Folks, in a turn of events that’s got the wrestling world spinning more wildly than a luchador in a tornado, NJPW’s very own Alex Coughlin has officially thrown in the towel. But, hold your horses, it’s not your average retirement announcement. On X, under the cover of Saturday night’s semi-glamorous darkness, Coughlin declared, “Yeah I’m retired and it sucks now leave me the f*** alone.” But, wait! Before you rush off to respect his privacy, he’s got a deal you can’t refuse: “Actually, I have some merch and gear to sell still so don’t f*** off just yet.”
At the ripe age of 30, Coughlin, a stalwart in the Bullet Club War Dogs and a one-time NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion with buddy Gabe Kidd, is calling it quits. His swan song? A cage match extravaganza on February 11, where he and the War Dogs triumphed over Will Ospreay and the United Empire, in what was essentially Ospreay’s “so long” to NJPW.
Coughlin’s wrestling saga began in 2018, dabbling in the New York Wrestling Connection before diving headfirst into NJPW’s young lion den. Fast forward through some grueling training and a graduation in 2021, he reinvented himself as The Android—because who doesn’t love a good tech reference? Alongside Gabe Kidd, they clinched the Strong Tag Team titles in a dazzling display of might and lost them later in a plot twist to the Guerrillas of Destiny.