Report: Kushida Signing With THIS Wrestling Promotion After WWE Departure
What next for former NXT man Kushida following his WWE departure?
People within WWE expect Kushida to end up rejoining New Japan Pro Wrestling following his departure from the market leaders.
This is according to Dave Meltzer, who said as much on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, adding that WWE had seen the departure coming. It wasn't a secret that Kushida was going to leave Vince McMahon's promotion when the three-year deal he originally signed there in 2019 expired - which was the case here.
Fightful Select broke the news that Kushida had left WWE on Monday.
Kushida, 38, enjoyed a successful run as an NJPW junior heavyweight from 2010 to 2019, when he left the promotion to test himself in America. The lack of opportunities to be pushed at the heavyweight level was cited as one of the reasons behind the move. This was at a time of little movement between the two divisions, though this has changed somewhat since then, with the likes of Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay ascending to become IWGP Heavyweight Champion in 2021.
A two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team and six-time singles champion in the division, Kushida will return to Japan with considerable pedigree behind him.