January 2016 brought many changes to the top of the Bullet Club leadership chart.
AJ Styles, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson all left Bullet Club in early 2016 to go to WWE, leaving Kenny Omega to become the new leader of the faction. But the departure of Styles, Gallows and Anderson could have also included Tama Tonga's departure from NJPW as well. In an interview with NJPW, Tonga admitted that he wasn't sure if he was sticking around as well.
"They were really uncertain times. We had a meeting in the hotel, and they told us. It was definitely sad, definitely unsure. You have to remember, I was on the same boat. There were rumours about me, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to stay," Tonga said.
Ultimately, Tonga remained with NJPW and is still with Bullet Club to this day. What kept him on board was his strong belief that the faction would still thrive, even with Omega taking over duties as leader.
"In the end, I still strongly believed in what we were trying to do, and what we were building here in New Japan. I believed that strongly enough to stay, and at that point, Karl, Gallows, AJ leaving was just another hurdle that we had to overcome. The decision was made for [Omega] to be the guy calling the shots, and I said ‘OK’. Let’s do it. Again, I’m the workhorse," Tonga said.
The full interview can be seen at this link.
