NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

PROFILE

KUSHIDA

UNIT

TNA Wrestling 

HEIGHT

175cm 

WEIGHT

85kg 

YEAR OF BIRTH

12 May 1983 

KUSHIDA
HEIGHT
175cm 
WEIGHT
85kg 
YEAR OF BIRTH
12 May 1983 
PLACE OF BIRTH
Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan 
BLOOD TYPE
DEBUT
18 Sep 2006 
FINISH HOLD

Hoverboard lock, Midnight express, 9469, Moonsault press

 
THEME SONG
KUSHIDA MAKES YOU ROCK 
BLOG
https://ameblo.jp/ts-kushida/ 
PODCAST
https://www.njpw.co.jp/podcaster/kushida 

BIOGRAPHY

A top contender in the Junior Heavyweight division, KUSHIDA has his eyes set on becoming the best in the organization. Having extensive overseas training in multiple promotions, he made his New Japan debut in April of 2011. With the classic speed of a Jr. Heavyweight, he combined his MMA background to employ painful holds and submissions against his opponents.

A glittering stretch in NJPW from 2011 to 2019 saw him win Best of the Super Jr. twice, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship six times, earning him the position of junior heavyweight ace. In February 2019, KUSHIDA headed for a new chapter in WWE, but returned in 2022, driven to become junior heavyweight champion once more. As champion Taiji Ishimori demanded KUSHIDA prove himself worthy of a shot, KUSHIDA headed to Nashville, and battled former tag team partner Alex Shelley at Music City Mayhem, before returning to pin Ishimori during a tag match at the G1 Climax 32 finals.

Illness would deny KUSHIDA a shot at junior heavyweight singles gold, but in preparing for a return, he found kinship with Kevin Knight in the LA Dojo. The two would team in Super Jr. Tag League in 2022, before winning IWGP Junior Tag gold together in April 2023. Although the Jetsetters lost the belts in two months, they quickly seized a chance to challenge the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships again at DESTRUCTION in Ryogoku. 

A top contender in the Junior Heavyweight division, KUSHIDA has his eyes set on becoming the best in the organization. Having extensive overseas training in multiple promotions, he made his New Japan debut in April of 2011. With the classic speed of a Jr. Heavyweight, he combined his MMA background to employ painful holds and submissions against his opponents.

A glittering stretch in NJPW from 2011 to 2019 saw him win Best of the Super Jr. twice, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship six times, earning him the position of junior heavyweight ace. In February 2019, KUSHIDA headed for a new chapter in WWE, but returned in 2022, driven to become junior heavyweight champion once more. As champion Taiji Ishimori demanded KUSHIDA prove himself worthy of a shot, KUSHIDA headed to Nashville, and battled former tag team partner Alex Shelley at Music City Mayhem, before returning to pin Ishimori during a tag match at the G1 Climax 32 finals.

Illness would deny KUSHIDA a shot at junior heavyweight singles gold, but in preparing for a return, he found kinship with Kevin Knight in the LA Dojo. The two would team in Super Jr. Tag League in 2022, before winning IWGP Junior Tag gold together in April 2023. Although the Jetsetters lost the belts in two months, they quickly seized a chance to challenge the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships again at DESTRUCTION in Ryogoku. 

FINISH HOLD

  • photo

    Hoverboard lock

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