| Alex Coughlin | |
|---|---|
 Coughlin in June 2023 | |
| Birth name | Alex Coughlin |
| Born | (1993-12-03)December 3, 1993 (age 31)[1] New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Alex Coughlin[2] Leo Blackstone[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 205 lb (93 kg)[2] |
| Trained by | |
| Debut | April 28, 2018[3] |
| Retired | March 23, 2024 |
Alex Coughlin (born December 3, 1993) is an American formerprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his time inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a member ofBullet Club and a formerStrong Openweight Tag Team Champion, alongside Bullet Club stablemateGabe Kidd. He has also made Appearances forRing Of Honor (ROH),Game Changer Wrestling (GCW),Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW),DEFY Wrestling,Warrior Wrestling,Impact Wrestling andBeyond Wrestling.
Coughlin made his debut on April 28, 2018, working mainly for his hometown promotion New York Wrestling Connection, where he was trained byBull James.[3]
In 2018, Coughlin entered theNew Japan Pro-Wrestling LA Dojo, as the first class along withKarl Fredericks andClark Connors, training underKatsuyori Shibata. Coughlin made his in-ring debut, where he was defeated by Connors in a dark match atFighting Spirit Unleashed. Coughlin visited Japan for the first time as a representative of the LA Dojo at theYoung Lion Cup held in September 2019 and came third in the tournament along with Connors with 8 points.[4][5] Over the next year, Coughlin would lose to many New Japan wrestlers and draw to his fellow young lions, which is common for young lions during their training. Whilst Fredericks and Connors achieved more success, Coughlin continued to train and lose to New Japan wrestlers, due to having less wrestling background prior to joining the Dojo. Through New Japan's partnership with other promotions, Coughlin was also able to make many appearances forRing of Honor andRevolution Pro Wrestling. Coughlin was regularly featured onGame Changer Wrestling'sBloodsport.[6][7] On January 4, 2020, atWrestle Kingdom 14, Coughlin, Fredericks, Connors andToa Henare defeatedTencozy (Satoshi Kojima andHiroyoshi Tenzan),Yota Tsuji andYuya Uemura in an eight-man tag-team match.[8]
In March 2020, New Japan suspended all of its activities, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, causing American-based talent, such as Coughlin to not be able to travel to Japan. Therefore, Coughlin appeared primarily on New Japan's new American-based showNJPW Strong, where he would mainly team up with his LA Dojo teammates. Whilst, Fredericks and Connors had already graduated from being Young Lions due to winning theYoung Lion Cup and theLion's Break Crown respectively, Coughlin would start a ten-match challenge series, facing a range of competitors each week. He would lose the first 8 matches, losing to the likes ofJosh Alexander,Tomohiro Ishii and even Fredericks. However, in the ninth match, he defeatedJ. R. Kratos, after the match Coughlin announced he had graduated as a Young Lion.
In February, Coughlin returned to the UK, continuing to make appearances for Revolution Pro Wrestling. During this time, Coughlin began using the nickname, "The Android", a comparison to his machine-like strength. Also in March, the LA Dojo, which was still represented by graduates like Coughlin, Connors, and Fredericks, began a feud withAll Elite Wrestling'sThe Factory as they fought over which was the superior wrestling developmental system. This led to Coughlin and other LA Dojo members making their debuts on the May 10 edition ofAEW Dark, saving the LA Dojo’sThe DKC andKevin Knight from a post-match attack by The Factory. The following week, LA Dojo members defeated The Factory in a ten-man tag team match.[9] On June 26, Coughlin teamed withYuya Uemura, The DKC, and Kevin Knight on the Buy-in ofAEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door in a losing effort toMax Caster and The Gunn Club'sBilly Gunn,Austin Gunn andColten Gunn.[10] Shortly after, it was announced that Coughlin had suffered a leg injury.[11][12]
Coughlin returned in November on the pre-show ofHistoric X-Over, teaming with LA Dojo stablemates, Clark Connors, Kevin Knight andGabriel Kidd to defeatKosei Fujita,Oskar Leube,Ryohei Oiwa andYuto Nakashima.[13] A few days later, Coughlin and Kidd teamed together in theWorld Tag League, however finished bottom of their block with just 2 points.[14]
In February, Coughlin defeated J. R. Kratos on the kickoff show ofBattle in the Valley.[15] The following month atMultiverse United, Coughlin teamed withSami Callihan,Fred Rosser andPCO to defeatEddie Edwards,Joe Hendry,Tom Lawlor and J. R. Kratos.[16] At NJPW Collision in Philadelphia, Coughlin defeatedTracy Williams.[17] On the buy-in ofResurgence, Coughlin defeatedChristopher Daniels.[18]
On June 4 atDominion, Coughlin and Gabriel Kidd, branded asBullet Club War Dogs attackedBishamon (Hirooki Goto andYoshi-Hashi), following their victory of capturing both theIWGP Tag Team Championship and theStrong Openweight Tag Team Championships, signalling their challenge for both titles, whilst also turning both menheel for the first time. The duo later accompanied Bullet Club leader,David Finlay to the ring in Bullet Club shirts, officially joining the stable[19] On July 4 on night 1 ofNJPW Independence Day, Coughlin and Kidd defeated Bishamon to win the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships, marking both men’s first NJPW championships.[20] The following Day on Night 2, the duo lost to Bishamon, in a losing effort to capture the IWGP World Tag Team Championships.[21] Later in the month, Coughlin entered his firstG1 Climax tournament, where he would compete in the D Block.[22] Coughlin finished the tournament with a total of 6 points, failing to advance to the quarterfinals.[23] On October 9 atDestruction in Ryōgoku, Coughlin and Kidd lost the Strong Openweight Tag Team Titles toGuerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo andHikuleo), ending their reign at 97 days.[24]
The duo attempted to rebound the following month, entering the annualWorld Tag League, competing in the A-Block.[25] Coughlin and Kidd finished joint top of their block, with 10 points, advancing to the semi-final round.[26] In the semi-final round, the duo were defeated by Bishamon, eliminating them from the tournament.[27]
On February 11, 2024 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, Coughlin teamed with the rest of his Bullet Club War Dogs teammates, to defeatUnited Empire in aten-mansteel cage match. This would be Coughlin's last wrestling match for NJPW as on March 23, he announced his unexpected retirement from professional wrestling.
Coughlin and other LA Dojo students appeared a few times for Ring of Honor in 2019. most notably on theROH/NJPW War of the Worlds shows.[28]
Coughlin returned to ROH in April 2023, teaming with his LA Dojo trainerKatsuyori Shibata, to defeat The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry and J.D Drake). After the match, Coughlin pointed at Shibata'sROH Pure Championship, teasing a future match between the two for the title.[29] The match took place on June 1, where Coughlin was defeated by Shibata.[30]
Coughlin's style was based on pure strength, which earned him the nickname of "The Android". He commonly utilizedsuplexes and was known todeadlift opponents, even if they were larger than him.