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LATEST ON AJ STYLES & THE BULLET CLUB IN WWE

By Mike Johnson on 2016-01-18 18:51:31
With the Royal Rumble coming this weekend, there's been a lot of speculation about AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke/Doc Gallows potentially appearing.

In the case of Styles, he is now advertised for ROH the night before in Georgia, which is just a short flight (and really, a drive) from Florida, so if he's come to terms with the company, they could easily secretly get him to the PPV for an appearance. We know there has been communication between Styles and WWE, but whether Styles has undergone the usual medical testing required to sign with the company is unknown.

Styles played off of the speculation that he would be appearing at the Rumble as a surprise during an independent event in the UK over the weekend, telling fans on the mic that if there was a spot for the Rumble for him, he'd be ready.

In the case of Gallows and Anderson, there is no chance of the team appearing together at the Rumble PPV in Florida. Anderson remains under a New Japan contract thus he wouldn't be able to appear or do the medical testing. Given that he and Gallows are advertised through February for ROH and New Japan, it would appear the earliest Anderson could appear would be sometime in early March.

In the case of Gallows, he was never signed to New Japan and according to a well placed WWE source, was in Pittsburgh last week to do the required WWE testing. If/when he passes (and he may have already passed for all we know), Gallows would be clear to sign with WWE. He would be free to appear at any point, so it's entirely possible (but not likely) he'd appear at the Rumble.

An interesting side story to all this is that according to a TNA source, the company made a hard play to sign Styles and bring him back for the Pop TV return episode, but the two sides were unable to come to terms. The company also had conversations with Gallows and Anderson, but again, did not come to terms.

If and when The Bullet Club members show up, they could not be "The Bullet Club." While Finn Balor came up with the name of the stable, New Japan owns the copyrights and trademarks (and makes the highest percentage of money from the lucrative merchandise for the group, something that hasn't set well with some members of the stable we've heard) and won't be letting it go, especially since the group still exists in NJPW. WWE trademarked the term "Balor Club" in April 2015, a term that they have previously used for a Finn Balor t-shirt that played off the Bullet Club name. So, they already have that ready-made if they choose to use it for Anderson, Gallows and potentially Styles as well.

So, that is where everything stands as of Monday 1/18.

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