WWE Planned Major NXT Faction For David Finlay Before AEW Debut

TLDR

David Finlay made his AEW debut on the March 4, 2026 episode of Dynamite, attacking Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy before aligning with Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors to form a new faction called "THE DOGS." According to a Wrestling Observer Newsletter report, WWE had planned for Finlay to lead a second-generation wrestler faction in NXT that would have included Lexis King, Stacks Lorenzo, Arianna Grace, and his younger brother Uriah Connors (Brogan Finlay). The report indicates Finlay was interested in working more frequently in the United States after becoming a father, as American promotions offered a better travel schedule than Japanese companies.