Posts Tagged ‘Kushida’

Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Launches in October With 2 Shows

Former TNA Wrestling President Scott D’Amore is set to relaunch Maple Leaf Wrestling as Mapple Leaf Pro (MLP) this October. D’Amore has kept a low profile since his abrupt termination from TNA Wrestling on February 7. He reportedly attempted to acquire the promotion from Anthem Sports and Entertainment, but was denied. This went down right after D’Amore had successfully led Impact Wrestling’s rebrand back to TNA.

After months of suspense, D’Amore returns to wrestling to run Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. They will host a two-night Forged By Excellence event on October 19 and 20 at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Tickets will go on sale on August 26, these Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling events will stream live on Triller TV on pay-per-view.

Former WWE Champion Raj Dheshi (Jinder Mahal) has been announced for the first shows, along with TNA stars Josh Alexander, Gisele Shaw, and KUSHIDA.

History of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling

The company originated in Toronto, Canada, and started as Queensbury Athletic Club in the 1930s. It would rebrand to Maple Leaf Wrestling in the 1940s and feature several legendary wrestlers, including Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, and Ric Flair. By 1984, WWE(FKA WWF) acquired Major Leaf Wrestling, and the promotion ceased operation.

The move to relaunch Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling may help restore the brand’s legacy and attract a new audience that was unaware of its existence. It was also announced that the library of old matches from the promotion will be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms, which will allow fans to watch their history at a later date.

D’Amore decision to resurrect Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is intriguing and could be an exciting promotion in the independent wrestling market. From his work at TNA, he has shown what he can contribute to a company. Hopefully, this will open more opportunities for Canadian and other indie wrestlers who have yet to be given a spotlight.  

Championship Match Added To TNA Hard To Kill PPV

New meets the old when the TNA brand returns in 2024, starting with the Hard To Kill PPV as a new championship match is announced that opened up the “forbidden door.”

Back at Slammiversary, IMPACT Wrestling revealed that the promotion would be going back to its roots, by rebranding itself as TNA once more and the motion to do so feels fitting as two of the company’s legacy stars both currently hold championships. Funny enough, they so happen to one of their greatest tag teams too.

Alex Shelley currently is the IMPACT World Champion while his Motor City Machine Guns brother Chris Sabin is the current X-Division Champion. Now the latter has a new match on tap for Hard To Kill.

IMPACT took to social media to announce that Sabin will be defending his goal against another Shelley tag team partner in KUSHIDA, but also in the match is El Hijo Del Vikingo.

It was just this week that KUSHIDA was announced to be officially signed with the company after making several appearances with the promotion. Vikingo has been keeping busy in several wrestling companies. This weekend he’s on tap to defend his AAA Mega Championship against another once notable name in IMPACT, Black Taurus, but it’s not with AAA Lucha Libre. The match will take place at ROH Final Battle.

The Sabin fight is only the third match currently announced on the card as Shelley will have his hands full defending his World Title against former champion, Moose. In addition to that, Trinity is set to defend her Knockout’s Championship against another former champion in Jordynne Grace.

Expect The Unexpected Just Gettin’ Warm Results & Highlights: Marcus Mathers vs. Ken Broadway, Miracle Generation vs. High Flying Star Machines

Independent wrestling promotion Expect The Unexpected returned after a two-month break with an exciting match card. In the main event, Key To The East Champion Marcus Mathers defended his title against his rival Ken Broadway in a Deathmatch.

ETU had built towards their main event for a few months, dating back to when Mathers won his championship. He won the title by defeating Masha Slamovich and Broadway in a three-way elimination match at ETU Summer Madness on July 30. After the match, Broadway made his intentions clear that he wanted another title opportunity. 

etu just gettin warm 1

The feud continued when Broadway and his faction Killionaires Club (J Boujii & PB Smooth) defeated Mathers, Austin Luke & Dyln McKay at ETU Nostalgia, Ultra on September 23. After the loss, Mathers made the Deathmatch against Broadway official for the Key To The East Championship for ETU Just Gettin’ Warm. 

In the main event of the show, both Mathers and Broadway tested their limits as they tried to do whatever it took to win. The finish came when Mathers landed a Gotch Piledriver on a stack of steel chairs for the win. 

After the match, Broadway shared that Mathers earned his respect, and they shook hands to seemingly end their rivalry. 

Another match on the card had IWTV Independent Tag Team Champions Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King) successfully defending their titles against High Flying Star Machines (Bojack & Diego Hill). 

 High Flying Star Machines hoped to pull off the upset, but Waller and King proved why they are one of the best tag teams in wrestling today. 

ETU Just Gettin’ Warm occurred at The Heart Ballroom in  Newark, New Jersey. The event went live on Independent Wrestling TV. To watch the event, you must pay $10 for a subscription. 

ETU Just Gettin Warm Match Card Results

  1. Brayden Toon def. Steve Peña, Adonis Stone & Yoya- Four Corners Match
  2. Janai Kai def. Christina Marie 
  3. Killionaires Club (J Boujii & PB Smooth) def. The Shook Crew (Bobby Orlando & Bryce Donovan) 
  4. Jimmy Lloyd def. BK Westbrook
  5. (C) Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King) def. The High Flying Star Machines (Bojack & Diego Hill) to retain the IWTV Independent Wrestling Tag Team Championship 
  6. Rickey Shane Page def. John Wayne Murdoch-ETU Key To The East Title #1 Contendership Match
  7. Kushida def. Brandon Kirk
  8. (C) Marcus Mathers def. Ken Broadway to retain the ETU Key To The East Championship in a Deathmatch

ETU Just Gettin’ Warm Match Highlights

(C) Marcus Mathers def. Ken Broadway

Rickey Shane Page def. John Wayne Murdoch

(C) Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King) def. The High Flying Star Machines (Bojack & Diego Hill) 

TNA Re-Signs Eddie Edwards

Next year will be a new beginning for Impact Wrestling as they set for another rebrand. The company has decided to revert to TNA Wrestling, with the change being official for their next pay-per-view, TNA Hard To Kill, on January 13, 2024. While preparing for the launch of the new brand, TNA Wrestling has started to re-sign talent on their roster. 

Soon-to-be TNA Wrestling announced on December 13 that they had officially signed Kushida to a deal. The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion has made appearances for Impact Wrestling throughout 2023 while also being able to compete in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He’ll still be able to appear for NJPW but will be an official member of the TNA roster. 

