KUSHIDA was one of the very best junior heavyweight pro wrestlers of the mid and late 2010s. While he was one of the best at figuring out how to incorporate his MMA background into junior heavyweight style matches, he was an extremely gifted athlete & diverse worker who didn't have to limit his opponents to working a certain style, and in fact, preferred to challenge himself, and thus them. This versatility allowed him to either incorporate a wide variety of styles into his matches, or sometimes limit them to a particular style, but either way he was capable of having a quality match against virtually any capable opponent. He was thus involved in a good number of matches that were excellent or better. Though he had great success in his brief MMA career, his beginnings in puroresu were much more humble. KUSHIDA certainly came a long way, and this especially becomes clear when you watch his matches from his early days. Though the quality of his matches improves tremendously as his career moves forward, some of his innate qualities that facilitated these improvements were his passion, dedication, and admirable work ethic. While he wasn't a product of the New Japan dojo, his status in the promotion still rose very quickly, and he wound up easily being the most important wrestler in their junior heavyweight division during the second half of the 2010s.

I watched more than 80 KUSHIDA matches with the purpose of trying to find out what his best years were and what his best matches were. In the process, he went from a wrestler I didn't know much about and I'd only seen a few times to one of my all-time favorites.

Yujiro Kushida was born May 12, 1983 in Ota, Tokyo, Japan. He was trained in both MMA and pro wrestling while he was still in junior high school. He did professional MMA from 2003 to 2005. He had eight MMA matches and was undefeated. Multiple MMA promotions offered him a contract. However, Kushida decided to retire from MMA and start a pro wrestling career instead. He went to Mexico and was trained in Mexican lucha libre by Oriental (a member of the Moreno family) in Mexico. Kushida made his debut in Mexico on September 18, 2005. He returned to Japan in 2006 and started working for the HUSTLE promotion after being scouted by Tajiri, who took him under his wing. Kushida made his Japanese pro wrestling debut on 9/7/06. Kushida started competing for AJPW in the summer of '07. In 2008, he made appearances in Osaka Pro Wrestling. In 2009, he spent time in American and Canadian indy promotions. Once he returned to Japan in 2010, he started wrestling for the SMASH promotion. KUSHIDA took part in New Japan's annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament in 2010. He was impressive enough to be offered a full-time NJPW contract in 2011. He spent the majority of the 2010s in NJPW. His final matches for NJPW took place in January 2019. Later that year, he left the puroresu world and became a sports-entertainer for a certain company elsewhere.

Let's have a closer look at KUSHIDA's career by looking at the KUSHIDA matches I selected for my research...

HUSTLE 9/7/06 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA & TAJIRI vs. Blue Onigumo & Red Onigumo 9:13. KUSHIDA's mentor TAJIRI teamed with him in his puroresu debut. KUSHIDA showed his lucha libre skills, which he had learned in Mexico in the previous year. He was still only an inexperienced and average luchador at the time of this match, but he clearly showed the talent to eventually become a lot better. The Onigumo tag team were masked villains, and didn't do anything of note. Blue Onigumo is GENTARO. Red Onigumo is Minoru Fujita. This match was mediocre and had some silliness, although not nearly as silly as most of the other segments on this terrible show, but I watched this only to see KUSHIDA in his first puroresu match. In an ironic way it's fitting that KUSHIDA would make his puroresu debut in the HUSTLE promotion, a promotion that at the time considered their style "fighting opera" style, because about 12 and a half years later, KUSHIDA would join a sports-entertainment company elsewhere.*½

ZERO1-MAX 11/24/06 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Ikuto Hidaka 12:47. The canvas used for this show had the Samurai TV logo on it and it looked really old and dirty. The match started off quite basic. They did some armbars, wrist locks, headlocks and headscissors. It was fun to watch, but it mostly ended up feeling like filler as the match would progress later on. KUSHIDA did some nice lucha arm drags, with Hidaka even applauding KUSHIDA. While it was pretty basic lucha stuff, KUSHIDA was still a rookie at that point, and actually a pretty decent rookie at that. Hidaka was in control on the mat for the majority of the match, but his mat attack seemed to have no real aim other than trying to keep KUSHIDA grounded. KUSHIDA really wanted to do more spectacular stuff though, and did a nice handspring dropkick and a standing corkscrew moonsault. Hidaka hit a nice spin kick to interrupt KUSHIDA's momentum. Eventually, they started making attempts to actually beat each other. In the end, Hidaka was too much of an experienced wrestler for KUSHIDA. However, I think KUSHIDA gave an adequate showing. **

HUSTLE 3/15/07 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA & \(^o^)/ Chie vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Genichiro Tenryu 3:33. KUSHIDA was still inexperienced. He teamed with Banzai Chie (Chie Ishii), a female wrestler with an amateur wrestling background. They were destroyed by the wily veterans Kawada & Tenryu. This was a squash match. Tenryu beat the crap out of KUSHIDA and Chie with a bamboo stick. Chie threatened to retaliate with a fire extinguisher, but the ref wouldn't allow it. Kawada, one of the greatest wrestlers ever, wasn't even wearing his wrestling gear and executed only four moves in this match. It was only a three-minute match and apart from getting a few slaps in, KUSHIDA blew the only offensive move he was going to have in this match... He was going for a springboard move but slipped off the ropes and completely missed Tenryu. This was not a good night for KUSHIDA to say the least. Let's say it was all part of the learning experience. *¼ 

