Tag: clark connors

New Trios Champions crowned on AEW Collision

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

We have brand new Trios Champions before AEW Dynasty!

In the opening match of the night on the April 11 edition of AEW Collision, taped previously on Wednesday, April 8th, after Dynamite, fans saw The Dog become the new Trios Champions.

The Dogs, consisting of David Finlay, Clark Connors, and Gabe Kidd, defeated JetSpeed (Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey) & Mistico to win and capture the AEW World Trios titles.

The final moments of the match saw Finlay hold Bailey for a vertical suplex while Connors delivered a spear from the middle rope. Kidd then followed it up and pinned Bailey for the three-count to secure the gold for his team.

This marks the first reign for The Dogs as AEW Trios Champions. Previous champions JetSpeed & Mistico held the championships for 24 days (recorded from the time they actually won the titles and later lost them on the April 8 taping of Collision. They won the title previously at AEW Revolution and made two successful title defenses, including one in CMLL.

AEW announces signing of NJPW faction following surprise Dynamite appearance

Posted on by Josh Nason

Amid plenty of discussion the past few months about his status with NJPW and interest from WWE, David Finlay made a surprise appearance on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite alongside some old friends.

Now Finlay, Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd are officially under AEW contract as The Dogs, announced by Tony Khan on X.

Finlay appeared after Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin’s victory over Connors and Kidd, hitting both Allin and Cassidy with a shillelagh. The three stood tall afterward, reuniting three key members of the Bullet Club War Dogs faction from NJPW.

It’s unclear as of this time whether the three men are under dual contracts with NJPW or exclusive to AEW. Fightful did report shortly afterward that Finlay’s deal is for multiple years and came together over the last week.

Kidd and Connors have been regulars on AEW TV over the past month, feuding with Allin. Finlay has wrestled once in AEW, losing to Hangman Page back in June 2022.

Finlay’s contract expired with NJPW in February, but he continued to wrestle through last weekend’s New Beginning USA, Kidd’s last NJPW match came in mid-February, and Connors last appeared for the promotion at January’s New Year Dash.

It was reported by Fightful that Finlay and WWE had been in contact, but that he wasn’t factored into any plans.

It was noted on X that the third, fourth and fifth leaders of Bullet Club are now under AEW contract (Kenny Omega, Jay White, Finlay).

The Dogs vs. Orange Cassidy & Darby Allin announced for Dynamite

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Dynamite is almost 48 hours away and we already have a near-full card being advertised.

The latest announcement: Darby Allin will team with Orange Cassidy to face Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd, the tag team now known as the Dogs. AEW CEO Tony Khan announced the tag team match on social media. 

The rivalry between the four men grew out of Kidd’s association with the Death Riders while they were feuding with Allin, among others. Allin defeated Kidd at AEW Worlds End last December, which seemed to put an end to that program. 

Connors, however, returned to AEW in January teaming with Kidd, his stablemate from the Unbound Co. faction in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Cassidy, another former Death Riders enemy, has also been drawn into the war; he teamed with Tomohiro Ishii to defeat the Dogs on the February 18 episode of Collision. 

This is the second match for Dynamite announced on Monday night after Jon Moxley vs. Hechicero. The card thus far:

  • MJF vs. Kevin Knight for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship
  • Jon Moxley vs. Hechicero
  • Thekla vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s World Championship
  • Darby Allin & Orange Cassidy vs. Gabe Kidd & Clark Connors

Report: NJPW wrestler’s contract up soon, exploring options

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Another NJPW wrestler’s contract is due next month.

Fightful reported on Sunday that Clark Connors’ contract is due at the end of January 2026, and he is currently exploring his options. It was said that despite this, New Japan is also hopeful to keep him around.

Connors has been wrestling since 2017, initially wrestling for independents like DEFY before entering the NJPW LA Dojo the following year. In 2023, he joined the Bullet Club War Dogs faction, where he won the IWGP Junior Tag Team titles twice with Drilla Moloney. He is set to team with Yuto-Ice and OSKAR at Wrestle Kingdom 20, taking part in the Ranbo for the NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team titles.

Although most NJPW contracts expire at the end of January, it was reported last month that the company also talks to talent beyond that month, and some contracts aren’t signed until much later.

