NJPW News: Bullet Club tease inclusion of two WWE Hall of Famers for Wrestle Kingdom 12
What's the story?
The Bullet Club always looks to make a big mark, but at Wrestle Kingdom 12 this January, they will look outdo themselves. They are trying to get "Stone Cold " Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan to appear with them at the event.
In case you didn't know...
Wrestle Kingdom is basically the WrestleMania for New Japan Pro Wrestling. It is the biggest show of the year, and over the past few years has been available live in the United States with English commentary.
Some of the greatest matches of the year in pro wrestling come from Wrestle Kingdom such as AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura in 2016 or Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada last year.
The heart of the matter
"The Villain" Marty Scrull mentioned that he would love to have Austin be a part of his entrance, while the Young Bucks stated they'd love to have Hogan be a part of theirs.
Scrull recently sat down with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso and said the following:
“I actually have a different wrestling legend in mind for my Wrestle Kingdom entrance,” said Scurll. “One that I have met on a podcast. One who likes to drink a little beer, raise a little hell. Put up the middle finger. But I don’t want to ruin any surprises. My lips are sealed.”
The Bucks would love to have "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan join them for their entrance, as the Bullet Club has many similarities to Hogan's nWo of the 90's. They further expanded on their wish below in their own interview with Barrasso:
“I’d love to welcome Hulk in. He’s honestly my favorite wrestler of all time, so working with him in any capacity would be fun.”
“I’d love to have him walk us down the aisle at the Tokyo Dome while the three of us play air guitar. That would be a dream come true.”
It is possible that The Young Bucks are spearheading the attempt to get some WWE legends to join Wrestle Kingdom in a response to the recent cease and desist they received from the WWE over their Too Sweet merchandise.
What's next?
Wrestle Kingdom 12 takes place on January 4th from the Tokyo Dome. At the time of this writing, the only confirmed match is the IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending his title against former champion Tetsuya Naito.
Author's take
Wrestle Kingdom has grown in popularity tremendously over the past few years. The addition of Hogan and Austin for the show would garner mainstream attention for sure.
Though it would be a cool moment, both Hogan and Austin would be burning a bridge with Vince McMahon. That fact makes this look more like a dream than a reality.