After reaching a deal with Kushida, TNA has followed up by announcing on Twitter they have re-signed Eddie Edwards. The former Impact World Champion spoke with PWInsider to confirm he signed an agreement before his contract expires. 

Eddie Edwards Re-signing Announced BY TNA Wrestling

PWInsider Mike Johnson transcribed the following quotes. 

 “…I don’t think my fans and friends are very much surprised that I’m sticking around, because everybody knows, how I feel about this company. I think especially right now with the momentum that we have with TNA coming back and all that excitement. For me, it was a no-brainer, and I’m very happy to be here and continue being here as long as I’m able to,” said Edwards. 

Edwards has been with the company since 2014 and has been in a featured role on TV. The decision to re-sign him ahead of his contract expiration is interesting, as they hope to lure another talent to be a part of their rebrand. 

Notable Impact Wrestling Talent Will Be Testing Free Agency

The company has done a great job of re-signing talent to stay ahead of 2024. Some notable wrestlers they reached a new deal with in 2023 were Moose, Jordynne Grace, and PCO. Ahead of relaunching TNA Wrestling, the company has kept most of its roster the same for next year. However, former Impact Knockouts World Champion Deonna Purrazzo may not re-sign

Purrazzo’s contract with the current Impact Wrestling is expected to expire by January 2024. Fightful Select reported on December 7 that she is prepared to test free agency. However, there is also a possibility that she can reach a new agreement with TNA before her contract expires. It’s worth noting PCO was expected to leave, but the company was able to come to terms on a new deal. 

It’s unclear what Purrazzo will decide, but it seems TNA keep its roster intact for the next few years. 

KUSHIDA Officially Signs With TNA

IMPACT Wrestling has officially announced a new big signing in KUSHIDA as they build toward their TNA rebrand in 2024.

KUSHIDA has been working sporadically with IMPACT since 2022 but on December 13, the promotion announced that he’s signed with the company. No details or press release have been sent out , but IMPACT did send out their own style of graphic, akin to what AEW does when they announce a signing.

KUSHIDA appeared on the Battleground Podcast and discussed his decision to make TNA his new home.

KUSHIDA really made a name for himself wrestling in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, teaming with current IMPACT World Champion Alex Shelley as members of the Time Splitters. Over the course of three years from 2012 to 2015, the duo became two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

Shelley even had his second “cup of coffee” in WWE as the Time Splitters competed in the NXT 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The duo competed and lost in the first round to the Grizzled Young Veterans.

KUSHIDA’s time with WWE NXT was also about three years, making the most of his time with the black and gold brand. While there, he became the Cruiserweight Champion and ended up not re-signing with the company when his contract expired in 2022.

This led to him returning to NJPW and also in IMPACT. As expected, he re-aligned with Alex Shelley as the two and Chris Sabin formed a faction appropriately named Time Machine.

KUSHIDA did stop by All Elite Wrestling back at the beginning of 2023, competing against Darby Allin for the TNT Championship in a losing effort.

Impact Wrestling Results (2/16/23): Rich Swann vs. Kenny King, Chris Bey vs. Kushida

The Feb. 16 episode of Impact Wrestling aired on AXS TV at 8 PM EST/5 PM PT.

This episode of Impact Wrestling saw Rich Swann take on Kenny King. The match was teased on Feb. 9 when Swann confronted King in a backstage segment. Tonight’s show also had Chris Bey vs. Kushida and more qualifying matches to determine who will be in a Fatal-Four-Way match at No Surrender. One of the matches tonight is Steve Maclin vs. Rhino. The winner of the Fatal-Four-Way match will be the number one contender for the Impact World Championship.

Impact Wrestling also aired on their Youtube channel for Impact Insider subscribers. The company offers a monthly subscription to watch weekly episodes on Youtube for $1.49. However, it aired at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT.

If you would like more results for this week’s events in wrestling, please check back on our results section.

Impact Wrestling Results (2/16)

The show starts with a tribute to Jerry Jarrett, followed by a video package of last week’s episode.

Chris Bey vs. Kushida

The match starts with Kushida and Chris Bey exchanging holds, with Kushida getting the best of his opponent. Bey tricks Kushida in a test of strength and starts to gain offense. However, Bey tried to Irish Whip Kushida into the ropes and got caught with a Springboard Back Elbow, which takes him out of the ring. Kushida follows him outside and jumps from the ring apron with a knee strike onto Bey’s left arm.

He rolls Bey back into the ring and starts working on Bey’s arm. Kushida starts to dominate the match by focusing on Bey’s arm. Bey rolls to the outside, and Kushida tries to land another knee strike from the ring apron but gets caught with a kick to the gut. Bey tries to capitalize, but they both land a Clothesline simultaneously. They lay on the floor outside the ring and both get into the ring at the count of nine to beat the countout. Back in the ring, they both exchange forearm strikes, until Bey gets the better of Kushida.

Bey starts to take control of the match and lands a Torture Rack Neck Breaker for a two-count. He tries to go for a Brainbuster on Kushida, but his opponent blocks it. Kushida starts to rally back after he catches Bey with a Rolling Thunder Kick to the face. Bey rolls out of the ring, but Kushida does a Senton dive from the top rope to the floor on Bey.

Kushida rolls Bey back into the ring and tries to lock in a Guillotine, but his opponent fights out of it. However, Bey got caught with a Dropkick to the left arm. Kushida tries to lock in a Kimura, but Bey gets out of the hold and lands a Springboard Leg Drop to the back of Kushida’s head for a two-count. The finish comes when Kushida puts Bey in the Kimura lock but transitions to a Small Package for the win.

Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray to Have Live Busted Open Show at No Surrender

We get a backstage segment with Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer, with Santino Marella as the mediator. Marella proposes that Dreamer and Ray have a live episode of Busted Open live at No Surrender. Dreamer says he will let bygones be bygones, but Ray agrees as long as Dreamer leaves Impact Wrestling. They both get into an argument until Marella says they can talk it out at No Surrender. They argue again about who gets to talk first at No Surrender, but Marella says that they will have a beat the clock challenge match next week to determine who will speak first.

Steve Maclin vs. Rhino No Surrender Qualifying Match

The match starts with Rhino and Maclin locking up, with Rhino getting the advantage. Rhino holds on to Maclin’s wrist until he gets caught with a back elbow. Maclin lands a Knife Edge Chop to Rhino in the corner, but it makes Rhino mad, and he hits a Shoulder Block on Maclin. Maclin tries to land a Suplex, but Rhino reverses and lands his Suplex, followed by an Arm Drag. Rhino tries to go for the Gore, but Maclin rolls to the outside.

