10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About KUSHIDA

1. He By Rights Should Star In Matches With...

Kushida Best In The World
WWE.com

As touched upon earlier, KUSHIDA commands a sky-high level of respect among his peers - a level of respect that will see his imminent colleagues savour the prospect of working him on the TakeOver stage.

The prospect of a first-time meeting between KUSHIDA and fellow submission specialist Matt Riddle is something very, very special - a fiercely believable shoot-style encounter in a WWE ring, as improbable and as amazing as that sounds. The sight of a sh*t-scared, NXT-honed Adam Cole selling, with those panicked eyes, KUSHIDA's Venus fly trap submission game is equally wonderful - and Cole isn't even the most flattering opponent for him in the Undisputed Era faction.

KUSHIDA vs. Johnny Gargano is another unreal prospect, promising something totally exhausting in the best possible way. We know what happens when KUSHIDA and Ricochet stand in opposite corners of the ring: magic. KUSHIDA vs. Dominik Dijakovic presents the Time Splitter an opportunity to excel within a proper WWE match genre, the David vs. Goliath war.

The worry is that KUSHIDA, so flattering to so many of his opponents, is tasked with pushing something out of a Kona Reeves - but this out of this world talent, irrespective of opponent, is going to show his somewhat jaded public how good he really is.

In this post: 
KUSHIDA
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!