Mad Loyal: The Fall and Rise of Gabe Kidd

 

                                                                                                                                                                               Ethan Brennan

        He’s a madman, you know.  Gabe Kidd has developed a reputation as a loose cannon.  His quick temper, and general volatility, have as often been a hindrance as an asset in his competitive efforts.  He has managed to transform his very public struggles with mental health into a compelling character.  Kidd employs a brawling, bruising style to punish foes, often seeming to be more concerned with hurting opponents than beating them 1,2,3.  If the Bullet Club War Dogs are a gang, and their tactics would suggest that to be the case, Kidd personifies the gangster mentality the most of the group.  Kidd is that friend who scares you a little, but you know has your back; who will get you in trouble, but keep you out of the hospital.  Kidd might end up in a police station, but he won’t utter your name inside the building.  You might question Gabe Kidd’s sanity (he might want you to), but you’d never question his loyalty.  What makes the character so compelling, is the way Kidd weaves his real life struggles with mental health into the narrative of his matches and angles.  He is abrasive, self destructive, unpredictable; and it’s fascinating to watch.

He seemingly can’t help himself, as when he lifted the shoulder of a felled Shingo Takagi, likely costing himself the NEVER openweight title at Pro Wrestling Dontaku 2024.  The match was a love letter to strong style wrestling, each grappler testing the fighting spirit of their foe.  It was Kidd’s eagerness to display his toughness that allowed the veteran Takagi to withstand the onslaught and come out with the victory.  Kidd was too busy stroking his own fragile ego, and taunting the Fukuoka crowd to accept victory when it was at hand.  This aspect of the character works so well for someone in Kidd’s position: a recent dojo graduate performs in high profile contests against established talent, comes up short, but still maintains status as a dangerous fighter.  He’s still a threat.

Just when it appears that Kidd is completely out of control, glimpses of restraint can be seen, as in his G1 Climax 34 match with fellow War Dog Jake Lee.  After lulling Lee into a false sense of security with a (seemingly) friendly pint, Kidd employed a surprise attack before the bell could sound.  When Smart Bastard Lee withstood the brawl, and emerged with a surprise victory via count out, Kidd was able to swallow his rage, and offer a begrudging too sweet to his tag-team partner.  This despite the fact they had only been tagging for a few weeks at that point.  Indeed, if anything, the brutal bout served to strengthen their bond.  All the aggression and vitriol that is the hallmark of Kidd’s character is tempered by his loyalty to the faction.  His “dawgs for real” need not fear what the rest of the roster certainly should.

Perhaps Gabe Kidd’s most important relationship, is the one he has with the crowds, which is also surprisingly dynamic.  The default setting is abrasive: double birds, lots of blue language.  He can get a reaction, but more importantly, he can react to that reaction.  In Long Beach, CA for the Strong Style Evolved show in December 2024, Kidd Faced off with Ryohei Oiwa to defend his Strong Openweight Title.  Oiwa, recently returned from excursion, had a good showing, but Kidd’s main antagonist was the southern California crowd. Chants like “Gabe Eats Crayons” tormented the champ, drawing his focus away from the match.  By conveying the idea that the crowd had really gotten under his skin, he drew them in even further, encouraging them to interact to his own ostensible detriment.  Conversely, when Kidd tried to preempt House of Torture shenanigans with a surprise attack on EVIL before the bell sounded in their G1 Climax 34 match, the Osaka crowd went wild, enthusiastically supporting Kidd.  He came up short in the match, but received one of the strongest crowd reactions of the night.

Enter Kenny Omega.  Making his long awaited return from a life threatening illness, many were surprised that Omega’s first match back was against a mere War Dog underling, in a Tokyo Dome show, no less.  On January fifth, 2025, at the NJPW/CMLL/AEW supershow Wrestle Dynasty, fans saw just that.  In a match that brought NJPW Ace/President/Mom Hiroshi Tanahashi to tears, Kidd and Omega brought the Tokon to Tokyo Dome.  All doubts about if Kenny Omega would still have the juice were washed away like the blood on their faces.  Gabe Kidd surprised the crowd and his opponent, debuting new gear which featured not just a Bullet Club War Dogs logo, but also the NJPW Lion Mark, seeming to claim for himself the mantle of Strong Style ambassador.  Kidd, though putting forth another losing effort, cemented his spot as a top calibre New Japan heavyweight.  A match like that all but ensures a Wrestle Kingdom main event in the future for Kidd.  With New Japan experiencing some growing pains in the main event scene, as top talents age out or pursue other opportunities, Kidd is established along with the likes of Konosuke Takeshita, Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Shota Umino as no longer the future, but the present of Heavyweight Strong Style Japanese Wrestling.

Despite near universal acclaim for the match with Omega, Kidd’s crowning achievement of 2025 may be his rivalry with Yota Tsuji, and the repercussions generated therefrom.  While Gabe Kidd was soaking in the limelight with Kenny Omega, Bullet Club leader David Finlay was mourning the loss of his coveted IWGP Global Heavyweight Title to Yota Tsuji the previous night at Wrestle Kingdom 19 in the very same building.  About a month later, at New Beginning Osaka, Kidd would challenge Tsuji for the title.  The match was indecisive, resulting in a bellicose double knockout draw.  As if they hadn’t suffered enough, a surprise attack from House of Torture after the match targeted both competitors, shattering Bullet Club unity and igniting a civil war within the faction.  They went their separate ways, Tsuji completing several successful title defences, and Kidd going to battle alongside fellow War Dogs for control of Bullet Club, before unexpectedly showing up in AEW to assist Jon Moxley’s Death Rider faction in their control of the AEW World Title.  Was Kidd helping the Death Riders in a bid to hurt AEW in favour of New Japan?  How would the War Dogs react to seeing him cooperate with another faction?  Kidd wasn’t the first to moonlight in another promotion, and had stood shoulder to shoulder with his BC brothers in the second barbaric Dog Pound steel cage match.  The War Dogs came out with the victory, but the House got the upper hand after the bell.  As EVIL hung David Finlay with a chain, it was clear that House of Torture may be expelled from Bullet Club, but they were not finished with the War Dogs.

This fact became abundantly more clear at Dominion on June 15.  Throughout the evening House of Torture gained three new members, two from within the ranks of the Bullet Club.  When it came time to settle the score between Finlay and EVIL in a dog collar match, the War Dogs were hopelessly outnumbered.  Gabe Kidd, conspicuous by his absence, was preparing for his rematch with Yota Tsuji.  Finlay fought hard, but succumbed to the numbers game.  Kidd had more luck in the next match.  Wearing a knee pad that featured the Death Riders logo above the War Dogs stamp, Kidd waged war on Tsuji and brought the IWGP Global Championship back to Bullet Club.  Or did he?  How will Finlay view the outcome of one of New Japan’s biggest yearly shows?  Himself: beaten, humiliated.  His ostensible protégé: victorious, holding the title that Finlay brought into existence (by beating Will Ospreay and Death Riders leader Jon Moxley).  No one would question that Gabe Kidd values loyalty, but to whom?  Can Finlay accept that his underling succeeded where he failed?  It is a tumultuous time for Bullet Club, and heading into G1 season it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for Gabe Kidd.