Rhino tries to follow Maclin outside the ring but gets outsmarted by his opponent. Maclin slams Rhino’s arm into the ring post as we cut to a commercial break. When we return from the commercial break, Maclin completely controls the match in the ring.

Maclin tries to go for a Top Rope Headbutt on his opponent but misses it. After the mistake, Rhino starts to rally back in the match. He hits Maclin in the gut in the corner, followed by a Belly to Belly Slam for a two-count. Maclin responds by hitting Rhino with several forearm strikes, but Rhino catches him with a Spinebuster. Rhino tries to hit Maclin with a Gore, but misses it. Maclin responds by hitting the Gore on Rhino for a two count. The finish comes when Maclin lands the Wake Up Call(Rhino’s tag team partner Heath Slater finisher) for the win.

Johnny Swinger With Zicky Dice vs. Barry Horowitz

The match starts with Zicky Dice distracting Barry Horowitz, so Johnny Swinger attacks his opponent’s left knee. Swinger starts to work beat down Horowitz in the corner until he misses a shoulder strike. Horowitz starts taking offense to Swinger, hitting him with several European Uppercuts in the corner. He lands a Headbutt on Swinger and starts to taunt to the crowd. Swinger rakes his opponents eyes and starts to go for a Neckbreaker, until former WCW talent The Demon comes out to distract Swinger. Horowitz takes advantage and gets the Schoolboy pin for the win.

We get a backstage interview with Moose. He talks about what happened last week with Joe Hendry and says, “He doesn’t get humiliated; he gets even.” We cut to a commercial break.

After the commercial break, Moose starts busting a car in the parking lot that he believes is Hendry’s. However, it turns out to be Marella’s car. Marella announces that it will be Moose vs. Hendry for the Digital Media Championship at No Surrender.

Heath Slater vs. Eddie Edwards No Surrender Qualifying Match

The match starts with Eddie Edwards putting Heath Slater in a Head Lock until he gets thrown to the ropes and taken down with a Shoulder Block. Slater hits a Clothesline on Edwards to take him outside of the ring. He followed the move by diving on Edwards from the ring apron with a Senton.

Slater rolls Edwards back into the ring. As he tries to enter the ring, Edwards hits Slater to keep him out of the ring and does Suicide Dive onto Slater. Edwards rolls Slater back into the ring and starts to take control of the match. He beats down Slater for a few minutes until he gets caught with a Leg Lariat. Slater starts rallying back into the match and lands a Powerslam on Edwards for a two-count. He goes for The Wake Up Call, but Edwards blocks it. However, Slater lands a Spinebuster on Edwards for a two-count.

Slater goes to the top rope but gets stopped by Edwards. Edwards lands a Superplex on Slater, followed by a Tiger Driver for a two-count. The finish comes when Edwards goes for the Die Hard Driver but gets distracted by PCO music. Slater hits his finisher to get the win.

After the match, PCO comes from behind Edwards in the ring and starts attacking him. PCO lands a Reverse DDT and goes to the top rope, but Edwards rolls out of the ring to escape.

We get a backstage segment with The Design and Sami Callihan. Deaner says that Yuya Uemura and Frankie Kazarian challenged two members of The Design to match next week. Deaner tells Callihan that they both will go against Uemura and Kazarian on the next episode of Impact Wrestling.

We get another backstage segment with Father James Mitchell and The Hex. The Hex challenged The Death Dollz to a title match at No Surrender.

Masha Slamovich vs. Alisha

Masha Slamovich dominates the match from the start. Alisha would try to get her offense in but would get shut down. The finish comes when Slamovich lands the Snowplow for a quick win.

After the match, Slamovich puts Alisha in a Rear Naked Choke, but James enters the ring to stop her. James tries to go after Slamovich but gets caught in a Rear Naked Choke. Three Referees enter the ring to get her off of James. Slamovich leaves the ring and watches James as she tries to recover from the attack.

We get a backstage segment with Crazzy Steve challenging X Division Champion Trey Miguel to a Monster’s Ball match.

We get another backstage segment with Marella, Jonathan Gresham, Speedball Mike Bailey, and Dirty Dango. Marella announces that Bailey and Gresham will have a match at No Surrender. Dango suggests to Marella that Gresham and Bailey take on the Motor City Machine Guns on next week’s episode of Impact Wrestling. Marella agrees to have the tag match next week.

Kenny King vs. Rich Swann

The match starts with both wrestlers trying to get the better of each other with strikes. However, King caught Swann with a back elbow. He tries to run after Swann but misses and goes to the ring apron. King tries to throw a punch and misses, which lead to Swann kicking him in the face. While King is outside the ring, Swann dives from the ring apron onto King.

Swann rolls King back into the ring and starts to control the match. He Irish Whips King to the corner and does a running elbow strike on him. Swann maintains dominance over the King until he gets caught with Snake Eyes as Swann runs toward King in the corner. King follows up the move with a big Clothesline for a two count. Swann tries to regain momentum, but his opponent catches him in a Spinning Back Breaker. King tries to continue his offense. However, Swann lands a DDT on King as we go to commercial break.

We return from a commercial break with Swann in control until King lands a Spinebuster for a two-count. They exchange moves as both try to get the upper hand. However, Swann lands a Poison Rana on King for a two count. He follows up the action with three hard Spinning Side Kicks to the stomach of King.

He goes for a fourth kick, but King catches his opponent in a Single Boston Crab. However, Swann can get to the ropes to break the hold. They both get to their feet and exchange strikes until they simultaneously catch each other with a kick. The match’s finish comes when Swann catches King in a Small Package for the win.

After the match, King attacks Swann from behind. He goes outside the ring for a steel chair, but Josh Alexander makes the save. The Impact World Champion takes the chair from King. Swann goes for the Superkick to King but accidentally hits Alexander. The show ends with King escaping with Swann looking at Alexander as he is in the corner.

