Kushida confirms he is leaving NJPW to ‘head overseas’

Widely regarded as the Ace of the Junior Heavyweight division, six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kushida has announced that he will be leaving NJPW at the end of January.

Speaking at an NJPW press conference on Sunday, chairman Naoki Sugabayashi confirmed that Kushida’s current contract with the company expires at the end of the month. Kushida himself then took to the stage to explain the decision not to renew his contract:

"Regarding this choice and decision, it was one made with the full co-operation and understanding of Mr. Kidani, Mr. Meij and Mr. Sugabayashi. It was a very big decision in my life and I’m thankful they understood. As for the future, I would like to see the wide world of professional wrestling with my own eyes, from one end of the earth to the other."

Kushida has so far declined to comment on the specifics of his future plans, explaining that he intends to honour his contract with New Japan until it expires. But it’s clear that Kushida will not be limiting himself to wrestling within Japan – his dream, he says, is to ‘travel the world with professional wrestling‘.

In recent years Kushida has been something of a staple fixture of several promotions outside of New Japan, including UK’s Revolution Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor, and has been highly regarded both at home and abroad as one of the world’s best ‘junior heavyweight’ wrestlers – an accolade borne out by his continual success in New Japan, not only as Junior Heavyweight champion, but as two-time winner of the annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

And if Kushida’s comments are any indication, he might be about to embark on the second extended ‘excursion’ of his career. In 2009 he spent time touring various American and Canadian promotions, including Chikara and Ohio Valley Wrestling, before returning to Japan to make his Best of the Super Juniors debut in 2010.

Kushida may be justifiably cagey about his next steps, but rumours began to surface in December of WWE’s apparent interest in the eight-year New Japan veteran. While the rumours remain unsubstantiated, it is not outside the realm of possibility that Kushida could be heading for NXT, following in the footsteps of former New Japan star Shinsuke Nakamura.

With his technical wrestling expertise, lucha influence and a strong background in MMA, Kushida has plenty to offer a company like WWE. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. At this stage, we know so little about brand new venture All Elite Wrestling that it’s impossible to definitively rule this possibility out.

At 36 years old, Kushida says he has ‘much less in front of me career wise than behind‘. And it’s fair to say that he’s achieved just about all he can as a Junior; a transition to the Heavyweight division might serve to broaden Kushida’s career prospects, but Kushida himself has been vocal in the past about raising the profile of the Junior division – he has been a highly successful ambassador for Junior Heavyweight excellence during his NJPW tenure.

And while it’s difficult at this stage to predict who might be ready to step into Junior Ace’s shoes, Kushida’s departure opens up a top spot in the division for a particularly adept Junior to ascend to. With the likes of Hiromu Takahashi and new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori living up to their abundant potential, the future of the Juniors is not something Kushida is worried about.

It’s clear that Kushida will be greatly missed, both by his New Japan colleagues and by the fans who’ve come to love him. And although Kushida may have shed tears during the press conference, he was quick to reassure everyone that he has no regrets about his time spent in New Japan, nor about his decision to leave it behind:

We’ll have to wait until February to find out what the next exciting stage in Kushida’s long and illustrious pro-wrestling career. And though he may consider the lion’s share of his career behind, him, there’s still plenty left for this remarkable wrestler to achieve.

Kushida leaving New Japan may be bittersweet, but he has an opportunity to reach a brand new audience, to earn brand new accolades, and – we can hope – to eventually end his career on a resounding high note.