WWE News: Rumors Of Finn Balor Winning The ‘Royal Rumble’ Run Rampant After ‘Balor Club’ Trademark Filing
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor has been in the news a lot as of late, but not for something he has done. Rather, something that he could do that is getting the world to talk. WWE has targeted four top wrestlers out of New Japan Pro Wrestling, the home of Finn Balor for a number of years before he came to WWE. There, he was part of a faction called The Bullet Club that helped to change wrestling and helped to put NJPW on the map for fans who didn’t know them already.
Two of the members of that group, in Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, are said to be coming to WWE by the first of March at the latest. This has gotten a ton of fans talking about what will happen once Balor’s boys get to WWE. Balor has been teasing his friends’ arrival to WWE by posting pictures on social media and talking about them there and on WWE.com.
Once they arrive, things could get very interesting. Now, rumors are running rampant due to WWE filing a trademark for the “Balor Club” with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, as you can see below.
| Word Mark | BALOR CLUB |
| Goods and Services | IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment; fan club services in the field of sports entertainment; organizing and staging entertainment events with wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely, blogs, in the fields of sports entertainment |
| Standard Characters Claimed | |
| Mark Drawing Code | (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK |
| Serial Number | 86583739 |
| Filing Date | April 1, 2015 |
| Current Basis | 1B |
| Original Filing Basis | 1B |
| Published for Opposition | January 5, 2016 |
| Owner | (APPLICANT) World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 1241 East Main Street Stamford CONNECTICUT 06902 |
| Attorney of Record | Lauren A. Dienes-Middlen |
| Disclaimer | NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE “CLUB” APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN |
| Type of Mark | SERVICE MARK |
| Register | PRINCIPAL |
| Other Data | The name(s), portrait(s), and/or signature(s) shown in the mark does not identify a particular living individual. |
| Live/Dead Indicator | LIVE |
They weren’t considering ever going to the United States beforehand, but due to the big moves with Ring of Honor, they knew they would be working in America, which meant they had to apply for the trademark. There are rumors stating that WWE is trying to negotiate with New Japan about getting the Bullet Club license to use in America, but it is uncertain if NJPW would ever sell the name.
One thing that got many wondering about this was the new “Elite” shirts that went on sale at Pro Wrestling Tees this past week. The shirts are for new Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, who are the last few members of the group that mean anything to fans around the world. Regardless, whether or not the members are doing this for a new group or not, many assume NJPW would never sell the rights to The Bullet Club license.
It is interesting that WWE filed and got the trademark back around this time. This leaves us to wonder about a lot of things. Was WWE always thinking that they were going to get Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows to sign with WWE once their deals with NJPW came up this year? Is WWE considering a big program with Finn Balor starting this WrestleMania season? Some believe that Finn Balor could win the Royal Rumble, with this news and the fact that his BC brothers are being signed. On top of this, the Royal Rumble PPV is in Orlando this year, a place right down the road from the WWE Performance Center and Full Sail University.
Despite this, there is no confirmation of any kind that Finn Balor will win the Rumble, or even be in it, for that matter. However, it does look like if WWE wants to do this, all the pieces are certainly being set up for it to happen. While Karl Anderson may not be available for WWE by this time, Gallows is out of his NJPW deal now. So, he very well could show up and help his little buddy, and eventually be joined by Anderson in a month or so once he is ready to come in. We will have to wait and see what WWE goes with here.
[Image via WWE]