AEW Dynamite Results (1/18/23): Darby Allin vs. KUSHIDA, Danielson vs Bandido, More

Quick Results

  • AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) def. Jay Lethal
  • Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) def. Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) 
  • Ricky Starks def. Jake Hager
  • Bryan Danielson def. Bandido
  • Toni Storm def. Willow Nightingale
  • TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) def. KUSHIDA

Clips & Recap

AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Jay Lethal

Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh were barred from ringside, but at the beginning of the match they entered through the crowd to sit front row. The members of The Best Friends and Danhausen joined them in the audience. Lethal hit Cassidy with a Lethal Injection but the champion managed to roll out of the ring. After the Best Friends had enough of Jarret & Co, they poured popcorn on Sonjay Dutt. Jarrett tried to interfere in the match by handing his guitar to Lethal, but Danhausen intercepted it. This distraction leads to Lethal getting back in the ring and getting hit with the Orange Punch for the pin.

Winner: Orange Cassidy by pinfall.

  • Jay Lethal wore a Briscoe armband during the match to honor Jay Briscoe.
  • Dutt wants to fight Orange Cassidy after the match Lethal and Jarrett hold him back
  • We get a video package for KUSHIDA vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Championship.

Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)

Top Flight hit Matt Jackson with a combination nosedive powerbomb, but Nick broke the pin up at 2. The Young Bucks hit Darius Martin with The Briscoes’ Doomsday Device, but Dante breaks it up. Darius dodged the BTE Trigger by The Young Bucks. He then rolled up Matt to get the shocking win.

Winner: Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) by pinfall.

  • The Young Bucks also wore an armband during the match to honor Jay Briscoe.
  • The Gunns come out to cut a promo during the time slot where The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn were advertised. The Acclaimed come out and Austin Gunn has production cut the music. Max Caster tells production to mute Austin’s mic and restart their music. He then proceeds to do his freestyle.
  • Billy Gunn separated The Gunns and The Acclaimed after things got physical. He shamed both teams and then announced that they will all be attending family therapy next week.
  • Hangman says to Renee that he wants to mend some fences but won’t get too specific. He also seemed to have something he wanted to say to Jon Moxley after checking on his health, but he once again held his tongue.

Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager

Chris Jericho joined the commentary team for this match. Starks walked the ropes in Hager’s hat for a fun spot. After avoiding a lot of distraction and interference from the JAS, Ricky hit Hager with a Spear. In a relatively short match, Ricky Starks gets the win over Hager. 

Winner: Ricky Starks by pinfall.

  • Starks rushed through the crowd to avoid the Jericho Appreciation Society.
  • Jericho challenges Action Andretti and Ricky Starks to a tag team match with Sammy.
  • Daniel Garcia will be facing Action Andretti on Rampage. If he wins, he will replace Sammy Guevara next week on Dynamite.

Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido

They start off with a handshake. Bandido was able to hold Danielson up in a stalling suplex for at least 30 seconds. He fought hard to get out of the Lebell Lock by getting his foot on the rope. Bandido hit Danielson with a 21-plex, but he kicked out at 2. After a great exchange, Danielson landed a Busaiku Knee for the win.

Winner: Bryan Danielson by pinfall. 

  • Bryan and Bandido both wore armbands to honor Jay.

https://twitter.com/WrestlePurists/status/1615891700844470272?s=20&t=c__T0CrRt4SEG0Qv7e6YEQ https://twitter.com/WrestlePurists/status/1615892012204494852?s=20&t=c__T0CrRt4SEG0Qv7e6YEQ

  • MJF appeared on the screen to cut a promo after Danielson got the win.
  • Saraya cut a promo with Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm. Toni decided to stand with Saraya against the homegrown women’s wrestlers. Saraya is very upset with Shida for throwing her kendo stick in the ring last week.
  • It was announced that Brian Cage will be Bryan Danielson’s opponent next week. MJF then offered Cage an undisclosed amount of money to break Danielson’s arm. He then slapped Cage to motivate MJF to feel hate.

Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale

Saraya joined Toni Storm at ringside. Willow and Toni shook hands. Shida disregarded what Saraya told her and came to the ringside area. Willow hits the Cannonball, but Toni kicks out. Saraya gets involved and distracts Willow and Toni gets the roll up for the win.

Winner: Toni Storm by pinfall.

  • After the match, Toni and Saraya get in the ring and beat down Willow turning heel in the process. Shida gets in the ring and Ruby Soho runs down to help out Willow.
  • Ethan and Stokely say they’re getting payback on Rampage for Jack Perry tapping out Lee Moriarty. 
  • Konosuke Takeshita says that he will be watching Bryan Danielson’s back because he doesn’t trust MJF. He then called MJF an a**hole.

TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) vs. KUSHIDA

KUSHIDA is joined by two members of the New Japan Dojo; DKC and Kevin Knight. Darby Allin is joined by Sting. The Coffin Drop was countered early on. Throughout the match, KUSHIDA attempts to pick Allin limb from limb. KUSHIDA locked in the Hoverboard lock and the members of the NJPW Dojo tried to get Sting to throw in the towel. Darby maneuvered KUSHIDA into a very technical pin to get the three.

Winner: Darby Allin by pinfall.

AEW Rampage (1/20/23): 

  • Daniel Garcia vs Action Andretti
  • Eddie Kingston promo
  • Brian Cage vs Willie Mack
  • Jade Cargill & Leila Grey in tag team action
  • Ethan Page vs Jack Perry

AEW Dynamite (1/25/23):

  • Brian Cage vs Bryan Danielson

IMPACT Wrestling News & Results (7/28/2022)

Last night, the July 28 episode of IMPACT Wrestling aired. The episode was recorded on July 15 at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Quick Results

Eddie Edwards (w/ Kenny King) def. Ace Austin (w/ Chris Bey)

Laredo Kid & Trey Miguel def. Johnny Swinger & Zicky Dice

Tiffany Nieves def. Jada Stone

Josh Alexander def. Shera (w/ Raj Singh) 

KUSHIDA def. Rich Swann

IMPACT News

Last night, many notable pieces of news emerged from the July 21 episode. We have collected some of the news and updates from last night’s episode.

Honor No More & Bullet Club

Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Kenny King & PCO) will face Bullet Club (The Good Brothers, Ace Austin, Chris Bey & Hikuelo) in a ten-man tag match. 

If Honor No More wins, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett will get their Tag Team Title match. However, if the Bullet Club wins, Honor No More will be forced to disband as a group.

Killer Kelly

After Tiffany Nieves defeated Jada Stone, Killer Kelly made her return to IMPACT Wrestling. Kelly hit Nieves with a pump kick before getting Nieves in a one-hand sleeper. Kelly hit a low-shotgun drop kick on Stone before hitting a double-under hook face slam. 

Tasha Steelz was shocked by Kelly’s debut.

