10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About KUSHIDA
9. He Is An OUTSTANDING Wrestler
KUSHIDA boasts a formidable in-ring IQ - one that separates the artists from the athletes, of which there are a seemingly infinite number in 2019. The former - those with the ability to engineer match-ending drama beyond the usual, near-fall spamming - remain a rare breed.
KUSHIDA comfortably ranks among them.
The content-stuffed modern style guarantees a chaotic sequence of highs and lows on the arena heart monitor - often at the expense of a logical, unique fight "feel". So often, performers feel like just that: performers, trading and kicking out of moves pitched to remove a crowd from their seat rather than from suspended disbelief. KUSHIDA's submission-focused style, blended so seamlessly with the more flashy reaches of his arsenal, aims for that rare gasp of oh-sh*t-this-sh*t-actually-hurts.
Whenever he fails to put an opponent away with an impact move, he doesn't melodramatically rue his opponent's perseverance; he immediately assaults their outstretched arm with a submission hold, thus maintaining the illusion of a fight while at the same time adding layer upon layer of drama that doesn't plunge his matches into dreaded getting-sh*t-in territory.
This excellent submission game was informed by...