fightful

Kushida leaves WWE

Added 2022-04-19 01:53:37 +0000 UTC

We're working on learning more, but Fightful Select has learned that Kushida has left WWE.

Early indications that Fightful was given was that his deal expired, though we haven't been given any idea as to whether or not a new one was offered. At least one person in the company was of the belief it was a "budget cut release." We'll work to find out more details.

Kushida became NXT Cruiserweight Champion, and looked to be figured into plans more as of last summer when the Cruiserweight Title was going to receive more screen time, but a shift in the company to NXT 2.0 caused the Cruiserweight Title to be nixed altogether. Since then, he'd appeared in a tag team with Ikemen Jiro called Jacket Time.

Throughout Kushida's NXT run, we weren't told of any plans to bring him to the main roster, and he wasn't brought up for any dark matches. He last competed on NXT LVL Up on March 22, and had lost his last four matches on his way out of the company.

Prior to WWE, Kushida was one of the most decorated junior heavyweights in NJPW history. There was a story regarding Kushida early in his NXT run in which several Performance Center talent recounted to Fightful that it took months for the Performance Center to get many people a locker because they were so overcrowded, with Kushida being among the most high profile names to go without one.