Johnny Gargano

Impact Wrestling‘s Alex Shelley is scheduled to challenge Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship at the upcoming Emergence PPV on Friday, August 12.

This show featured clips of various wrestling personalities talking about the legacy of Shelley.

Among them was Johnny Gargano, who claimed that Alex Shelley is one of the most underrated wrestlers of the current generation:

KUSHIDA

KUSHIDA made his IMPACT in-ring debut on this week’s edition of IMPACT. The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion defeated Rich Swann in singles action.

IMPACT Wrestling (8/4) Card

  • Derby City Street Fight: PCO vs. Doc Gallows
  • IMPACT Digital Media Championship: Brian Myers (c) vs. Black Taurus
  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rosemary
  • Masha Slamovich vs. Gisele Shaw

IMPACT Wrestling News From 7/7 Episode: KUSHIDA, Killer Kelly, Mia Yim

Last night, many notable pieces of news emerged from the July 7 episode. We have collected some of the news and updates from last night’s episode. 

Killer Kelly To Return 

During the July 7 episode of IMPACT, a vignette aired that announced the return of Killer Kelly to IMPACT Wrestling.

In November 2020, Killer Kelly made her IMPACT debut. She competed in the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament where she teamed with Renee Michelle. Unfortunately, Michelle and Kelly lost to Jordynne Grace and Jazz in the first round of the tournament.

Earlier in the day, Kelly teased that something would be happening “esta noite” or tonight. 

Killer Kelly hasn’t wrestled since September 2021. In her last match, she challenged Roxanne Perez (Rok-C) for the ROH Women’s Championship.

In October 2021, she announced that she would be focusing on her health and stepping away from wrestling for the year.

Mia Yim Is The #1 Contender

Mia Yim is the new number one contender for the Knockouts Championship.

Yim and Deonna Purrazzo battled in the main event of the July 7 episode of IMPACT Wrestling. Yim was able to defeat Deonna to become the next person to challenge the Knockouts Championship Jordynne Grace.

Alan Angels Debuts

The former AEW wrestler Alan Angels made his IMPACT Wrestling debut on the July 7 episode of their TV.

The tapings for this episode of Impact Wrestling TV took place just days after Angels’ AEW contract expired. Alan’s full-time AEW deal expired recently, but he decided to turn down a part-time deal.

It is unclear whether or not Angels has signed a contract. As Alan is from Georgia, where the tapings took place, this could be a one-off appearance.

Alan answered “Speedball” Mike Bailey’s open challenge for the X-Division Championship. On the Against All Odds pay-per-view, Bailey issued the open challenge. On the next night at the tapings, Alan Angels showed up to answer his call.

KUSHIDA To Debut

KUSHIDA is set to make his debut at the IMPACT Derby City Rumble.

IMPACT Wrestling has recently announced that at their next TV tapings the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and current NJPW star KUSHIDA will make his debut for the promotion. The TV tapings will take place in Kentucky on July 15 and 16.

The tapings will happen at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. Tickets for the event are currently on sale here.

IMPACT Derby City Rumble Card

  • KUSHIDA makes his IMPACT Wrestling debut
  • Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin

Report: Kushida Gone From WWE

Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida has reportedly left WWE.

Fightful Select is reporting that Kushida has made his exit from the company. The report notes that his contract expired. There’s currently no word on whether or not he was offered a new deal. The report also mentions that there was no word of bringing Kushida to the main roster before his exit.

Kushida signed with WWE back in 2019. He entered the promotion as one of the most renowned junior heavyweights in Japanese wrestling. He is a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship twice with Alex Shelley as the Time Splitters.

As mentioned, Kushida was able to lay claim to gold in WWE, holding the NXT Cruiserweight Title for 161 days. Once that reign ended, however, he was paired with Ikemen Jiro to form the joke tag team, Jacket Time.

It’s no secret that WWE’s NXT brand has undergone significant changes since Kushida was signed. It’s no longer about signing independent talent and international stars to build the brand. NXT is now about preparing younger talent for Vince McMahon’s vision of the main roster.

Kushida Reacts To Missing WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title Defense

Kushida has issued a brief statement on missing a title defense on WWE NXT.

He is the reigning WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship. He was set to make a title defense on the Aug. 17 edition of NXT. Plans changed as NXT General Manager William Regal announced that Kushida wasn’t medically cleared to compete.

“Unfortunately after a medical examination, officials learned Kushida
is not cleared to compete tonight. When I informed Malcolm Bivens and Roderick Strong, they expressed Roderick’s desire to compete.

Therefore, WWE NXT will begin with a Diamond Mine open challenge.”

Strong remained on the show and issued a Diamond Mine open challenge as Regal mentioned in his statement. Ilja Dragunov ended up taking the challenge and he defeated Strong.

Kushida took to his Twitter account to speak on not being able to defend his title on NXT.

https://twitter.com/KUSHIDA_0904/status/1427766544784834560

“I’m sorry for everyone who was looking forward to tonight’s title match. Did not [get medically cleared]. I can’t do anything and I’m just stunned… I promise to be back on TV soon. Thank you for your support.”

There is no word on why Kushida hasn’t been medically cleared. We also don’t have an update on when he’s expected to return to the ring. For now, fans will have to wait to see when the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion can get back to business.

SEScoops.com will keep you updated on the status of Kushida as well as when the NXT Cruiserweight Title bout with Roderick Strong will be rescheduled.

Title Match Removed From WWE NXT Tonight (Aug. 17)

Fans hoping to see Kushida defend the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title against Roderick Strong tonight are sure to be disappointed.

NXT General Manager William Regal has announced that Kushida is off tonight’s card as he has not been medically cleared to compete. Strong will remain on the card, however.

“Unfortunately after a medical examination, officials learned Kushida
is not cleared to compete tonight. When I informed Malcolm Bivens and Roderick Strong, they expressed Roderick’s desire to compete.

Therefore, WWE NXT will begin with a Diamond Mine open challenge.”

This edition of NXT will be the go-home show for TakeOver 36. The TakeOver show will be held on Aug. 22. This will be the night after WWE SummerSlam.

At TakeOver 36, Samoa Joe will challenge Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship. Plus, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reily will collide in a best two-out-of-three falls match. Also set for the card will be an NXT UK Title match between champion WALTER and Ilja Dragunov.