AJPW 3/23/08 Niigata-shi Taiikukan, Junior Tag League Match: KUSHIDA & T28 vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Ryuji Hijikata 10:00 of 13:06 shown. Good to see KUSHIDA in a traditional puroresu promotion. This is possibly the earliest footage of KUSHIDA being decent. His lucharesu style stood out. His speed and agility also really stood out here. His tag partner, T28 (BUSHI), did some decent high flying stuff, but didn't quite stand out as an all-round performer. Everything T28 did just just wasn't crisply executed. He didn't really seem into what he was doing. At some point in the match T28 even managed to make a 450 splash look completely irrelevant. Hijikata's performance was okay, but he didn't stand out in any way. Nakajima was decent, but this certainly wasn't one of his most memorable showings. Nakajima & Hijikata executed Total Elimination on T28, but it didn't look that impressive. At least Nakajima followed it up with hitting a nice German Suplex for the pin. *¾

OPW Saturday Night Story 5/31/08 Osaka Pro Delfin Arena Dotonbori: KUSHIDA & Tigers Mask vs. Masamune & Hideyoshi 15:37. This match had a solid performance from KUSHIDA & Mask. KUSHIDA did some pretty good lucha stuff. Mask sold well for the heels. Masamune was okay. Hideyoshi was average. The heels worked over Mask's left knee. Once KUSHIDA tagged in, he displayed his great athleticism. While still relatively inexperienced, KUSHIDA certainly once again showed a lot of potential. **¼

BCW Aftershock 9/12/09 Tecumseh, Ontario Royal Canadian Legion: KUSHIDA vs. Petey Williams 10:00 of 13:00 shown. KUSHIDA spent quite some time in Canada in 2009, and one of the promotions he worked for was Border City Wrestling based out of Windsor, Ontario. KUSHIDA was decent and his work really made the match. It was a pretty basic indy style match, but it was fun watching hand-held footage of a KUSHIDA match from his early years on a small Canadian indy show. He worked like a heel. His opponent was Petey Williams, the innovator of the Canadian Destroyer, who was okay here. KUSHIDA seemed to go for the left leg and Williams sold the leg quite a bit. At some point they kinda just forgot about it and went for a series of exciting moves. Williams appeared to be going for the Canadian Destroyer, but KUSHIDA blocked it and executed several moves, including a standing moonsault. Eventually, Williams regained control and hit the Canadian Destroyer for the win. **

CHIKARA 11/22/09 Philadelphia, PA: Yujiro Kushida vs. Helios 10:46. Helios would later become known as Ricochet. This was an interesting match looking back now because they eventually became two big stars. Back then they had four years pro wrestling experience, but they were still climbing up the ranks and relatively unknown. In 2009, Kushida spent most of his time in North America, appearing in several indy promotions. This match took place at the Arena (formerly known as the ECW Arena) in South Philly. It's kinda fitting that Kushida had a match in this arena since the wrestler who took Kushida under his wing, Tajiri, really made his name for himself there, particularly with his series against Super Crazy. Kushida gave a solid performance. Both workers displayed their great athleticism. Kushida gave a strong performance and he showed himself to be a decent worker who was somewhat able to carry a singles match. He acted heelish, but was still able to get the respect from the fans at the same time. **½

SMASH 4/23/10 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: KUSHIDA & Lin Byron vs. Hajime Ohara & Syuri 19:03. Whenever there is a mixed/intergender tag team match, I'm usually a little bit skeptical about whether the match I'm about to watch is going to be good (that's because too many mixed matches have been treated like comedy and/or have been ruined by overplaying the intergender aspect of the match). This match was surprisingly good overall though. A big reason for this is they treated it like a competitive tag team match and didn't focus on this being a mixed tag team match. Also, they got plenty of time to do a real match. KUSHIDA gave a strong performance here. Syuri was solid, especially when she was in against KUSHIDA, who she worked well with. Ohara wasn't too bad either, although he certainly didn't stand out. I think this may have been Ray's first match under the Lin Byron gimmick. This may explain why her performance wasn't as good as I hoped it would have been (it certainly wasn't on the level of Ray's usual work). **¾

SMASH 5/29/10 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: KUSHIDA vs. Prince Devitt 15:20. KUSHIDA was one of the top stars in SMASH. Devitt, from Ireland, represented New Japan. This was the main event of the show. This was the first singles match these two had against each other. TAJIRI was at ringside to watch the action. The match was worked at a relatively slow pace, but they executed everything well. ***¼

NJPW 5/30/10 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XVII Block A Match: KUSHIDA vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 12:44. KUSHIDA was a member of the SMASH promotion at the time. Liger is one of the greatest ever. He'd been wrestling for over 25 years at that point, but his matches were still interesting. KUSHIDA made a good impression in this tournament. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he was eventually offered a full-time contract. Liger definitely wasn't taking it easy here, and he even rammed KUSHIDA's knee against the ringpost. Liger followed this up by smashing a chair over KUSHIDA's knee. Though Liger enjoys attacking the knee, doing it in this manner is somewhat uncharacteristic of Liger. Liger was relentless here, showing no mercy for the young KUSHIDA. Eventually, KUSHIDA saw an opening and was able to hit a dive. KUSHIDA sold the knee for a few seconds, but then kinda stopped selling the knee Liger had been smashing with a chair, which was a little disappointing. The rest of the match was very good though. As a matter of fact, this was probably one of KUSHIDA's very first good matches. After the match, Gedo showed up and hit KUSHIDA with a bamboo stick. ***¼