Last week it was reported that another member of Bullet Club War Dogs, David Finlay, was also exploring his options as his contract is also due at the end of next month. He has been with the promotion since 2015, winning the IWGP Global title, NEVER title, and IWGP Tag Team titles.

Clark Connors announces AEW return, vows to ‘make a name’ for himself in America

Posted on by Ian Carey

Another member of the War Dogs is headed to All Elite Wrestling.

On Sunday, AEW posted a video featuring NJPW’s Clark Connors announcing his return to the company.

Connors said:

“Last time you saw me in an AEW ring, I went wild at Forbidden Door. I almost made history with the biggest upset anyone has ever seen. But now, the Wild Rhino’s dead. I’m 100 proof Clark Conners. I’m a member of the best, most dangerous, vicious faction in the world, the Bullet Club War Dogs. And I’m here back in AEW to make a name for myself and kick some ass in America soon. Everybody in AEW’s on notice, ’cause none of you are my dog, for real.”

Connors’ last AEW appearance was at Forbidden Door 2022, where he competed in a fatal four-way match to crown the inaugural All-Atlantic Champion (later renamed the AEW International Championship). Pac won the match, with Malakai Black and Miro as the other competitors.

Connors’ War Dogs teammate, Gabe Kidd, wrestled on AEW Collision last night, defeating The Butcher in singles competition.

The War Dogs are currently in a transitional period after seemingly being kicked out of Bullet Club by House of Torture at The New Beginning in Osaka on February 11. Led by the returning EVIL, House of Torture attacked Kidd and Yota Tsuji after their Global Championship match. EVIL then instructed Kidd to inform David Finlay that the War Dogs were no longer part of Bullet Club.

New match set for NJPW & Stardom Historic X-Over

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new match announcement has been made for next month’s NJPW x Stardom joint event.

NJPW confirmed today that Natsupoi will team up with Taichi against Thekla & Clark Connors in a mixed tag match at Historic X-Over 2024. The show is taking place from the Edion Arena in Osaka on Sunday, November 17.

This mixed tag is being billed as a “hate-fueled” grudge match involving Natsupoi and Thekla, who were formerly tag team partners and stablemates in Stardom.

“There is a long history of animosity between these former friends. Once a tag team, Natsupoi’s eventual betrayal left a lasting mark on Thekla, who knows how to exploit her former partner’s vulnerabilities. The bad blood between them has only intensified until an elimination tag in Korakuen Hall. While Thekla had promised no interference from her H.A.T.E faction, she didn’t rule out help from others, leading to Clark Connors taking out Natsupoi with a devastating spear, leaving the crowd stunned,” NJPW wrote.

“In their ensuing Wonder of STARDOM bout, Natsupoi was able to emerge victorious, but there is still undeniably business that remains unsettled. Now Natsupoi will team with one of her partners from the first Historic X-Over in Taichi to face Thekla and Connors in a hate fueled grudge bout.”

Historic X-Over first took place in November 2022 and is now returning after the event was not held in 2023. Three matches have been confirmed for this year’s show so far:

NJPW x Stardom Historic X-Over 2024 (Sunday, November 17) —

  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Maika vs. El Desperado & Starlight Kid
  • Great-O-Khan KOPW Championship open challenge to any member of the Stardom roster
  • Natsupoi & Taichi vs. Thekla & Clark Connors

Two title matches booked for New Japan Soul 2024

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has made the first two match announcements for its post-Dominion summer tour.

After Dominion takes place this weekend, New Japan Soul 2024 will kick off the following week. The first event is being held in Sapporo on Sunday, June 16. A pair of title matches have been made official for the show. SANADA will challenge David Finlay for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, while Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney are defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles against Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles.

An illness forced SANADA out of action in April, but he’s now been medically cleared to return. Finlay is looking to avenge his loss to SANADA from the New Japan Cup 2023 finals.

Tournament losses are also part of the story for Bullet Club War Dogs and TMDK’s Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title match. During this year’s Best of the Super Juniors, Fujita defeated Connors and Eagles defeated Moloney when they faced off in tournament matches. Eagles & Fujita also own a victory over Connors & Moloney from Super Junior Tag League 2023.

