Reason KUSHIDA Left NJPW For WWE Revealed
Bullet Club and a heel turn involved...
KUSHIDA will be leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling at the end of the month. His last match with the promotion is against new IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi on the 29th at Road to The New Beginning inside Korakuen Hall.
Thanks to Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we now know why KUSHIDA headed for the New Japan exit door - and it looks like his departure from the company could have been prevented. For the avoidance of any doubt, here's what Dave penned in this week's WON:
"One of the things with Kushida which led to his leaving for WWE is that early last year he wanted to go heel and join the Bullet Club, but Gedo wanted him to stay in his place.
"The deal was that New Japan needed the solid junior heavyweight guy, with Will Ospreay in Chaos, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Desperado and Taka Michinoku in Suzuki-gun, Taiji Ishimori in Bullet Club and Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi in LIJ. The home team side had Ryusuke Taguchi, but he’s more comedy now and only turning it on as a serious guy for a few matches a year like Super Juniors, and Tiger Mask and Jushin Liger are legends, but they are no longer in the singles title picture.
"That probably isn’t the only reason but it was part of it. He handled it professionally, working until 1/29, doing his clean jobs at the Dome and Dash, and because he handled it so professionally he’s getting his first career singles match with Hiroshi Tanahashi on his last night at Korakuen Hall."
Thanks to Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we now know why KUSHIDA headed for the New Japan exit door - and it looks like his departure from the company could have been prevented. For the avoidance of any doubt, here's what Dave penned in this week's WON:
"One of the things with Kushida which led to his leaving for WWE is that early last year he wanted to go heel and join the Bullet Club, but Gedo wanted him to stay in his place.
"The deal was that New Japan needed the solid junior heavyweight guy, with Will Ospreay in Chaos, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Desperado and Taka Michinoku in Suzuki-gun, Taiji Ishimori in Bullet Club and Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi in LIJ. The home team side had Ryusuke Taguchi, but he’s more comedy now and only turning it on as a serious guy for a few matches a year like Super Juniors, and Tiger Mask and Jushin Liger are legends, but they are no longer in the singles title picture.
"That probably isn’t the only reason but it was part of it. He handled it professionally, working until 1/29, doing his clean jobs at the Dome and Dash, and because he handled it so professionally he’s getting his first career singles match with Hiroshi Tanahashi on his last night at Korakuen Hall."
Written by Ross Tweddell
Written and video journalist for Cultaholic Wrestling | twitter: @rossonrasslin | instagram: @rossonrasslin