NJPW 6/4/10 Chiba Port Arena Sub Arena: KUSHIDA vs. Kota Ibushi 12:03. This was part of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. KUSHIDA's performance was very good. There were some impressive moves by both workers and their execution was crisp. The selling was pretty good. There didn't seem to be any real focus, but it was fun to watch, and the work was really good. KUSHIDA ended up finishing fourth in Block A. Kota Ibushi ended up losing in the final of the tournament to Prince Devitt. ***¼

NJPW 6/10/10 Toyohashi City Gymnasium, #2: KUSHIDA vs. La Sombra 8:17. Mexican luchador Sombra was in control during most of the match. He was able to show off his incredible ability. The main problem with this match is that KUSHIDA only needed two moves to put Sombra away after Sombra gave such a strong effort. Also, I wish they would have added a few minutes of time. ***

NJPW 3/19/11 Nagoya Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium: KUSHIDA vs. Prince Devitt 14:52. This was more spot-oriented than their 5/29/10 match. At some point, they almost killed themselves when they were both standing on a ringside table and KUSHIDA hit a hurricanrana to the floor near the ring post. ***¼ 

NJPW 4/3/11 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA & Togi Makabe vs. Satsoshi Kojima & TAKA Michinoku 12:40. KUSHIDA gave a pretty good performance here. He was more intense than I had seen him in previous matches. 2011 TAKA isn't anywhere near 1996 TAKA, but he still gave a decent showing and seemed quite motivated, so that helped too. Kojima and Makabe worked the majority of the middle section of the match. They gave quite a decent performance. KUSHIDA got a chance to show some more stuff near the end and almost had TAKA beat. However, Taichi interfered and hit a HBK-esque superkick that mostly missed its target. It caught KUSHIDA off guard enough for TAKA to take advantage of the situation. **½

NJPW 5/29/11 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 10:45. KUSHIDA followed Liger well, telling the story of a right arm injury, with Liger's selling of the arm really making the match. KUSHIDA showed intensity and focus. Even after the match, Liger kept selling the arm (all the way through the post-match promo). Both workers were really into this and made this a worthwhile watch despite it being just 10 minutes. Good performance by KUSHIDA. Liger rules. KUSHIDA was one of the workers (along with Ryusuke Taguchi and Great Sasuke) who ended up finishing second place in Block B, but KUSHIDA didn't advance to the semi finals because he (and Sasuke) lost to Taguchi, who ended up in the finals. Kota Ibushi would be the winner this tournament. ***½

NJPW 6/23/11 Tokyo Differ Ariake: KUSHIDA vs. Brian Kendrick 8:04. KUSHIDA attacked Kendrick straight away. Kendrick's selling during the first minutes of the match was a bit exaggerated, but once he was on offense, he was okay. Kendrick's attack on KUSHIDA's right arm was quite focused. At some point, KUSHIDA had enough and started making his comeback. KUSHIDA didn't really bother selling the previous attack on his arm. Kendrick's comeback looked a bit rough, and once KUSHIDA scored the victory, I was ready to start forgetting about Kendrick's NJPW adventure again. **

NJPW 9/19/11 Kobe World Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Prince Devitt 13:30. This was an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Decision Match. Devitt dominated most of the match. There was a cool spot where Devitt, who was standing on the guard rail, suplexed KUSHIDA, who was standing on a ringside table, to the floor. At some point, KUSHIDA finally got the upper hand, resulting in an exciting final part of the match. Devitt's selling could have been better during the final minutes though. It was a good match, but not memorable enough to make me want to watch it again in the future. This wasn't as good as their previous matches I watched because it lacked the energy. ***

NJPW/CMLL FANTASTICAMANIA 1/22/12 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Mascara Dorada 13:22. KUSHIDA challenged for the CMLL World Welterweight Title. It's interesting to see KUSHIDA work against a Mexican luchador since KUSHIDA was trained in lucha libre in Mexico back in his early days. Both workers are extremely fast and their quickness resulted in several beautiful sequences. Both workers also executed some nice high flying moves, including a somersault plancha off the top to the outside by KUSHIDA and a huge tope con giro by Dorada. The work was excellent throughout the match. ****

NJPW 5/27/12 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors Block A Match: KUSHIDA vs. Prince Devitt 12:56. They seemed to have stepped up their game. This was much better than their 9/19/11 match, competitive and exciting from start to finish. They gave a strong effort. If someone would have told me this was the tournament final, I would have believed it (but it was actually a match from the opening day of the tournament). KUSHIDA's Midnight Express (corkscrew moonsault) is a tremendous move. KUSHIDA would end up finishing third in Block A. Ryusuke Taguchi would end up winning the tournament. ***¾

NJPW 7/22/12 Yamagata City Sports Center: KUSHIDA vs. Low Ki 7:10. This match was tons of fun. Low Ki was vicious. KUSHIDA gave a really good performance. Low Ki appeared to be a good fit for NJPW. ***½