Fujita, Eagles & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Connors, Moloney & Gedo in a six-man tag match at an NJPW event this Monday. At Dominion, there will be another six-man tag match with Fujita, Eagles & Sabre facing Connors, Moloney & LJ Cleary.

The New Japan Soul tour runs through Friday, July 5 and features seven events in total. The final night is being held at Budokan Hall.

New Japan Soul 2024 night one (Sunday, June 16, live on NJPW World) —

  • IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay defends against SANADA
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defend against Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles)

Two title changes at NJPW Strong Independence Day night one

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The opening night of NJPW Strong Independence Day included a pair of tag team title changes.

Bullet Club War Dogs are now in possession of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles and the Strong Openweight Tag Team titles. Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defeated TJP & Francesco Akira to win the Junior Heavyweight belts, while Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd claimed the Strong Openweight titles by defeating Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI.

There will be a chance for the faction to add more gold as Coughlin & Kidd challenge Goto & YOSHI-HASHI for the IWGP Tag Team titles at Strong Independence Day night two on Wednesday. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI are entering that match at a disadvantage after Coughlin & Kidd continued to attack them following their match on night one.

David Finlay introduced Connors as a new member of Bullet Club at NJPW Capital Collision this April. Moloney, Coughlin, and Kidd were then added to the group at Dominion last month.

Here’s the full lineup for Strong Independence Day night two:

  • Final Death match: Jon Moxley vs. El Desperado
  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion KENTA defends against Eddie Kingston
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd
  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale defends against Giulia
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii & The DKC vs. Tom Lawlor, Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs
  • Lance Archer & Alex Zayne vs. Bad Dude Tito & Kosei Fujita
  • Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors vs. YOH & Rocky Romero
  • Homicide & Ryohei Oiwa vs. TJP & Francesco Akira
  • JR Kratos vs. Oskar Leube
  • Kickoff match: Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato & Boltin Oleg vs. Dragon Libre, Takahiro Katori & Rekka

Clark Connors joins Bullet Club at NJPW Capital Collision

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new member of the Bullet Club was revealed at NJPW’s Capital Collision event.

After David Finlay defeated AR Fox on Saturday’s show, he called out Clark Connors. Finlay said that before, Bullet Club only aimed for people to sell t-shirts, but now he wants savages who will win titles. After offering a spot in the Bullet Club, Connors accepted, officially joining the stable.

In the previous match, Connors and partners The DKC, Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, and Lio Rush lost to KUSHIDA, Volador Jr., Mike Bailey, Gabriel Kidd, and Kevin Knight. After the match, Connors attacked DKC, threw him into the ring, then laid him out with a spear.

Since becoming the head of the Bullet Club in February, Finlay has continued to make changes within the long-running group. At Sakura Genesis earlier this month, Finlay, KENTA, and Gedo all turned on ELP after a tag match. Longtime tag partner Taiji Ishimori came to the ring and acted concerned, but then turned on ELP as well, eventually casting him out of the group.

Clark Connors signs new contract with NJPW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has announced a new contract for a member of its roster.

It was revealed late last week that Clark Connors has signed a new contract with NJPW. He debuted for the promotion in 2018, starting out at NJPW shows in the United States.

NJPW wrote: “Clark Connors has officially re-signed with NJPW! He had a breakout match at Forbidden Door, and expect to see more from him”

That breakout Forbidden Door match saw PAC defeat Connors, Malakai Black, and Miro to become the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion. Connors originally wasn’t supposed to be in the match, but he replaced Tomohiro Ishii due to Ishii suffering an injury.

Connors unsuccessfully challenged Zack Sabre Jr. for the NJPW World Television title at Battle in the Valley this February.

In 2022, Connors competed in his first Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

Connors will be part of a 10-man tag match at NJPW Capital Collision in Washington, D.C. this Saturday (April 15). He’s teaming with Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, Lio Rush & The DKC against KUSHIDA, Volador Jr., “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight & Gabriel Kidd.

ROH Saturday TV taping spoilers: Zack Sabre Jr. debuts

Posted on by JJ Williams

Nearly a year after Tony Khan announced he was buying Ring of Honor, the company held their first set of tapings Saturday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, as the relaunched TV show finally arrives on HonorClub this Thursday.

