The first seeds for World Elite were planted in March 2009, when Japanese wrestlers Kiyoshi and No Limit (Naito and Yujiro) aligned themselves with Sheik Abdul Bashir, forming an (unnamed) Anti-American faction. No Limit later left the company. In May, The British Invasion attacked Team 3D during an interview, much to the pleasure of Bashir and Kiyoshi, who were looking on.