NJPW 9/7/12 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Kota Ibushi 25:10. KUSHIDA challenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title in the main event of this Korakuen Hall show. The match started off at a methodical pace. Both workers were being careful, trying to not make a mistake. KUSHIDA worked over Ibushi's left arm and Ibushi sold it well, screaming in pain. Ibushi tried to escape to the outside, but KUSHIDA held on to his arm and continued the attack. Ibushi finally got the chance to turn things around. He started working over IBUSHI's left knee. KUSHIDA was screaming in pain and the fans started chanting his name to show their support. KUSHIDA was stuck in a figure-four leglock for a while until he finally managed to grab the ropes. Ibushi tried to go for a big move, but KUSHIDA escaped and, after selling his leg for a few seconds again, managed to hit a big somersault plancha off the top to the outside. It didn't take too long for Ibushi to hit a beautiful moonsault off the top to the outside onto KUSHIDA. Ibushi sold his left arm for a bit again after he hit the move. KUSHIDA eventually went back to attacking Ibushi's left arm. Some beautiful and graceful moves by both workers followed. One of the most awesome moves came when Ibushi jumped onto the top rope and KUSHIDA caught him with a hurricanrana; I had to rewind that one because it looked so cool. They exchanged elbows, and made it dramatic, not just a random elbow exchange segment. KUSHIDA is a very subtle seller who doesn't exaggerate his selling. KUSHIDA almost pinned Ibushi at some point. I almost believed he had Ibushi beat. In the end, Ibushi managed to win this match, but it wasn't easy. This match proved that you can stick KUSHIDA in the main event, give him a good amount of match time and he'll deliver. I liked this match so much the first time I watched it that I watched it again immediately. Great match. I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about this match before, so perhaps this is a bit of a"lost" classic that hopefully now will become more well-known. ****½

NJPW 11/2/12 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Super Junior Tag Tournament Final: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi 16:42. Time Splitters vs. Apollo 55. As always, KUSHIDA moved around the ring gracefully. Time Splitters, KUSHIDA & Shelley, showed they're a well-oiled machine. Devitt was okay. Taguchi's performance was unmemorable here. ***

NJPW 11/11/12 Osaka Bodymaker Colosseum: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Rocky Romero & Alex Kozlov 6:20. Time Splitters challenged Forever Hooligans for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title. Alex Kozlov did the old Nikolai Volkoff routine where he sang the Russian national anthem before the match. KUSHIDA was the only one in the match who gave a strong performance. Romero was okay. Shelley and Kozlov didn't do much, but at least Shelley got to execute Sliced Bread. The match only lasted six minutes. KUSHIDA won the match by pinfall for the title victory, which was the only reason I decided to watch this match anyway. *¾

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 7 1/4/13 Tokyo Dome: KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi & BUSHI vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV & Hiromu Takahashi 7:12. Takahashi was still a young lion at this point in his career. It was a relatively short match and everyone tried to impress as much as possible. This seemed to be one of those matches where they just wanted to have these guys on the show but didn't really have any real plans for them here. It's a shame that KUSHIDA was barely in the match though. *¾

NJPW 3/3/13 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV 11:22. Everything Shelley does seems prancy and exaggerated. Of course, there have been many wrestlers who were prancy and exaggerated, but Shelley also doesn't really add much to the matches, he's just kinda there. He's not bad, but average or decent at best. Match quality picked up when KUSHIDA was in the ring. Everyone started flying around for a bit. Liger and Tiger worked over Shelley for a bit. KUSHIDA executed fancy moves, including a springboard dropkick. Unfortunately, KUSHIDA was barely in this match. **½

NJPW 4/7/13 Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi 10:42. This was shorter than the 11/2/12 match and it wasn't very memorable. In a post-match angle, Devitt turned heel. **¾

NJPW 5/24/13 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XX Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI. KUSHIDA did a good job carrying this match. There was some miscommunication though, for example they blew a spot where BUSHI was going for a headscissors but KUSHIDA was seemingly expecting something else. Both workers seemed quite motivated to have an exciting match though, and it translated into a pretty good match overall. ***

NJPW 6/6/13 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XX Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Kenny Omega 16:10. Canadian wrestler Kenny Omega was impressive from the start and did some nice looking stuff, including a tremendous tope con giro. A thunderous chop by Kenny was sold well. KUSHIDA's selling was really good, and he really made me want to see him make a comeback in this match. Once he did fight back, he showed his high flying skills. The near falls didn't feel excessive because they sold them well and they made me want to see this match continue. Also, the way they worked several of the near falls was so convincing that I was sure the match was over when it wasn't. KUSHIDA's rolling elbow looked really nice and so did Kenny's V-Trigger knee smash. KUSHIDA ended up third in Block B and didn't make it to the final. Prince Devitt would eventually win the tournament. ****¼

NJPW 2/11/14 Osaka Bodymaker Colosseum: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson 13:05. Time Splitters challenged the Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title. KUSHIDA gave a good performance. Shelley was along for the ride. **¾

NJPW 5/30/14 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Matt Jackson 11:44. Best Of the Super Juniors XXI Block A. Nick Jackson got involved a few times, so it was almost like KUSHIDA vs. the Young Bucks. KUSHIDA sold a lot but once he fought back, he executed some nice moves. I think Matt is much better at tag team matches than singles matches, in general. The final part of the match was almost like a tag match anyway though because Nick once again interfered. This time Alex Shelley finally decided to help his tag partner, only to be taken out by a superkick. The Young Bucks executed some double-team moves. This match was okay, but basically a watered down version of Time Splitters vs. Young Bucks. **½ 