That’s not all for TakeOver 36 this weekend. Raquel Gonzalez will put her NXT Women’s Title up for grabs against former friend Dakota Kai. LA Knight will meet Cameron Grimes once again for the Million Dollar Championship. This time, if Knight wins then Ted Dibiase will become his butler.

Here’s an updated look at what’s in store for NXT tonight.

  • Roderick Strong vs. TBA – Diamond Mine Open Challenge
  • Carmelo Hayes vs. Duke Hudson – NXT Breakout Tournament semifinals
  • Timothy Thatcher vs. Ridge Holland
  • Robert Stone & Jessi Kamea vs. Dexter Lumis & Indi Hartwell
  • MSK (c) vs. Imperium – for WWE NXT Tag Team Titles
  • Interview with WWE NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
  • WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross & Samoa Joe meet face-to-face

KUSHIDA Reveals He Almost Retired Before Signing With NXT

Last night on NXT, Kyle O’Reilly and KUSHIDA faced off in the main event. It was the 6th singles match they have had dating back to 2015. O’Reilly holds a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head series.

Kushida recently took to Twitter to note that 4 years ago he was considering retirement. He was dealing with severe abdominal pain at the time.

“In 2017, around this time, I was considering retirement after every match. I was concerned about my mental and physical health after every match,” his statement reads. “I wrestled back and forth between Japan and the United States twice a month.”

Kushida was in NJPW at the time. He’d win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for a second time that year.

“During that time, I sometimes suffered from severe abdominal pain after matches. I crouched on the floor with a cold sweat and had no choice but to wait for the pain to pass. I had to insert a gastro camera down my throat at the hospital to examine my stomach. But the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong. The doctor’s diagnosis was that my autonomic nerves must have been disturbed. My level of this abdominal pain wasn’t normal. And, if it continued, I couldn’t wrestle anymore. I knew it wasn’t an exaggeration. And I knew that my wrestling career could be over at any time.”

O’Reilly and Kushida have met twice in singles competition for NJPW, twice for RevPro, and once each for ROH and NXT. Their last match before yesterday’s show was in the 1st round of the RevPro British J-Cup tournament. Kushida came out the victor that night.

“I had a mach with Kyle O’Reilly at that time. It was four years ago in London. At that point, it was rumoured that Kyle O’Reilly would soon sign a contract with WWE. After our match, I talked to him directly. He told me his honest intentions. At that time, I thought it would be great to have a match against him in the WWE some day. I knew my professional wrestling life wouldn’t last forever.”

Kushida’s signing with WWE was announced in April of 2019.

“So Yesterday was special. WWE/NXT universe! Thank you for watching.”

“Our fight will go on forever.”

https://twitter.com/KUSHIDA_0904/status/1407683571666632705

KUSHIDA Wins WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title

Santos Escobar issued an open challenge on Wednesday’s episode of WWE NXT where he cut a promo before the match about how he comes from a family that is full of warriors. Thus, that’s why he was being a fighting champion and opening the door for anyone to take him up on his offer to step up and challenge him for the Cruiserweight Title. 

KUSHIDA was that star, who brought the fight to him. The back and forth match ended when they were trading roll-ups and KUSHIDA was the one to come out on top.

Post-match, KUSHIDA was seen in the backstage area with William Regal when Jordan Devlin walked up and congratulated him on the big win. He said that he’s going home and when he comes back, he’s coming after KUSHIDA and the title. 

Last year, WWE had to come up with a tournament to crown an interim champion due to the COVID-19 pandemic and because Devlin, who was the champion at the time, couldn’t make it to the United States. Escobar won his version of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship by winning the tournament as he beat Drake Maverick in the tournament finals.

Just last week at the TakeOver: Stand and Deliver special, Escobar beat Devlin in a ladder match to become the undisputed champion. 

KUSHIDA Attacked By Cameron Grimes At WWE PC (Video)

WWE NXT posted a video of NXT Superstar Cameron Grimes attacking KUSHIDA at the WWE Performance Center recently. KUSHIDA just returned from a wrist injury on NXT last week.

Video of the attack was posted to the WWE NXT Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1204582465182023680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Grimes rammed KUSHIDA’s head into a series of lockers and can be heard yelling “You don’t embarrass Cameron Grimes” in the video.

KUSHIDA vs Cameron Grimes

On last week’s edition of NXT on USA, KUSHIDA defeated Grimes in his first match back after suffering a wrist injury this fall. KUSHIDA’s last match was a loss to WALTER on the October 9th, 2019 edition of NXT.

As for Grimes, he has a 7-2 record on WWE NXT programming since losing to Jordan Myles in the finals of the Breakout tournament this summer. Grimes’ only losses since then have been to Matt Riddle and KUSHIDA.

As for KUSHIDA, he’s only lost 2 matches for WWE NXT as well since debuting for the brand earlier this year. KUSHIDA dropped a cruiserweight title match to Drew Gulak on an EVOLVE show this summer and then also lost to WALTER on the NXT show from October 9th, 2019.

Kushida Suffering From Wrist Injury

Looks like WWE NXT’s Kushida will have to take a break after having a great match with Walter last week on NXT – which received rave reviews from fans online. The Time Splitter will have to to take some time for himself as he revealed he’s suffering from a wrist injury.

The Japanese star re-aggravated his wrist injury during the main event match on NXT. The injury was first reported by WWE Now, but was assumed to be part of a storyline.

However, it looks like the injury is not just a work but a real one – a recent post by Kushida on his social media shows photos of his hand swollen and in a cast. Kushida wrote,
“Ouch! Rebuild and come back to the ring soon. Thank you everyone.”

https://twitter.com/KUSHIDA_0904/status/1182766630675369984?s=20

KUSHIDA announced in early January his plans to leave NJPW. He wrestled his final match for the promotion against Hiroshi Tanahashi on January 29th in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.

Ahead of the April 5th NXT TakeOver: New York event, Triple H and William Regal officially welcomed KUSHIDA to NXT.

“I was in a state where I didn’t understand the new practice environment, food, housing, English, Matches…but I feel that a little more open time has been created recently,” Kushida wrote in a post talking about adjusting in the US.

Kushida was challenged to a match by Walter. Speaking with WWE after competing at a EVOLVE event, Walter said, “KUSHIDA made the biggest mistake of his whole career. He needs to understand where his position is in our sport.” You can check out the results of the match here.

WALTER Challenges KUSHIDA To A Match On NXT

Speaking with WWE after competing at EVOLVE, WWE NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER lobbied a challenge for KUSHIDA. His challenge follows their altercation on last week’s NXT.

