One of the first crop of trainees at the new NJPW Los Angeles Dojo, Coughlin trained hard under Katsuyori Shibata before beginning his journey in earnest as a Young Lion at Fighting Spirit Unleashed. He may have lost his early matches against Clark Connors, but his journey continued, with appearances for Ring of Honor, and at NJPW’s New Beginning USA events early in 2019, before being part of the Young Lion Cup later that year.

As NJPW STRONG took form during the pandemic, Coughlin became a leading figure, but struggled to break forth in Japan. Angered at being passed up for opportuinities, he joined Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd in the BULLET CLUB War Dogs, and achieved instant success, Coughlin and Kidd seizing the STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships on Independence Day 2023. In October 2023 at Ryogoku, Couglin & Kidd lost the title to Hikuleo & El Phantasmo. Although having no title around their waist, they continue to make an impact on fans with their solid in-ring abilities and ferocious attitudes.