NJPW 6/6/14 Kyoto KBS Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXI Block A Match: KUSHIDA vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 14:15. This reminded me a lot of their 5/29/11 match. It’s one thing to be spectacular, but it’s another thing to actually get people to really be into what you’re doing for a few minutes. When Liger wrestles, it’s easy to just soak up whatever he offers you. Whatever he does, he does well. His matches are a nice treat for wrestling fans. Liger certainly wasn’t taking it easy and seemed to enjoy wrestling KUSHIDA. He focussed on the left knee and even dumped KUSHIDA’s knee on a ringside table. As soon as KUSHIDA re-entered the ring, Liger kept the focus on the left knee. KUSHIDA tried to go for a springboard move, but crashed to the mat because he was selling his knee. KUSHIDA quickly started working on Liger’s left arm since he probably was hoping for a submission victory via the Kimura lock. KUSHIDA kept selling the left knee well. In a way it was somewhat predictable in that KUSHIDA vs. Liger matches seem to be focused a lot on limb selling, but the execution of their work always leaves me with a match I enjoyed… And this was no exception. I enjoyed this a lot. Liger did a clean submission job to KUSHIDA’s Kimura lock. ***½

NJPW 6/8/14 Tokyo Yoyogi National Gymnasium: KUSHIDA vs. Ricochet 23:06. Best of the Super Juniors XXI Final. Jushin Thunder Liger and all the other junior heavyweights were at ringside watching the final. Tremendous space flying tiger drop by Ricochet. I liked how KUSHIDA kept attacking Ricochet's left arm and Ricochet kept selling it throughout the match. The final minutes had the hot near-falls segment you'd expect from a BOSJ final. Really good performance by both. ***¾ 

NJPW Dominion 6/21/14 Osaka Bodymaker Colosseum: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson 16:50. Time Splitters vs. Young Bucks. This IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title match was the opening bout of Dominion. It was much better than their 2/11/14 match, as they were all clearly trying to make this a good and memorable match this time around. The Bucks did their thing. KUSHIDA was very good. Even Shelley stepped up his game a bit here. ***½

NJPW 7/4/14 KUSHIDA vs. Kota Ibushi 15:06. KUSHIDA challenged Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. This was the main event of the show at an overcrowded Korakuen Hall. Kota Ibushi may or may not have been knocked out about 3:40 in after a handspring kick to the head. If he was, then he did an excellent job continuing the match. If he wasn't actually woozy, then he did an excellent job selling like he was. KUSHIDA and Ibushi have really good chemistry together whenever they wrestle each other. Ibushi sold the left arm really well. I liked it when it appeared he was going for a moonsault in the corner to the outside, but he wasn't able to execute it because he was selling the left arm (and/or maybe he actually collapsed). The finish appeared to come unexpectedly, reinforcing the possibility that Ibushi was actually out of it for real. Also, KUSHIDA looked surprised even though he should have been really happy. Either way, this was a very good match overall. ***½ 

NJPW 9/21/14 Kobe World Kinen Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Ryusuke Taguchi 14:55. In what appeared to be quite an upset at the time, Taguchi won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. It took a while before the crowd really got into this. It's probably because nobody really believed that Taguchi had a chance of winning this match. However, in the second half, things started picking up action-wise and the crowd slowly started to think Taguchi had maybe a small chance of winning. ***

NJPW 11/8/14 Osaka Bodymaker Colosseum, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish 17:29. Time Splitters defended the championship against reDRagon. This was good and Bobby Fish appears to be at least a decent hand, but I'd much rather watch KUSHIDA and O'Reilly in a singles match against each other. ***

NJPW 1/30/15 Tokorozawa Citizen Gymnasium Sub Arena: KUSHIDA & Mascara Dorada vs. Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson 6:02. They worked hard on a relatively small show. It was only a short match though. **½

NJPW 2/14/15 Sendai Sun Plaza Hall: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley & Mascara Dorada vs. Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson & Kenny Omega 11:11. There was a really cool spot where Dorada flew over the top rope, hit Omega with a sunset flip off the apron and took out both Young Bucks at the same time by kicking them while landing on the floor. Mascara Dorada really stood out with his graceful flying. The Bucks bumped around a lot. Omega was very good. KUSHIDA was very good while he was in the match, showing his great speed and agility. ***¼

NJPW 5/22/15 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXII Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Mascara Dorada 8:53. This match took place on day one of the BOSJ XXII tournament. It featured lots of great athletic moves by both workers. The match was really good while it lasted, but it was less than nine minutes in length. It's certainly worth watching if you're a fan of these two, but it's not as excellent as their 1/22/12 match, which felt more complete and a better example of what these two are capable of. ***½

NJPW 5/23/15 Saitama Kuki Gymnasium, Best Of the Super Juniors XXII Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Nick Jackson 9:08. Matt Jackson was conspicuous by his absence. KUSHIDA and Nick Jackson did some nice sequences. It was a decent match on day two of the BOSJ XXII tournament. They did some cool stuff, but it really felt like just another BOSJ match. This was slightly disappointing as I was hoping for more. It wasn't entirely their fault as they probably would have had a better match if they were given at least 3 to 5 minutes more. **½

