WWE: Kushida should be a part of the main roster by now

The NXT 2.0 revamp is an opportunity that young and developing performers will benefit from in the coming years. Still, there’s a wealth of talent on that roster that could be considered among the best wrestlers in the world. Kushida is one of those names and while some aspects of his time in NXT have delivered, one can’t help but to wonder what he would do on the main roster.

On Tuesday’s edition of WWE NXT, Kushida and Ikemen Jiro formed what may be this generation’s version of the Mega Powers. Even though the bathroom segment had more people correctly worried about their hygiene, it’s still an intriguing pairing that should bring out some great in-ring action. But what would Kushida be capable of doing if he were brought to the main roster during the latest edition of the WWE Draft?

There’s always a fear of wrestlers moving from NXT to the main roster. WWE hasn’t done a great job treating the best names from NXT the same when they get to WWE SmackDown or Monday Night Raw. For every Damian Priest, there are more names that the company has botched with the shift. Just look at Toni Storm, Keith Lee, and Karrion Kross as examples. So, the fear of the same happening to Kushida is more than understandable.

Still, Kushida comes with a track record that is hard to match. His career includes accolades across the world. Before he joined the WWE the argument could be made that he was the best technical wrestler in the world. Just in 2021 he’s put on some of the best matches that WWE has to offer. Go back to his work with Pete Dunne, Santos Escobar, and his exceptional match with Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day for more proof.

Take that track record outlined above and apply it to some of the talent that is available within WWE’s main roster. Imagine Kushida standing across from AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston, Matt Riddle, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and others. While the booking always leaves more to be desired, the wrestling talent on the WWE roster can’t be denied. Mixing Kushida in with that group creates an opportunity to put on some of the best matches in the industry, regardless of promotion.

Yes, there’s always the concern that WWE main roster booking will fall into stereotypical laziness, see Akira Tozawa’s run as a “ninja.” That would be a gross misuse of any performer at this level and no one would be surprised if decision-makers did the same to Kushida, as sad as it would be.

There are several performers on the WWE roster that fans wish was “booked better.” Kushida’s time in the promotion hasn’t been the best, but his abilities in the ring cannot be denied. WWE should have made the move to bring him to the main roster and put on some of the best action this company could put in front of its millions of viewers.