“KUSHIDA made the biggest mistake of his whole career. He needs to understand where his position is in our sport,” WALTER stated.

He continued, “So let’s consider this a challenge. Why doesn’t KUSHIDA find two guys that are foolish enough to stand by him, to step up against Imperium this Wednesday on NXT live. Because KUSHIDA and everyone else in NXT will soon realize that Imperium controls the time, and most importantly, we own the ring.”

Imperium On NXT

Imperium made a surprise appearance during NXT’s premiere on USA Network. Alexander Wolfe, Fabian Aichner, and Marcel Barthel were in the ring following an assault on Denzel Dejournette. Dejournette was scheduled to compete against KUSHIDA. The trio was shortly joined by their leader, WALTER.

KUSHIDA would interrupt them, using his speed to get in some offence before leaving them frustrated in the ring.

WALTER has previously stated that he has no interest in moving to America to join NXT. Triple H’s attitude towards the WWE landscape is that any move between brands is “lateral movement” rather than being a move up or promotion. With this in mind, WALTER’s current involvement with the black-and-gold brand is most probably temporary, unless he has changed his thoughts on immigrating.

KUSHIDA Makes 205 Live Debut As Jack Gallagher’s Mystery Partner

WWE NXT Superstar, and former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, KUSHIDA made his 205 Live debut during Tuesday night’s episode of the show. He would be revealed to be Jack Gallagher’s mystery partner.

The pair defeated the team of Akira Tozawa and The Brian Kendrick. The win came afer KUSHIDA locked in the Hoverboard Lock, forcing Kendrick to tap out.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/1171609098577596416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1171609098577596416&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightful.com%2Fwrestling%2Fkushida-debuts-205-live-jack-gallagher-s-mystery-partner

Time For 205 Live?

At the time of writing, it is not known whether this is a permanent move for KUSHIDA, or if his appearance on 205 Live was merely a one-off with the brand. With more and more WWE Superstars jumping between brands in recent months, it’s not impossible that KUSHIDA may wrestle for both NXT and 205 Live.

If he does continue to compete for WWE’s purple brand, it may only be a matter of time before he finds himself rekindling his competitive rivalry with Cruiserweight Champion, Drew Gulak.

The two have faced each other multiple times across both NXT and EVOLVE. KUSHIDA holds numerous victories over Gulak, including in a submission match on NXT back in June. He went on to challenge for Gulak’s Cruiserweight Championship at EVOLVE 134 in August, where he ultimately lost to the defending champion.

WWE Tapes Matches For NXT TV At NXT Bel Air Live Event (Spoilers)

WWE taped a few matches for an upcoming episode of NXT TV at Saturday night’s NXT Bel Air live event.

F4WOnline.com is reporting that three matches from Saturday night’s NXT Bel Air house show at the APG Federal Credit Union Arena in Bel Air, Maryland were taped for an episode of the weekly NXT TV show on the WWE Network.

The three matches taped last night for TV included a submission match pitting KUSHIDA against Drew Gulak, a tag-team bout that saw The Undisputed ERA take on the duo of Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, as well as a women’s tag-team bout.

Below are spoiler results of the matches taped for NXT TV last night:

    NXT TV SPOILER RESULTS (Taped On 5/18/2019)

    KUSHIDA def. Drew Gulak in a Submission Match

    The submission match between KUSHIDA and Gulak was said to be an entertaining contest, and a unique one, as there were none of the traditional near-falls and pin attempts in the match.

    In the end, KUSHIDA picked up the win by submission when Gulak tapped out to the Hoverboard Lock.

    Winner: KUSHIDA

    Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan def. Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly

    Up next was a tag-team bout pitting The Undisputed ERA’s Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly against Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan. Bobby Fish came out with Strong and O’Reilly with his arm in a sling. He shook his fellow Undisputed ERA members’ hands and headed to the back.

    The match was given some time and the crowd was said to be into a lot of the action. Near the end of the match, Jaxson Ryder ran in to distract Strong, setting up the finish, which saw Lorcan roll O’Reilly up for the pin fall victory.

    Winners: Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan

    Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke vs. Io Shirai & Candice LaRae ended in a No Contest

    In the third match taped for television, Ronda Rousey’s Four Horsewomen members Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke took on Io Shirai and Candice LaRae in women’s tag-team action.

    This one was kept pretty short and basic. During the match, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler came out. “The Queen of Spades” simply stood at the top of the entrance ramp and watched the match until getting involved in the finish.

    At the end of the contest, Shirai was about to hit her moonsault on Duke for what felt like the finish, until Baszler pulled Duke out of the ring. Shirai then hit her moonsault on Baszler instead.

    This led to a big brawl with all five ladies going at it while several NXT officials tried to break things up. Baszler and Shirai ended up battling in the crowd, while LaRae brawled with Duke and Shafir.

    Winners: No Contest

After these three matches were taped, the NXT Bel Air main event took place. The match saw Velveteen Dream retain his NXT North American Championship in an excellent Triple-Threat Match that included Matt Riddle and Adam Cole.

NXT’s KUSHIDA Addresses Moving To The States, Adjusting To NXT

NXT’s newest Japanese Superstar, KUSHIDA, began his time with NXT earlier in the month and continues to adjust to his new life in the United States.

Taking to Twitter, KUSHIDA shared his experiences in America so far, and what it has been like wrestling for a new company—one drastically different from his former employee, New Japan Pro Wrestling.

https://twitter.com/KUSHIDA_0904/status/1122365977260433408

He comments that, although a month or so has passed since his move to Florida, it feels as though it has been more like a year to him.

“I was in a state where I didn’t understand the new practice environment, food, housing, English, Matches…but I feel that a little more open time has been created recently.”

KUSHIDA shares that on weekdays “practice picked up at the performance center” and also reveals that he has been taking one-on-one English classes in an attempt to better understand and speak the language.

His weekends are dedicated to house shows, and he states that he is “desperate every day to get through a day.” He breaks down his routine as “Driving to the venue yourself, setting the ring, wrestle, and clear the ring. Then drive back to home again … it is the life in NXT.”

These new experiences have allowed him a “series of fresh discovers”, and he feels as though he is becoming more experienced as a performer and person.

With his new life in America starting to settle, he promises that he can “finally put my feet on the pedal and 100% power on my engine. Bring all of this into the ring.”