NJPW 5/26/15 Yamagata City Sports Center #2, Best Of the Super Juniors XXII Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. David Finlay 9:40. David Finlay III, who has been billed as David Finlay Jr., is a Northern Irish fourth generation wrestler and the son of Dave"Fit" Finlay. It was interesting to see KUSHIDA against a completely different type opponent. This was a much more basic match featuring pretty standard matwork. Finlay III only had two years experience as a pro wrestler at the time and he was still quite green. KUSHIDA made the most of this match by not making it too complicated. This was an adequate match and it served its purpose in the BOSJ tournament. **

NJPW 5/30/15 KUSHIDA vs. Bobby Fish 16:29. They somehow thought it was a good idea to let Tomoaki Honma with his raspy voice do guest commentary. This was more competitive than I thought it would be. KUSHIDA showed his superior mat wrestling skills early on then Bobby Fish was in control for a while. This match was actually a bit better than I initially expected. Fish gave a pretty good performance. KUSHIDA's performance was very good. ***

NJPW 6/7/15 Yoyogi National Gymnasium #2, Best Of the Super Junior XXII Final: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly 30:45. A great pro wrestling match! Canadian wrestler Kyle O'Reilly had won Block A by finishing ahead of Ryusuke Taguchi, Jushin Thunder Liger, Beretta, Chase Owens, Barbaro Cavernario, Gedo and Yohei Komatsu. KUSHIDA had won Block B by finishing ahead of Mascara Dorada, Bobby Fish, Tiger Mask IV, Rocky Romero, Nick Jackson, Alex Shelley and Dave Finlay III. This final was quite different from the usual BOSJ finals. The match featured lots of advanced technical wrestling and it featured less flashy stuff you'd expect from a BOSJ final in general. O'Reilly started viciously attacking KUSHIDA's taped up left arm and KUSHIDA sold it really well. 13 minutes into the match, O'Reilly countered KUSHIDA's attempt of hitting the Kimura by hitting an armbreaker off the second rope. KUSHIDA's head hit the canvas and he suffered a concussion. Somehow he was not only able to finish the match, but it was actually his greatest match up until that point in his career. Certainly a lot of credit goes to O'Reilly for how outstanding the match was. Later in the match, KUSHIDA hit a great somersault plancha off the top to the outside onto O'Reilly. KUSHIDA appeared to be going for a moonsault, but O'Reilly caught him in a submission hold. The matwork in this match was great, and it really played a big role in this match being so memorable. This feels like a big breakthrough match for both workers. The match was long, but it never felt too long. KUSHIDA kept selling his left arm even after the match. KUSHIDA shook hands with Jushin Thunder Liger, who had been doing commentary at ringside. This moment felt like it was a sign that Liger, arguably the greatest junior heavyweight pro wrestler ever, endorsed KUSHIDA as the current top junior heavyweight in NJPW (as he had been doing behind the scenes for quite a while). ****¼

NJPW Dominion 7/5/15 Osaka Jo-Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Kenny Omega 20:44. KUSHIDA challenged Omega for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Omega worked over KUSHIDA's knee during the first half of the match. The idea was good, but I think the execution was a bit disappointing because it took a bit for the match to truly take off. Plus, they spent so much time focusing on having the main story of the match be Omega working over KUSHIDA's knee that it almost felt like a waste of time since it never really ended up playing that much of a factor in the final part of the match. Eventually, KUSHIDA was able to fight back while still occasionally selling the knee. Omega kept selling his left arm. The final minutes of the match were heated. It was a really good match, but I think the first half kinda dragging on kept this from being better. Still, this match is significant because this is when KUSHIDA won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title for the second time. ***¾

NJPW 8/16/15 Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Ricochet 17:28. This match took place during the G1 Climax tour. KUSHIDA was the holder of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, arguably the most prestigious junior heavyweight title in pro wrestling history. The match started off with both workers showing off their tremendous athleticism. Luckily, they weren't set on just showing off because it didn't take long for KUSHIDA to start focusing on Ricochet's left arm, in preparation for a possible submission victory later in the match. Once Ricochet saw the opportunity to fight back in a big way, he hit an incredible top con giro from inside the ring all the way over the ringpost onto KUSHIDA. Ricochet was now in control, but I like that he still sold the left arm quite a bit. After some really good back-and-forth action, KUSHIDA made an attempt to execute the Kimura but Ricochet escaped. Ricochet's flying was truly impressive, and he gave a good showing. This ended up being a strong title defense on KUSHIDA's part and his reign as the 71st IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion continued. ***¾

NJPW 9/23/15 Okayama Momotaro Arena, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Kenny Omega 16:26. It was a very good match. KUSHIDA worked over Omega's left arm. Just when they started working a bit more aggressively and things started to pick up, we got a ref bump. Bullet Club members Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson interfered to help Omega beat KUSHIDA. Very disappointing finish. The match was on its way to being very good, but crappy booking ruined it. ***

NJPW 12/9/15 Sendai Sun Plaza Hall: KUSHIDA & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tiger Mask IV & Ryusuke Taguchi 10:25. The veterans Liger and Tiger gave a good showing. Taguchi did a bunch of hip attacks and showed a lot of energy. KUSHIDA was really good whenever he was in the match. ***