As expected, the taping featured several surprises and debuts including NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr., former Impact wrestler Lady Frost, and a few callouts for current champions.

Here’s the spoilers which will be followed by a second taping on Sunday evening.

  • Mark Briscoe defeated Slim J
  • The Kingdom defeated The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo)
  • NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Blake Christian
  • Christopher Daniels defeated Rohit Raju
  • Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods
  • ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun & Toa Liona) defeated LSG, Joe Keys & Rex Lawless
  • Ari Daivari defeated Gran Metalik (announced as such and not Mascara Dorada)
  • Madison Rayne & Skye Blue defeated The Renegades
  • During a Wheeler Yuta in-ring promo with Ian Riccaboni, Timothy Thatcher challenged Yuta for the Pure title.
  • Willow Nightingale defeated Lady Frost. In a post-match interview, Nightingale challenged ROH Women’s Champion Athena which the champion initially refused.
  • ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defeated AR Fox to retain the title. Afterward, Eddie Kingston came out and said he had promised Jon Moxley that he wouldn’t beat Castagnoli’s ass in AEW but this wasn’t AEW. The champion left the ring without saying a word. 
  • ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defeated Tony Deppen. Afterward, Joe asked for new challengers which led to Mark Briscoe coming out and accepting, saying the title was his destiny.
  • Dalton Castle & The Boys defeated Cody Chhun, Guillermo Rosas & Marcus Kross
  • Rush & Dralistico defeated Angelico & Serpentico
  • Trish Adora defeated Billie Starkz
  • Ari Daivari & Slim J defeated Jake Crist & “Manscout” Jake Manning. Post-match, Gran Metalik ran down to fight the Trustbusters but was overmatched until Blake Christian made the save. 
  • ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta defeated Timothy Thatcher to retain the title. Christopher Daniels, BJ Whitmer, and Colt Cabana were judges. Post-match, Yuta calls out that he’s getting a mixed reaction and that he’s in the ’96 Bulls with Jordan and Pippen while these “track suit dojo boys” think they’re so great because they train with Shibata. Clark Connors made his way to the ring and challenged Wheeler to a match.
  • Aussie Open defeated Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus
  • Eddie Kingston defeated Ben Dejo (aka Jon Cruz/Serpentico). Post-match, he called out Castagnoli and demanded a shot at the title. Castagnoli came out and said that “a man without honor will never be ROH Champion” and left. 
  • ROH Women’s Champion Athena defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the title

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Clark Connors added to NJPW Battle in the Valley

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A match for the New Japan World Television Championship is now set for Battle in the Valley.

In a vignette posted on New Japan’s social media, Clark Connors is shown watching Sabre win the championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17 last month. Connors said he was an afterthought in the tournament and that he had studied Sabre. He said he was ready for a fight like this and challenged him to a match for NJPW’s event in San Jose on February 18.

Sabre recently defended the title for the first time, defeating Tomohiro Ishii at The New Beginning in Sapporo event on February 5. Each title defense will have a fifteen minute time limit, and all matches will be posted in full on social media.

Here is the current lineup for Battle in the Valley:

NJPW Battle in the Valley, Saturday, February 18, 10 p.m. Eastern time on FITE TV PPV —

  • IWGP Women’s Championship: KAIRI (c) vs. Mercedes Mone
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada or Shingo Takagi will defend the title
  • Strong Openweight Championship: Fred Rosser (c) vs. KENTA
  • Strong Tag Team titles: Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs. World Class Wrecking Crew
  • NJPW World Television title: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Clark Connors
  • Eddie Kingston vs. Jay White
  • Filthy Rules: “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Homicide
  • Mascara Dorada, Josh Alexander, Adrian Quest, and Rocky Romero vs. KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight, Volador Jr., and The DKC

NJPW Battle in the Valley pre-show, Saturday, February 18, 9:20 p.m. Eastern time, free on YouTube and FITE TV —

  • David Finlay vs. Bobby Fish
  • JR Kratos vs. Alex Coughlin

Yuya Uemura replacing Clark Connors at Ric Flair’s Last Match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With Clark Connors out of action due to injury, a change has been made to the card for Ric Flair’s Last Match.

