{"id":53555,"date":"2018-01-04T13:03:05","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T19:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=53555"},"modified":"2018-01-04T13:03:05","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T19:03:05","slug":"editorial-last-outlaw-bullet-club-leads-pro-wrestlings-lone-global-outlaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/01\/04\/editorial-last-outlaw-bullet-club-leads-pro-wrestlings-lone-global-outlaw\/","title":{"rendered":"EDITORIAL: The Last Outlaw: The Bullet Club leads as pro wrestling\u2019s lone global outlaw"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3708338429\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>\u201cOutlaw\u201d is defined as a lawless person or habitual criminal, especially one who is a fugitive from the law; a person, group, or thing excluded from the benefits and protection from the law; a person under sentence of outlawry; a person who refuses to be governed by the established rules or practices of any group; a rebel or nonconformist.<\/p>\n<p>Outlaw and professional wrestling have been synonymous since wrestling was born in the smelly haystacks of carnivals over a hundred years ago. Whacky carnies, untrustworthy athletes, and conniving promoters created a business that not only favored, but inherently encouraged the behavior of an outlaw. Thus, the pro wrestling business became the outlaw\u2019s business and resided inside smoke-filled halls and dimly lit rooms on the sleazy outskirts of the entertainment world.<\/p>\n<p>In the business of pro wrestling that worked. It grew to astronomical heights and was responsible for generating an exorbitant amount of money throughout the years. The stars leading that growth and the biggest stars in the history of the business became as popular as they did because they each embodied and exemplified the old outlaw nature that the business was rooted in.<\/p>\n<p>Stars such as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, The Undertaker, &#8220;Stone Cold&#8221; Steve Austin, The Rock, C.M. Punk, and countless others connected with their audience and drew enormous amounts of money because like the wrestling business, they lived and acted outside the bounds of the norm.<\/p>\n<p>Wrestling fans and people in general are attracted to that whether they want to admit it or not. It\u2019s why so many people love <em>Breaking Bad<\/em> or <em>The Sopranos.<\/em> Right or wrong, people live vicariously through outlaws. Stone Cold beat up his boss, Ric Flair slept with copious amounts of women, and CM Punk took down his corporation from the outside. Who hasn\u2019t imagined those kinds of things for themselves?<\/p>\n<p>Today, WWE\u2019s openly corporate model can\u2019t nurture the tendencies of an outlaw and it doesn\u2019t want to have to. The corporate world suffocates outlaws. Because of that simple fact, the wrestling outlaw was on the verge of extinction. The Bullet Club resurrected it from the dead.<\/p>\n<p>The Bullet Club are the lone outlaws in today\u2019s global pro wrestling world and are happy to tell us so via a 140-character tweet or a two-minute social media video. Bruiser Brody would be taking bumps over and over in his grave if he heard that sentence, or worse, saw the video. Why? Because they \u201cdo\u201d pro wrestling differently than anyone else. That\u2019s their gimmick and it scares people.<\/p>\n<p>It scares people because the gimmick can mean and be anything. The heel and babyface dynamic? Who needs it? The Young Bucks are booked as bad guys, sell merchandise like good guys, do dastardly heelish deeds in the ring, execute exhilarating high-flying moves to get big pops, superkick children, and then post heartfelt Twitter messages that thank their wives and fans for the wonderful year they\u2019ve had.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4012477373\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The balls on those guys, am I right? That isn\u2019t bipolar, its genius.<\/p>\n<p>Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson, Kenny Omega, Cody, Marty Scurll, and the rest of the gang are outlaws to even the most vicious wrestling outlaws in history. To history, these young punks are killing the business when in reality they are in the midst of opening a treasure trove of revenue streams that will make wrestler\u2019s eyes bulge bigger than a pirate stumbling onto the docks of Tortuga.<\/p>\n<p>Just five years ago, the WWE was the only place on the planet to truly earn a comfortable living in the wrestling business. The Bucks, Omega, Cody, and Scurll would have never received a chance to shine within that WWE machine. We\u2019ve heard it all before. They\u2019re too small, not built enough, and just didn\u2019t look the part of a WWE Superstar.<\/p>\n<p>So, they went to different pastures that they then turned green. On their own, they went to Japan and around the world to hone their gimmick and execute their vision for what wrestling could and should be. From those trials and tribulations of the worlds traveled, catchphrases were born, t-shirts were created, social media video programs were produced, and The Bullet Club suddenly was popular.<\/p>\n<p>Their DIY attitude and execution worked and was infectious among fans. Who hasn\u2019t imagined this kind of story for themselves at some point? Sound familiar? The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Cody, and Scurll were more popular than they ever would have been under the WWE umbrella. That\u2019s a key to their success and one of their most blatant outlaw traits. They did it without the WWE. Because they didn\u2019t have WWE\u2019s website to sell merchandise on, they found their own site to do it. Who needs the WWE anyway?<\/p>\n<p>The popularity of that site and the merchandise on it led to retail stores like Hot Topic wanting to sell Bullet Club goods. Now, Bullet Club shirts are some of the most visible merchandise on fans at WWE shows. The Bullet Club made it okay for diehard (and smart) wrestling fans to see through and break through the corporate handcuffs of the WWE. Plus, the Bullet Club was waiting with open arms to rebel against WWE with those same fans; with $25 shirts of course.<\/p>\n<p>The Bullet Club connects, is effective, and most importantly draws money because the audience knows the way they do things is the \u201cwrong\u201d way by regular standards and historical accounts. This includes everything from shilling merch to their incredibly stellar in-ring work. Fans love them for it as they present an alternative. The Bullet Club is the \u201ccool\u201d to WWE\u2019s Michael Cole. How much more \u201coutlaw\u201d can you get?<\/p>\n<p>Remember this definition?<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3871468735\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em> \u201cA person who refuses to be governed by the established rules or practices of any group; a rebel or nonconformist.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Bullet Club is this. What\u2019s next is anyone\u2019s guess. Someone on social media made the mistake of telling Cody Rhodes that an independent pro wrestling show would never be able to draw 10,000 fans. The wrestling world is expecting to see that very show in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>In a shrinking global wrestling landscape, there is nothing The Bullet Club can\u2019t do or won\u2019t attempt to do. That isn\u2019t necessarily outlaw but it\u2019s still badass. They aren\u2019t outlaws like Jesse James. They aren\u2019t beer swigging, bar fighting outlaws and they aren\u2019t outlaws like former pro wrestlers were outlaws. The Bullet Club are outlaws in their own right and in their own unique and rebellious way. Just like any good outlaw should be.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT THIS RECENT ARTICLE:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/01\/03\/wwe-raw-hits-misses-1-1-reigns-vs-joe-club-reunites-wyatt-vs-apollo-cesaro-vs-jordan-lesnar-kane-goldust\/\">WWE RAW HITS &amp; MISSES 1\/1: Reigns vs. Joe, The Club reunites, Wyatt vs. Apollo, Cesaro vs. Jordan, Lesnar-Kane, Goldust<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-307393085\"><div id=\"pwtor-3181156742\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>\u201cOutlaw\u201d is defined as a lawless person or habitual criminal, especially one who is a fugitive from the law; a person, group, or thing excluded from the benefits and protection from the law; a person <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/01\/04\/editorial-last-outlaw-bullet-club-leads-pro-wrestlings-lone-global-outlaw\/\" title=\"EDITORIAL: The Last Outlaw: The Bullet Club leads as pro wrestling\u2019s lone global outlaw\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-guesteditorials"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/01\/BulletClub_3x2.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53556,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53555\/revisions\/53556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}