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 1/4/16 Tokyo Dome: KUSHIDA vs. Kenny Omega 12:48. KUSHIDA challenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. KUSHIDA was accompanied by Ryusuke Taguchi, who was dressed up as Doc Brown from Back to the Future. There was a crazy spot where Omega jumped on the guardrail, grabbed the trash can Nick Jackson was holding and hit a moonsault while holding the trash can onto KUSHIDA, who was lying on the floor. The next big move was Omega hitting a beautiful tope con giro. KUSHIDA had a strong segment where he was on offense. The match gradually got more dramatic. KUSHIDA won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title for a third time and became the 73rd IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in the process. ****  

NJPW 4/10/16 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 15:07. This was Will Ospreay's first NJPW match. What an excellent way to make your New Japan debut. The early part of the match established that Ospreay was someone with a lot of ability. This helped the crowd take him seriously in this title match. In the middle portion of the match, Ospreay started selling his left arm really well. He was about to do the lucha handspring flip into the ropes but instead of bouncing back and following up with some kind of move, he went down because he was selling his arm, which I thought was clever. Later on in the match, he went for that front flip into the ropes again, but this time without his hands touching the canvas and he followed it up with a kick. Ospreay kept selling his arm no matter how spectacular the move he executed was. KUSHIDA's selling was also very good throughout the match. KUSHIDA did the Kawada kicks to the head. Ospreay got riled up and yelled"come here you f*cking d*ckhead!" and they exchanged elbows. The final minutes of the match saw the action get increasingly more intense and spectacular. Ospreay really did well for himself, especially considering he had only four years experience as a pro wrestler at the time. Jushin Thunder Liger entered the ring after the match and challenged KUSHIDA. ****½

NJPW 4/23/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Katsuyori Shibata & KUSHIDA vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Yuji Nagata 17:08. Shibata and Nagata started the match off, but eventually the match was more about Liger vs. KUSHIDA. Liger's work is still good and intriguing even though he's past his physical prime. Liger's selling was still great. Speaking of selling, Kushida almost convinced me twice that he was going to tap out while Liger had him in a submission hold. ***½

NJPW 5/3/16 Fukuoka International Center, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 14:37. The legendary Liger challenged KUSHIDA because Liger wanted to win the title for a 12th time in his career. The last time the 51-year old Liger had won the title was more than 15 years prior to this match though. This shouldn't be viewed as a selfish act on Liger's part but more as Liger wanting to see where he was at this stage of his long and illustrious career. When KUSHIDA was a 7-year old kid, he was practicing the Liger Bomb at home with his pillows in his room. As much as this is a dream match for KUSHIDA, it is also a dream match for me. Liger is one of my all-time favorite wrestlers and he was one of the very first Japanese wrestlers I ever watched a match of. KUSHIDA has become one of my favorite Japanese wrestlers of the past decade. One of the most awesome things about Liger is, no matter at what stage of his career he was in, he was always over and he was always respected. KUSHIDA showed his speed early in the match and wasn't holding back. He started attacking Liger's left arm early in the match. He didn't let Liger's status get in the way of his performance. Liger eventually got the upper hand, attacking KUSHIDA's left knee and hitting a brainbuster on the floor. KUSHIDA made it back into the ring at the 19.99 count because he sold his knee just before entering the ring. Everyone gasped for a split second thinking he'd actually not make it into the ring on time. KUSHIDA's performance was excellent in this match. Liger's performance was excellent as well. Liger may not be the same pure worker he was in the early '90's but his psychology has been top-notch ever since the late 90s, which really is the key factor to the longevity of his career. Both workers sold well during this match. Liger kept working on KUSHIDA's left leg. I like little details like KUSHIDA pulling Liger's gear in desperation while selling being in the figure-4 leglock. This match reminded me a bit of the 5/29/11 match these two had against each other, except Liger was still guiding KUSHIDA a lot in that match, while here Liger could clearly completely trust KUSHIDA as KUSHIDA had grown so much as a worker in five years time. ***¾

NJPW 5/21/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIII Block A Match: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly 20:06. This was the main event of this show. These two had a great match on 6/7/15, which was the final of the BOSJ XXII tournament. This was a league portion match in Block A of the BOSJ XXIII tournament. Somehow they managed to deliver once again a great match and this one was at least as great as their epic 6/7/15 match (arguably even a little bit better). At some point, KUSHIDA hit an armbreaker off the second rope onto O'Reilly. Luckily, this time nobody got a concussion. Lots of beautiful counters in this match. It was once again a great display of technical wrestling. The main differences were that KUSHIDA wasn't concussed and the match was a bit shorter, so things felt a bit more urgent. O'Reilly dropped KUSHIDA knee-first on a chair on the outside. O'Reilly's strikes were very stiff. In a really cool looking spot, O'Reilly was about to execute a move off the apron onto KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA caught O'Reilly in a submission hold. KUSHIDA sold his knee and started working over O'Reilly's left arm some more. KUSHIDA moved around the ring gracefully, as always. O'Reilly cut a promo after the match where he said KUSHIDA is the best opponent he ever stepped in the ring with and that he loves the NJPW fans. ****¾

