10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About KUSHIDA
One of the best wrestlers on the planet, and somehow the most underrated.
In the fallout of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13, an expected development materialised: as announced by company chairman Naoki Sugabayashi, KUSHIDA is leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling upon the expiration of his contract in January.
His dream, in the words of the man himself, is to "travel the world with professional wrestling" - to see the wide world of professional wrestling with his own eyes, "from one end of the earth to the other". KUSHIDA departs with the full understanding and best wishes of management, who perhaps realise, alongside KUSHIDA himself, that he has nothing left to give: a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion who in no way resembles a Heavyweight, the Time Splitter first captured that prestigious prize in 2014.
From the first reign to his last, KUSHIDA restored the legendary, innovative division back to its old, seminal glory days. Known also as the Ace of the Juniors, the parallels with overarching Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi are clear: as Tana propelled the wider company into its Golden Age, KUSHIDA spearheaded the Junior division into an era of renewed popularity and critical acclaim, making way for dazzling imports (Will Ospreay) and cooler homegrown successors (Shingo Takagi) to take a throne he has relinquished with grace.
Not to piss on the guy's chips or anything, but the hope is that he doesn't realise that dream for a good couple of years; the Largo loop of NXT is surely the best arena for his immense talents...
10. He Is A Wrestler's Wrestler
Upon attempting to compile the definitive list of the 100 Greatest Pro Wrestlers of all time, as part of a gigantic feature in WhatCulture Wrestling issue three, we didn't just task ourselves with it; in order to gain the perspective of insiders, to lend the list some authority, we reached out also to wrestling personalities of the past and an elite set of active stars - including Pete Dunne and one Will Ospreay.
The latter, with over a century of data and a limitless subjective criteria to draw upon, put in-ring rival KUSHIDA alongside more celebrated legends like Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels in his top ten list submission.
That is because KUSHIDA is a complete junior heavyweight wrestler with a mastery of each sub-genre associated with and coherent to the style: spectacular in the sky, stiff in the strike and able to transition from one jaw-dropping spot to the next with a lucha libre flourish, the Time Splitter for years was entrusted with the top spot in the division because he was best-equipped to star in partnership with all manner of opponents from all corners of the globe.
That may suggest KUSHIDA is a curator of style; in reality, he is a pioneer...