KUSHIDA Re-Signs With NJPW - Promises To Finish His Career There

The six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion returned at New Japan Road.

by Andrew Pollard
KUSHIDA New Japan Road
NJPW

Having departed NXT 2.0 and WWE, period, this past April, KUSHIDA has returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Not just that, but the hugely talented star has stated his intent to spend the rest of his career in NJPW.

Taking place earlier today, KUSHIDA resurfaced at New Japan Road. There, he confronted Taiji Ishimori after the Bullet Club man had successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Hiromu Takahashi.

KUSHIDA took a mic and announced that he's signed with NJPW and that he would see out his in-ring days with the promotion.

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Of course, KUSHIDA is no stranger to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, having held that prize on six occasions during his initial nine-year NJPW run that came to an end when the Time Splitter signed with WWE in 2019. In fact, it was KUSHIDA who Ishimori defeated to win his first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship back at Wrestle Kingdom 13, with Taiji nowadays in the midst of his third reign with that title.

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Elsewhere during his previous New Japan run, KUSHIDA won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Titles twice with Alex Shelley, won the Best of Super Juniors tournament in 2015 and 2017, won the Super J-Cup in 2016, and won the Super Jr. Tag Tournament with Shelley back in 2012.

KUSHIDA was announced as a WWE signee shortly before WrestleMania 35, and he'd spend three years on the NXT brand before opting to allow his contract to expire this April. The highlight of the 39-year-old's time in NXT was likely his 160-day run as Cruiserweight Champion, and he also put on some absolute bangers with Pete Dunne, Kyle O'Reilly and, in particular, against then-NXT Champion Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.