The former 6-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion will be making his NXT TV debut next on next week’s episode. He will compete against Kassius Ohno.

Shinsuke Nakamura Believes WWE Signing KUSHIDA For NXT Is Historic

Former WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura was very excited to learn about former NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) star KUSHIDA signing a contract with WWE.

Company officials have placed KUSHIDA in NXT, which is their third brand, and introduced him to the fans while sitting front row at NXT TakeOver: New York. The talented wrestler has already made his television debut on the yellow brand when the company held NXT TV tapings last week.

Nakamura spoke with Wrestling Inc.’s Scott Fishman at WrestleMania Axxess last week. During the interview, the SmackDown star commented on the signing. This is where he made it known that he thinks WWE signing KUSHIDA is historic for the company and American wrestling.

“KUSHIDA joined NXT, that’s huge for WWE and American wrestling history,” Nakamura said. “Experienced wrestlers around the world have options to where they wrestle, and he chooses WWE / NXT. That’s kind of big for [WWE] and him.”

Outside of the WWE banner, KUSHIDA has found success as he won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship six times, and the Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles two times.

Nakamura was also asked if his decision to join WWE had influenced other Japanese stars to sign with the company.

“I don’t know,” Nakamura said with a smile. “[There are] so many options. WWE has history, that’s the difference. Also, New Japan and CMLL have history. So, we want to wrestle for legacy.”

KUSHIDA Signs NXT Contract, Poses With Triple H, William Regal

One of the greatest junior heavyweights in NJPW history is now officially a member of the NXT roster. Ahead of tonight’s Takeover event, Triple H and William Regal officially welcomed KUSHIDA to NXT.

Triple H posted the following to Twitter earlier:

KUSHIDA announced in early January his plans to leave NJPW. He wrestled his final match for the promotion against Hiroshi Tanahashi on January 29th in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.

KUSHIDA Signs With WWE

35-year old Yujiro Kushida is one of the most decorated champions in New Japan’s junior heavyweight division. He is a 6x former IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion, tying him for 2nd most all-time with Tiger Mask. Only Jushin Liger (11) has won the title more times.

Kushida also won the promotion’s Best of the Super Junior tournament in 2015 and 2017.

As 1/2 of the Time Splitters along with Alex Shelly, KUSHIDA is also a former 2x IWGP junior heavyweight tag team champion.

KUSHIDA MMA/Pro-Wrestling Training

While he was still only in junior high school, Kushida began training pro-wrestling and MMA at the Takada Dojo. The academy is run by Nobuhiko Takada, who is perhaps best known for his fights with Rickson Gracie at PRIDE 1 & 4.

Kushida had his first MMA fight just weeks after his 20th birthday. He amassed a 6-0-2 record before he left to pursue a career in pro-wrestling. Kushida would debut in Takada’s Hustle promotion in 2006. He’d eventually sign with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2010.

https://twitter.com/kushida_0904/status/1114279468938477568?s=21

Tama Tonga Talks KUSHIDA Leaving NJPW for WWE

NJPW/Bullet Club star Tama Tonga recently spoke to WrestlingINC on a variety of topics, including NJPW’s loss of KUSHIDA to WWE.

The Samoan star revealed that he and KUSHIDA share a longtime friendship. This dates back to when both men first joined the company.

When asked how he believes NJPW will cope without the Junior Division legend Tonga replied “It’s gonna be a huge gap, but I know we’ve got guys to step up and fill that gap. But KUSHIDA and I made our debut together on the same day here in New Japan in 2010 for the Best of the Super Juniors. We always remembered that.”

Tonga elaborated further, saying “I worked with him a lot for the first couple of years, and then when I went heel we shared a lot of memories going against each other. He’s just an all-around great dude.” Tama also spoke about KUSHIDA’s personal life, saying “He just had his child last year, and so did I. I feel like his story and my story kind of intertwine here and there, which is nice and unique. He’s been great for the company, he held the junior division very, very tight and held it up very high, set standards for everybody to come up to.”

Tama Tonga finished by saying “He’s gonna be really missed out here. He’s a good friend of mine, and he’s gonna be really missed. But since I live in Florida, if that’s where he’s going, I’ll see him out there.”

KUSHIDA Loses Final Match in NJPW to Hiroshi Tanahashi

KUSHIDA took part in his final NJPW match at yesterday’s Korakuen Hall show. The icon of the Juniors Division wished for his final match to be against Hiroshi Tanahashi and this was granted by New Japan officials.

Tanahashi took the win in around 24 minutes with the Texas Cloverleaf. This was a highly emotional bout, with KUSHIDA bowing out after 8 years with the company.

KUSHIDA discussed the bout earlier this week, playing up the emotional aspect of facing his idol in Tanahashi. The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion stated “I’ve only got one match left. It will be very emotional. I’ve taken a lot of damage over these past 8 years. But the memories I’ve made in this time, I’m sure because of them…that I have become stronger. Going forward, I’ll always fight with that knowledge close to my heart.”

KUSHIDA finished up by saying “8 years ago, here at Korakuen Hall, Tanahashi said he’d make me a complete pro wrestler. I’m forever grateful to him, I’ll never forget that.”

The question now that KUSHIDA’s contract is up is where will he head? The likely destination is WWE/NXT however AEW, IMPACT and Ring of Honor are certainly not off the table as of writing.

KUSHIDA Talks Final Tag Match with Hiroshi Tanahashi

KUSHIDA is currently taking part in his final tour for New Japan Pro Wrestling. The Junior Heavyweight icon’s contract runs out at the end of the month and he will be a free agent for the first time in a very long time.

At yesterday’s Road To New Beginning event KUSHIDA tagged with Hiroshi Tanahashi for the final time. After the bout KUSHIDA made some comments backstage regarding his time in the ring with the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. KUSHIDA stated “That was my last time tagging with Tanahashi. I know that what makes a pro wrestler is different for everyone, but my definition is some who devotes their life to this. That’s what makes a pro wrestler.” KUSHIDA followed this up by mentioning his final match for NJPW. “I’ve only got one match left. It will be very emotional. I’ve taken a lot of damage over these past 8 years. But the memories I’ve made in this time, I’m sure because of them…that I have become stronger. Going forward, I’ll always fight with that knowledge close to my heart.”

KUSHIDA finished up by saying “8 years ago, here at Korakuen Hall, Tanahashi said he’d make me a complete pro wrestler. I’m forever grateful to him, I’ll never forget that.”