Former champion announces retirement at only 30 years old after suffering a career-altering injury

A former champion's six-year pro wrestling career has ended on a shocking note as he announced retirement just a month after wrestling in what is now likely to be his last match.

The concerned star is Alex Coughlin, a prominent member of the famous Bullet Club faction in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Coughlin kickstarted his pro wrestling career in 2018. He entered the NJPW LA Dojo in the same year and was trained by current AEW star Katsuyori Shibata.

Also known as The Android, Coughlin joined Bullet Club in 2023 along with Gabriel Kidd. The duo did not take long to capture the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship, the first and only title of the 30-year-old's short career.

The former champion recently took to Twitter/X to announce his retirement. He was last seen in action a month back when he teamed up with Sean Wachter to defeat Jey Mesias and Pat Fitzpatrick.

Besides NJPW, Alex Coughlin appeared in Ring of Honor and on the independent circuit. Upon his most recent visit to the promotion, he faced his trainer Shibata for the ROH Pure Championship. The former champion suffered a career-altering neck injury during one of his recent matches and thus cannot continue his pro wrestling career.