WWE Sends a Sweet Message to The Young Bucks

When two former Bullet Club members met at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, WWE took the opportunity to address their feud with the outspoken faction

At this past Sunday’s Tables, Ladders, and Chairs event, Finn Balor picked up the win against fellow Bullet Club alumni, AJ Styles. Balor had been set to wrestle Bray Wyatt, but the Phenomenal One had to be flown in from a show in South America on Saturday to substitute for Wyatt who was sidelined with a viral meningitis outbreak:

"“We have confirmed that three of our performers have been diagnosed with a viral infection. As a precautionary measure, we are ensuring in-ring performers and staff are tested and immunized in accordance with recommended medical guidelines.”"

This last-minute change was arguably a blessing in disguise for the company because many critics and fans had been vocal about the impending match between Balor and Wyatt whose build-up had borderlined on the ridiculous and had all the makings of a terrible exhibition. Instead, Balor and Styles put on the type of show we expect from these men and even with no build-up or storyline gave us one of the best matches of the night.

Although TLC was a RAW-brand show, bringing in Styles from SmackDown added an extra element of mystery. Styles is one of the biggest stars in WWE and Balor was well on his way down that same path before a shoulder injury forced him to relinquish his Universal Title in August 2016. The ending to their match at TLC saw the two men meeting in the middle of the ring and joining hands with the signature “Too Sweet” hand gesture currently used by the Bullet Club, a NJPW faction.

As former associates of the Bullet Club, Balor and Styles have a unique connection that began well before their WWE journey. The Bullet Club was formed in 2013 with Balor being one of the founding members along with Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and fellow WWE wrestler Karl Anderson. The club wanted to follow in the tradition of great heel stables such as the New World Order and as such, adopted their “Too Sweet” hand sign.

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This gesture, which brings the middle and ring fingers down to the thumb while extending the fore and pinky fingers to resemble a wolf’s head has an interesting origin story. It is known formally as the “Turkish Wolf” and is the identifying hand sign of the Grey Wolves, a Turkish paramilitary organization who has been classified as terrorists by several countries and even attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981.

Due to its popularity with Bullet Club fans, WWE attempted to trademark the hand sign in 2015 but ultimately abandoned their efforts.

When Balor joined WWE that same year the company released “Balor Club” merchandise as a way to capitalize on his past association without having to actually acknowledge the club’s existence.

In 2016, Styles, Anderson and Luke Gallows (all former Bullet Club members) also joined WWE and began a short-lived group of their own called “The Club”. A “cease and desist” order was levied upon the Bullet Club by WWE after current members Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Adam “Hangman” Page and Marty Scurll appeared outside a WWE show in Canada in September 2017 using the hand gesture and posting it on social media. As a result of the legal action, the Bullet Club was forced to stop printing a picture of the “Too Sweet” gesture on their merchandise.

Whether you side with the Bullet Club or with WWE is likely a matter of principle. Does WWE own the trademark for “Too Sweet”? Legally speaking, no. Can they put significant pressure on anyone else trying to profit from it? Absolutely. I see nothing wrong with WWE trying to protect something that at one point was the intellectual property of their business (after their purchase of WCW) but I can also recognize that it’s incredibly petty.

There is little doubt WWE understands how popular the Bullet Club is as evidenced by how much they try to avoid mentioning them by name. Despite this, Bullet Club merchandise can be seen at WWE shows all across the country and their “bone soldier” shirt is the top selling item on Pro Wrestling Tees and is also available at Hot Topic stores alongside WWE items. This doesn’t mean the WWE is ignoring their influence altogether and the company even tried to bring some of their members into the fold.

The Young Bucks are the most popular and outspoken current members of the Bullet Club and WWE tried to mend fences with them or at least extend an olive branch. After the cease and desist order was handed down, WWE Games reached out to the group and asked if they were interested in appearing in the WWE 2K19 video game. This is likely due to the amount of people who create their own versions of the duo inside the franchise and then offer them as downloads for other gamers.

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It may seem odd for WWE to slap the group with one hand and offer a deal with the other but it makes sense from a business perspective. Instead of keeping them on the outside, the WWE would much rather profit from their popularity and wrap them up in a deal which would essentially force them to stop harassing and/or bad-mouthing the company. Predictibly, the Young Bucks rejected the offer.

After the most recent shot fired by Balor and Styles at TLC, it is unlikely this feud will be going away any time soon. In order to clear up any confusion as to who the big dog is in the pro wrestling world, WWE sent out a tweet after the match that might as well have been directed squarely at The Young Bucks: