Bullet Club Attacks El Phantasmo, Expels Him From The Group At NJPW Sakura Genesis

NJPW Sakura Genesis 2023 was a newsworthy night of action top-to-bottom, headlined by fan favorite SANADA winning his first IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. However, one of the less talked about moments of the show was the fallout of the fourth match. Right before the championship battles of the event began, El Phantasmo get forcefully removed from Bullet Club following his trios match alongside KENTA and David Finlay against the team of Tama Tonga, HIKULEO, and Master Wato.

After Phantasmo got the deciding fall on Wato, KENTA and Finlay continued to assault their opponents after the match. Eventually, ELP attempted to stop Finlay's onslaught on Tama Tonga, leading the newest leader of the Bullet Club to attack Phantasmo. While members of Bullet Club initially attempted to break the fight up, the "peacemakers" quickly clarified their allegiances. Both KENTA and ELP's long-time tag team partner, Taiji Ishimori, joined Finlay in assaulting Phantasmo, effectively ousting him from the group.

The problems between Finlay and Phantsmo came about due to Finlay's attack on Jay White at Battle In the Valley. While that seemed to spell the end for "Switchblade" at the head of Bullet Club, White's arrival in AEW last Wednesday has led many to question where he currently stands with the group. With Phantasmo, one of White's closest allies, being kicked out, and Finlay suggesting that offshoots of Bullet Club are just "cosplayers," the Bullet Club continues to rapidly change and evolve ahead of their tenth anniversary next month.