10 Best Non-WWE Wrestlers Of 2017 (So Far)
8. KUSHIDA
KUSHIDA was on top of the world as he walked into NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11, but everything soon came crashing down around him. His position as the company’s Junior Heavyweight ace was usurped by the unpredictable Hiromu Takahashi, who took KUSHIDA’s belt in a violent, reckless title fight, shunting the former figurehead down the pecking order in the process.
A quiet few months followed for KUSHIDA, though he received his long-awaited rematch at Sakura Genesis in April. Unfortunately, the former ‘Time Splitter’ paid the ultimate price for trying to beat Takahashi at his own game. KUSHIDA attacked the wildman before the bell, but was crushed in under two minutes, thus kicking off his redemption story.
KUSHIDA dropped his first two matches in the Best Of The Super Juniors tournament, but rebounded with an excellent performance against long-time rival BUSHI. He and Will Ospreay concluded the tournament in one of the most exciting JHW matches in years, and on 11 June, KUSHIDA faced Takahashi for the third time. He finally overcame ‘The Ticking Time Bomb’ in another unhinged classic, re-establishing him as the division’s top dog after a stunning month-long run that produced at least two Match Of The Year candidates.