12 Biggest Stories From NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling And What They Mean Going Forward

4. Kushida Wins Vacant Junior Heavyweight Title

Kushida IWGP Junior Heavyweight
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With Hiromu Takahashi forced to relinquish the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship following his severe neck injury at the G1 Special in July, New Japan quickly set up a four-man tournament for the vacant belt. Two former champions earned their way to the final as Kushida beat BUSHI and Marty Scurll defeated Will Ospreay in route to King of Pro-Wrestling.

Monday's match saw Kushida and the Bullet Club's Villain battle in a show-stealing effort. The near twenty minute contest featured both men digging deep into their repertoires, but ultimately, Kushida ended up walking away as the new champion following two successive Back to the Future signature slams.

Now embarking on his sixth reign as Junior Heavyweight champion, Kushida has again proved himself as the division's true elite competitor. He will further attempt to solidify that status as he will compete alongside Chris Sabin in the upcoming Super Jr. Tag League. Scurll, however, is never quite out of the title picture, so it will be interesting to see if he can earn another shot at the IWGP belt soon.

Contributor

Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.