AEW Signs NJPW Faction
AEW officially signed Gabe Kidd, David Finlay, and Clark Connors as The Dogs following their surprise Dynamite appearance. This bolsters AEW's roster with international talent and continues the integration of NJPW-affiliated wrestlers into the promotion.
The group now known as The Dogs is a direct continuation of the "Bullet Club War Dogs" faction from New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This sub-group was defined by its members' intensity and a mission to restore the Bullet Club's fearsome reputation. David Finlay, the son of wrestling legend Fit Finlay, became the fifth and final leader of the legendary Bullet Club in March 2023, taking over after Jay White's departure from NJPW. It was under his leadership that the "War Dogs" iteration of the group was formed. Finlay's AEW arrival comes after his NJPW contract expired on February 17, 2026, making him a free agent. While WWE reportedly had contact with Finlay, it's said they offered a lower-level NXT contract, which he turned down in favor of the AEW deal that came together in the final week of his free agency. Gabe Kidd, known as "The Madman," is an English wrestler who began his career in 2011 and joined the NJPW dojo system in 2020. In NJPW, he held the Strong Openweight Championship and the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Clark Connors, an American wrestler nicknamed the "Wild Rhino," was trained by NJPW legend Katsuyori Shibata at the LA Dojo. A former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, Connors joined Bullet Club in April 2023. The signing continues a trend of talent exchange between AEW and NJPW, a partnership that began in 2021 and has produced the annual "Forbidden Door" co-promoted event. This relationship allows for wrestlers from each promotion to appear on the other's programming.
