Finn Balor Reveals How He Created ‘The Bullet Club’ Name

Finn Balor is currently leading the Judgment Day on WWE RAW, but this is far from the first time that he had led a stable of heels. There was once a time when Balor helped found one of the most famous factions on the planet, The Bullet Club, and his reputation preceded him in a big way.

While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Finn Balor went into the formation of the Bullet Club. That stable has gone through a ton of changes over the years, but Balor was there for the early days.

In fact, Finn Balor picked a name for the faction. He explained how he arrived at The Bullet Club as the stable’s famous name, one that would end up selling a boatload of merchandise and top Hot Topic’s sales charts at the height of its popularity.

“I was trying to pick a name that tied us all together,” said Balor. “Karl was ‘The Machine Gun,’ Fale had been calling his finisher the Hand Grenade, and Minoru Suzuki had been calling me a ‘real shooter’ for some months as we would roll submission wrestling in the ring before the shows.” 

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According to Finn Balor, he had considered several alternative names for the new faction, including “Reload Club,” “Getaway Club,” and “Lock ‘n’ Load Club/Parade.”

Finn Balor ultimately went with the Bullet Club name, because it was the coolest option. He did have one apprehension about the name. “However, I had mild concerns as the Japanese would sometimes mispronounce ‘bullet’ as ‘beret.’ But I chose to go with my gut, and the rest is history.”

Finn Balor, who wrestled under the name Prince Devitt in Japan, co-founded the faction with Tama Tonga, Karl Anderson, and Bad Luck Fale and led the group initially. After Balor left NJPW for WWE, AJ Styles became the new leader, who later also joined WWE. Balor formed a modified version of the faction called Balor Club in WWE, featuring Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, while AJ Styles led The OC, consisting of Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Michin.

We will have to see what Finn Balor does next, or how WWE might pull from his rich history in the business. Some WWE fans might not realize how influential he really is, but Prince Devitt had already changed the pro wrestling world even before be become Finn Balor.

What’s your take on Finn Balor’s career? Is his influence underrated? Sound off in the comments!