In a shocking turn of events during the G1 Climax tournament finals, KENTA turned heel and officially joined the Bullet Club faction. It was previously teased by
Tama Tonga that the club would introduce a new member to the popular faction, though he never hinted at who that could be.
During a six-man tag team match that saw KENTA, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI take on G.O.D. and Bad Luck Fale, the former WWE superstar turned on his team by dropping off the apron in the middle of the match and then hit Ishii with the Go 2 Sleep moments later.
Once the Bullet Club picked up the victory, the group continued their vicious attack until Katsuyori Shibata stormed to the ring and cleaned house; however, the Bullet Club members ganged up on the New Japan star and took him out.
Shibata hasn’t wrestled since his IWGP Heavyweight title match against Kazuchika Okada in 2017. He transitioned into a full-time coach once it was learned that he had suffered a subdural hematoma that forced him to step away from the ring. There’s no word on whether the company is building towards a Shibata in-ring return despite getting physical at the G1 finals event. Shibata was the man to introduce KENTA back at Dominion in June.