.
While Switchblade went on excursion and returned a new man, Juice had established himself as a perennial underdog babyface that the NJPW fans had slowly gotten behind.
At G1 Special in San Francisco, Switchblade Jay White defended the United States Championship against Robinson in a tremendous encounter.
On this night, it was Juice Robinson who came out victorious and won his first title in NJPW.
However, White came out looking like the bigger star and soon would have even more power.
Jay White becomes the leader of Bullet Club and wins the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
After rejecting Kenny Omega’s offer to join Bullet Club, Jay White joined CHAOS under the leadership of Kazuchika Okada.
Switchblade soon showed that he didn’t want to follow anyone’s lead and defeated Okada in the G1 Climax 28 Tournament.
White talked trash about Okada’s leadership and revealed his true plot when Gedo betrayed his long-time protege to back up Switchblade.
Both men showed their true intentions by joining Bullet Club and revealing the long plot with White usurping a leadership position in the group.
Just a few months later, Switchblade defeated Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 13 and then followed up with beating Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at New Beginning in Osaka.
The pandemic leads to the departure of Jay White & Juice Robinson from Japan
After the departure of Kenny Omega and The Elite from NJPW, Switchblade Jay White established himself as the top gaijin.
By the age of 29, White had become the first man to achieve the New Japan singles grand slam by winning the IWGP Heavyweight, Intercontinental, United States and NEVER Openweight Championships.
Meanwhile, Juice Robinson followed his singles success as a two-time IWGP US Champion by transitioning into the tag team division.
He won the World Tag League 2020 and then won the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles with David Finlay as FinJuice.
Despite the gold he won, Robinson couldn’t say he had accomplished quite as much as his former fellow young lion.
However, the pandemic and lengthy quarantines in 2020 and 2021 led both men to make the choice to leave Japan for the United States together.
The plot to revive the Bullet Club begins
Switchblade Jay White and Juice Robinson found themselves in the United States visiting the same places.
Switchblade made his way to IMPACT and confronted Bullet Club alumni in Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers.
White went on a mission to reignite Bullet Club by reconnecting with the past members and eliminate any obstacles to that.
Jay recruited Chris Bey to bring some new blood and an established IMPACT star to his new vision.
Switchblade also made his way over to All Elite Wrestling in 2022 and associated with Adam Cole who brought him closer to The Young Bucks with Omega now absent.
Back in IMPACT Wrestling, the Guerrillas of Destiny made their way over and set their sights on The Good Brothers’ Tag Team Titles.
However, this gave White his opening to eliminate the biggest hurdle from what he envisioned for his stable in Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa.
At No Surrender 2022, Switchblade betrayed the G.O.D. and helped The Good Brothers retain their gold, thus reintroducing former members into the Bullet Club fold.
Juice’s righteous path leads to resentment
Juice Robinson’s time in America saw highs and lows.
In IMPACT Wrestling, he and David Finlay quickly became IMPACT Tag Team Champions, defeating Gallows and Anderson.
However, it didn’t last long before Violent By Design claimed those titles from them.
Over in NJPW Strong, Juice was met with challenge after challenge and suffered many heartbreaking losses.
Robinson always wanted the success that Jay White was able to achieve, but he wanted to do it the right way. This is why he joined Hontai and looked at Hiroshi Tanahashi as a mentor.
However, this righteous path led to frustration and resentment within that grew into him almost leaving everything that he set out to achieve in NJPW.
His own plot was set to correct his course, while White’s plot thickened.
Individual plots from these former rivals intersect
After being betrayed by Switchblade Jay White in the U.S., the Guerrillas of Destiny made their way back to Japan with both Tama and Tanga in the New Japan Cup.
It was founding Bullet Club member Tama Tonga who found himself opposite another stablemate in the House of Torture’s EVIL.
EVIL was no stranger to having opposing views of Jay White, so many believed that he would side with Tonga. However, it wasn’t meant to be.
The entire Bullet Club turned their backs on one of the OGs including fellow founding member Bad Luck Fale.
Jay White had House of Torture members take care of his dirty work, even though they didn’t necessarily fit in with what he envisioned.
They officially kicked the G.O.D. and Jado from Bullet Club with Switchblade watching from America, pulling all the strings.
Meanwhile, Juice Robinson’s plan started with an interview in which he let it be known that his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling was set to expire and he was done with wrestling.
Failure after failure led to him no longer fighting the good fight and wanting to call it quits….or so we thought.
All roads led to NJPW Wrestling Dontaku and the Bullet Club revival
On the ninth anniversary of Bullet Club, NJPW Wrestling Dontaku saw a complete overhaul of the group.
Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale won the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles, while Taiji Ishimori claimed his third IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Tama Tonga got some revenge on House of Torture by beating EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Title, but Machine Gun Karl Anderson and “The Big LG” Doc Gallows returned to Japan to lay him out.
The Good Brothers also took out Jado and Tanga Loa before Machine Gun challenged Tama for the NEVER Openweight gold.
Next, Juice Robinson revealed his end of this plan by revealing himself to be the newest member of Bullet Club.
Robinson attacked his former Hontai mentor Hiroshi Tanahashi and challenged for his newly won IWGP United States Championship, trying to claim the gold that brought him and Switchblade together.
Finally, Switchblade Jay White made his triumphant return to Japan and attacked IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada to challenge for the top prize.
The night ended with a reformed and stronger-than-ever Bullet Club celebrating their birthday over the unconscious body of Okada with White holding his title.
The plot to reestablish the BC as THE stable in New Japan Pro Wrestling was complete.
Juice Robinson revitalised his career, The Good Brothers were back in the fold and they had challenged for or won most of the gold in the promotion.
Most importantly, Bullet Club had given NJPW their most newsworthy event since the beginning of the pandemic. This is what Juice, Switchblade and New Japan needed.
The Bullet Club revival is full effect and won’t be stopping any time soon.
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