| Dairé O'Connor | |
|---|---|
| |
| Billing information | |
| Ring name(s) | Darragh O'Connor CONANN Chiyonosake |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in |
| Weight | 207 lbs |
| Place of Birth |  Letterkenny, County Donegal
|
| Resides | Muff, County Donegal
|
| Theme music | Fields of Athenry - Dropkick Murphys |
| Federation(s) | Glory For Puro |
| Wrestling information | |
| Alignment | Heel |
| Wrestling style | Technical, Submission, Strong Style |
| Trainer | Joshimitzu Sasuke Ryu Suzuki |
Darragh O'Connor (born Dáire Eóin O'Connor) , on October 17 1990, in Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland is an Irish Professional Wrestler.
History[]
Early Life[]
Darragh was born in Letterkenny General Hospital in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland to parents Eóin and Siobhán.
The youngest of three brothers Darragh was born into a world of constant fighting and aggression. A talented footballer and amateur boxer, known throughout the county, Darragh moved his sights to traditional wrestling (Coraíocht) and martial arts at the age of 15 - much to the dismay of his mother.
By 18 Darragh had graduated to a purple belt in jiu-jitsu but, saddened by the slowness of his progression through the jiu-jitsu ranks, decided to stop training in the sport and pursue a career in wrestling.
It didn't take him long before he realised that the only way to make money this way was to become a professional wrestler - not the amateur olympic kind - which would entail yet another round of training. While his skills were firmly ground in physical combat honing them to become a 'fake' fighter would be another task all together.
Career[]
Coming to America (2012-2013)[]
In the winter of 2012, shortly after his 21st birthday, Darragh ventured across the Atlantic where he would begin his quest for world domination. He soon found himself in the Nevada desert under the tutelage of renowned talent creator Benji Merrick, but found his methods to be stale and forced, while he had connections into the business he wasn't the kind of mentor that Darragh was after and the two parted ways very quickly.
The exercise wasn't entirely fruitless however as Darragh was able to make contact, through Benji's brother Scott, with legendary Japanese wrestler Joshimitzu Sasuke who agreed to meet with O'Connor at Simmonds training facility in Pittsburgh.
In between commitments in his native Japan Sasuke began to teach Darragh in a manner to which he was more accustomed - stemming from his martial arts background - and between his focused skills sessions, and general technique and fitness with Simmonds, Darragh was able to put together his own unique style.
Turning Japanese (KAMIKAZE Pro 2013-2015)[]
In July 2013 Darragh permanently relocated to Japan to further his training with Sasuke, partnered with Ryu Suzuki, at the KAMIKAZE Dojo in Tokyo. He was a part of the class of 2013, which included Naomichi Ono - who would go on to become a two time KAMIKAZE ELITE Junior Heavyweight Champion - Kiyoshi Tanaka - Semi-Finalist of the 2014 KAMIKAZE ELITE World Grand Prix - and fellow gaijin Kai Cooper - who was exploring his options following an end to his run in America.
O'Connor spent the best part of 6 months in training before he was finally granted a match at the February KAMIKAZE Pro event aptly titled 'International Assembly'. He debuted under a mask by the ring name Chiyonosake and was defeated by veteran Hayato Saiko after a strong showing.
This would be the first of 7 consecutive monthly appearances for Darragh which would see him invited to take part in the 2014 World Grand Prix at the KAMIKAZE Pro 10th Anniversary weekend. For this special occasion- and permanently there after - he would compete under an anglicised form of his own name.
He was drawn in Pool A alongside (Kenta Yoshida, Kiyoshi Tanaka and Tyson Cole) and progressed to the second night after defeating Yoshida. He was victorious again in the Quarter finals with a surprise win over Inner Circle leader Masaru Sato. The celebrations were short lived however as a distraction by Sato later in the night would cost Darragh a place in the final (which was eventually won by Hayato Saiko).
The events transpiring at the 10th Anniversary weekend would lead to an ongoing feud between Darragh and the Inner Circle - in particular leader Sato - culminating in a 45 minute time limit match contested under KAMIKAZE Pure Rules at Showcase X on New Year's Eve 2014. Darragh would find himself with an early lead in the match but would only manage to draw and eventually lose 4-3 in overtime. Following the match Sato uncharacteristically offered his hand as a mark of respect to the young gaijin and thus their direct rivalry was ended.
This surge in Darragh's popularity would see him given another push, this time in the direction of Naomichi Ono (another Inner Circle member), who was now into his second reign as KAMIKAZE ELITE Junior Heavyweight Champion. Ono had been embroiled in a bitter feud with Kai Cooper throughout 2014 and at the January event 'SHOWDOWN' the three would compete for the title. Given the amount of time the three men had spent training together in the KAMIKAZE dojo they had unbelievable chemistry and competes for near on 40 minutes before the first pin fall was made. Darragh O'Connor shocked the crowd in attendance by submitting the reigning champion Ono in a rear naked choke. O'Connor and Cooper would continue the match until just past the hour mark when Cooper was able to finish Darragh with a double rotation moonsault and claim the title for himself.
Not happy with the result in the slightest Ono demanded a rematch at the February event - which was then aptly named 'VENGEANCE' and found a very different result. For the second time in as many months Darragh defeated the reigning champion - pinning Cooper after a "Finisher" - but lost the match when Ono caught him in an Octopus Stretch and forced him into submission.
Given his record of two victories in two months over the reigning champion of the time O'Connor was given a one on one title shot against Ono at the March event 'BATTLEFIELD' - despite a strong showing Ono would once again pick up the victory with an Octopus Stretch. This defeat would mark Darragh's final appearance in KAMIKAZE Pro and soon after he returned home to Ireland - though he has not ruled out participating in Japan again in the future.
=In Wrestling
Championships & Accomplishments[]
Hermanos Extraordinarias de Lucha Libre
- Legión del HELL (2 times, w/Kai Cooper, current)
- Equipo del Año 2017 (w/Kai Cooper)
Finishing and Signature Moves[]
Tor Mór (The High Tower) - Straight Jacket Gutwrench Piledriver - Innovator
Rear Naked Choke
Double Underhook lift into Double Knee Gutbuster
Bridging Tiger Suplex
Omoplata Crossface
Snapmare followed by a cross legged knee strike
Theme Songs[]
Fields of Athenry - Dropkick Murphys (Used outside of Ireland/UK)
Las Vegas (In the Hills of Donegal) - Goats Don't Shave (Ireland/UK only)