It was announced yesterday that a singles match between NJPW’s Ren Narita and Yuya Uemura is now set for the Ric Flair’s Last Match pay-per-view. Narita was originally supposed to face Connors at the PPV, but Connors has sustained a herniated disc in his back and isn’t currently able to wrestle.

Connors is also unable to wrestle at today’s NJPW Strong High Alert tapings and at NJPW Music City Mayhem this Saturday.

“Sorry to all the fans out there,” Connors tweeted. “I have dealt with herniation issues for the past 8 years or so, but this one is different. Those who know me know that to miss a week like this, you would darn near have to kill me. And that is about the case right now.”

Ric Flair’s Last Match is taking place next Sunday (July 31) as part of Starrcast V in Nashville, Tennessee. The Last Match PPV, which will air live on Fite TV, is being held at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

Here’s the updated Ric Flair’s Last Match card:

  • Ric Flair & Andrade El Idolo vs. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal (w/ Karen Jarrett)
  • Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against Jacob Fatu
  • Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Deonna Purrazzo and Rachael Ellering in a three-way match
  • Ricky & Kerry Morton (w/ Robert Gibson) vs. Brian Pillman Jr. & Brock Anderson (w/ Arn Anderson).
  • Rey Fenix vs. Laredo Kid vs. Taurus vs. Bandido
  • The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
  • Killer Kross (w/ Scarlett Bordeaux) vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
  • Ren Narita vs. Yuya Uemura
  • The Von Erichs (Marshall & Ross Von Erich) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe)
  • Jonathan Gresham vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alan Angels vs. Konosuke Takeshita
  • Bunkhouse Battle Royal

Clark Connors unable to compete at NJPW Music City Mayhem due to injury

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An injury will prevent Clark Connors from competing at NJPW’s Music City Mayhem pay-per-view.

NJPW announced today that Connors has sustained a herniated disc in his back and won’t be able to wrestle at Music City Mayhem in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, July 30. Connors is also unable to compete at NJPW Strong’s High Alert television tapings in Charlotte, North Carolina this Sunday (July 24).

Connors was scheduled to challenge Davey Richards for the MLW National Openweight Championship at Music City Mayhem. Richards will now defend the title against Rocky Romero.

Connors vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado was set for the High Alert tapings. That match will now be Takahashi vs. Desperado vs. Blake Christian.

Music City Mayhem is being held at the Nashville Fairgrounds as part of Starrcast V. The PPV will air live via Fite TV.

Here’s the updated Music City Mayhem card:

  • No DQ match: Jon Moxley vs. El Desperado
  • KUSHIDA vs. Alex Shelley
  • FTR & Alex Zayne vs. Aussie Open & TJP
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Blake Christian
  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Fred Rosser defends against Big Damo
  • MLW National Openweight Champion Davey Richards defends against Rocky Romero
  • Shota Umino, Fred Yehi & Yuya Uemura vs. Ren Narita, Kevin Knight & The DKC

MLW National Openweight title to be defended at NJPW Music City Mayhem

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An MLW championship will be on the line at NJPW Music City Mayhem.

NJPW announced today that Clark Connors will challenge Davey Richards for the MLW National Openweight Championship at Music City Mayhem on Saturday, July 30. The pay-per-view is taking place in Nashville, Tennessee as part of Starrcast V.

Connors vs. Richards was confirmed for Music City Mayhem earlier this month, but Richards’ MLW National Openweight title being at stake is a new development.

Richards won the National Openweight title from Alex Kane at June’s MLW Battle Riot IV television tapings.

NJPW Music City Mayhem will begin at 3 p.m. Eastern time on July 30. The PPV will be available live via Fite TV.

Here’s the updated Music City Mayhem card:

  • No DQ match: Jon Moxley vs. El Desperado
  • KUSHIDA vs. Alex Shelley
  • FTR & Alex Zayne vs. Aussie Open & TJP
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Blake Christian
  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Fred Rosser defends against Big Damo
  • MLW National Openweight Champion Davey Richards defends against Clark Connors
  • Shota Umino, Fred Yehi & Yuya Uemura vs. Ren Narita, Kevin Knight & The DKC