Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
None of the four have signed anything. Anyone claiming they have signed WWE deals, as of today, would be wrong. Based on what we are hearing, WWE wants them all, but they have to be free and legally clear to sign (right now, only Luke Gallows and AJ Styles are) and would have to pass WWE medical testing, which we are told no one has undergone. Only if and when they past testing, they would be signed. It's not a simple deal and no matter the level of hype, nothing trumps WWE medical evaluations. Ask Daniel Bryan or Nigel McGuinness.
The story hit the Internet but it was some time before PWInsider had anything on it - why?
The story hit the Internet after Court Bauer of MLW.com reported it on an audio on his website. I wasn't aware of what was stated for some time and by the time I learned of it, internet "telephone" had changed the story to the idea that all four had signed with WWE, which I knew could not have been correct. Add in that the story hit during a time when it was very early in the morning in Japan and while WWE was in the middle of producing Raw live on the air, both of which meant it was going to take time for sources to return inquiries. I wanted to have the correct story, not parrot what was floating around. Doing that is pretty much asking to be wrong. Once I felt we had an accurate account of what was really going down, I posted our coverage. I stand by how we handled the story and stand by our coverage since Monday.
Is it possible this is all some big work?
No, not a work in the least. Where would the money be if they were working "leaving" New Japan?
Could they be the Bullet Club in WWE?
No, I am pretty sure that is owned by New Japan, so whatever they would potentially be, it would be a new name or a takeoff of the old club. Balor Club perhaps?
Any chance this is going to be a situation where they end up signing with ROH or TNA and this was all a big ruse?
No. We've confirmed with multiple sources that at least in the case of Gallows and Styles, there's communication with WWE. I'd be shocked if they weren't doing physicals over the next several weeks for the company. As far as Shinsuke Nakamura and Karl Anderson, they can't officially negotiate with anyone "on the level" until their deals are up, which is at the end of the month. Nothing is set in stone until it is done, but this isn't a case of a story being formulated to distract fans from seeing them debut elsewhere. The WWE story is very much real.
Do you think AJ Styles would be AJ Styles in WWE?
There's always a chance his name would be changed, but it would be real hard to hide that massive AJ tattoo on his body, plus Samoa Joe is still Samoa Joe in NXT. There's a big brand name that AJ has built up over the years and it would be pretty stupid for WWE to throw that equity away...but one never knows what they would want to do.
Does Nakamura speak English?
He does. Language would not be an issue for him as it was for say, the original Sin Cara.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
