WWE: 5 Possible Dream Matches For Kushida In NXT
By Laura Mauro
4. Kushida vs Matt Riddle
Remember Kushida’s undefeated MMA record? Well, the King of Bros is no slouch in that department either. With 8 wins out of 13 matches, and only 3 losses, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert spent six years honing his craft in UFC.
And while both Riddle and Kushida have since turned their back on the world of MMA, both owe their distinctive wrestling styles to the education they obtained during their time on that scene.
The laconic ‘King of Bros’ showed his killer instinct against Kassius Ohno at NXT TakeOver Phoenix, submitting NXT’s gatekeeper with punishing rain of blows to the back of the head. You can take the man out of MMA, but apparently you can’t take the MMA out of the man.
Kushida boasts an arsenal stuffed full of submission maneuvers, including the Hoverboard Lock, his patented spin on the Kimura lock, often with an explosive setup. Riddle’s Bromission, on the other hand, is his take on the Twister submission.
Though Riddle has less wrestling experience than Kushida, he’s already taken on the likes of Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuyori Shibata – two of the toughest New Japan has to offer.
Expect a masterclass in mat wrestling with a liberal sprinkling of brutal strikefest should this one come to fruition. And why shouldn’t it? Riddle has more than earned his NXT stripes now, and an explosive feud against one of Japan’s finest Junior Heavyweights could only enhance his growing reputation further.