9 Ups & 4 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling & NJPW Multiverse United (Review)

4. Making His Case

The unfortunate timing of Josh Alexander's triceps injury left Steve Maclin without a Rebellion foe when, curiously, KUSHIDA was named as the second contender to the newly-vacated World title. At the time, it was offbeat as, really, his name was harvested from a hat.

Now? He's the right choice.

KUSHIDA proved so himself in an enthralling outing vs. Lio Rush. He commanded the match, pinpointing his onslaught on Rush's arm in a glittering display of chain wrestling. Each snippet of the match maintained a brisk pace, not focusing on the same aspect for too long like some of its predecessors, which allowed the match to come together so instinctively.

While KUSHIDA looked like the more obvious star out of the two, Lio Rush mystified in his IMPACT debut, ostensibly catching the crowd off guard. Many of his motions were used in WWE, too, but outside of the sports entertainment giant, they had an added sense of urgency to them, as shown by his incredibly close two count from his equally-as-incredible rope-bounce Stunner.

KUSHIDA attained a submission victory via Hoverboard Lock, cementing himself as a credible World Champion after spending the past seven days being an afterthought. Maclin had previously been the manifested champion, regardless of if Josh Alexander was good to go - it's now a free-for-all because of KUSHIDA's characteristically beauteous sharpness and athleticism.