NJPW Dominion 6/19/16 Osaka-Jo Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 14:36. The 73rd IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA defended the title against BOSJ XXIII tournament winner Will Ospreay (who had defeated Ryusuke Taguchi in the BOSJ XXIII final). After some fancy stuff early on, KUSHIDA knew it was time to get to business and started working over Ospreay's left arm. Ospreay made a comeback pretty quickly, but kept selling his left arm. He hit several spectacular moves, including the Space Flying Tiger Drop. KUSHIDA did the Kawada kicks to the head, which wound up Ospreay, who yelled:"come on d*ckhead!" and the two workers started exchanging elbows. Ospreay did some more spectacular stuff in his comeback, but some of it seemed unnecessary and wasn't always perfectly executed. It was a very good match but I felt that Ospreay was trying too much fancy stuff and I would have liked to see him focus more on having a really good match. In other words, this wasn't quite on the level of their excellent 4/10/16 match. ***½

CMLL 7/8/2016 Ciudad de Mexico Arena Mexico, 2-out-of-3 falls: KUSHIDA vs. Volador Jr. 1:58. 7:14. 12:32. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA challenged Volador Jr. for the NWA World Historic Welterweight Title. KUSHIDA started his pro wrestling career in Mexico back in 2005. More than 10 years later, he's representing what is probably the biggest Japanese wrestling company as the champion of his weight class in the most famous arena in Mexican lucha libre history, Arena Mexico on a show promoted by the oldest pro wrestling promotion that is still in business (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre). It was interesting to see KUSHIDA work as a rudo after seeing him as a babyface in NJPW for so long. KUSHIDA won the typically quick Volador first fall, catching him in a submission after Volador Jr. went for a springboard move. KUSHIDA remained in control through the beginning of the second fall. However, Volador Jr. finally was able to fight back in a big way by launching himself like a human torpedo and hitting a tremendous tope suicida. It didn't take long after that for Volador Jr. to win the second fall. After the first two falls felt like more kind of a formality, they went all out in the third fall. Volador Jr. hit a tope con giro. KUSHIDA hit some beautiful moves including a springboard dropkick and a somersault off the top to the outside. Volador Jr. hit a beautiful Asai moonsault. The cornermen were Mephisto in the corner of Volador Jr. and Fujin (a.k.a. YOH) in KUSHIDA's corner. The match was worked at a relatively slow pace with the big spots spread out over the match and plenty of selling. They certainly made it feel like an epic title match. The infamous rudo sympathizing referee Tirantes was the ref for this match, but he was calling this contest down the middle. Volador Jr. hit a beautiful top-rope hurricanrana for a near fall. KUSHIDA hit a hurricanrana of his own, but it was on the outside of the ring. KUSHIDA rolled back into the ring and seemed to actually enjoy being the rudo for a change. KUSHIDA almost won with la magistral after KUSHIDA countered Volador Jr.'s offense. In the end, it was Volador Jr. who won after he surprised KUSHIDA with a reverse rana. What stood out the most for me in this match was how well KUSHIDA was able to adapt to this different set and setting. ****

NJPW 7/20/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Super J-Cup First Round Match: KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori 16:25. This tournament was the 6th edition of the Super J-Cup. It featured junior heavyweight workers from several different promotions, with Ishimori representing NOAH. This match featured several impressive counters by both workers. KUSHIDA tried to keep somewhat focusing on Ishimori's left arm throughout the match. The action got increasingly hotter as the match progressed and there were plenty of spectacular moves in this match. The pacing and selling helped it prevent from being a spotfest. When both workers were standing on the ropes, KUSHIDA hit a flying armbar off the top rope into a triangle. Ishimori hit a fall away slam off the top rope. They really made it feel this was an important match and thus really helped making this edition of the Super J-Cup feel special. ****¾

NJPW 8/21/16 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum, Super J-Cup Quarter Final Match: KUSHIDA vs. Keno 10:24. This was a second-round match in the 6th edition of the Super J-Cup. Keno represented Pro Wrestling NOAH. The match wasn't really that noteworthy other than Keno's consistent selling of the left arm throughout the match, but he sold it almost to the point where he was overdoing it, though the effort is certainly appreciated. It was a slow-paced match. Keno executed a few nice stiff kicks. It was a good match, but not recommended viewing. If anything, this match shows that KUSHIDA is versatile and is able to make the most out of any situation... The match served its purpose and was a good second-round match. ***¼

NJPW 8/21/16 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum, Super J-Cup Semi Final Match: KUSHIDA vs. Taichi 9:52. Taichi was accompanied by Miho Abe, who's presence is perhaps the only reason why anyone should care about Taichi. KUSHIDA went along with the booking and tried to make the most out of this. KUSHIDA did a pretty good job of carrying this. For KUSHIDA this was just a stepping stone to the next round anyway. **½

NJPW 8/21/16 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum, Super J-Cup Final: KUSHIDA vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru 19:50. KUSHIDA was not only the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion at this time, but he also represented NJPW in the final of Super J-Cup: 6th Stage, taking on his 3rd opponent from NOAH out of 4 matches. The first edition of the Super J-Cup in 1994 was one of the most historical wrestling events ever, at least for fans like me who were first properly introduced to puroresu through the 1994 Super J-Cup. As was the case with the 1994 Super J-Cup and also with the BOSJ tournaments, Jushin Thunder Liger and other junior heavyweights were at ringside watching this big match. It started out as a match that felt at least somewhat like a struggle, but there was just too much shenanigans, interference and B.S. going on for this to be very good or better. Plus, maybe Kanemaru just wasn't able (and/or motivated) to deliver a really good match anymore at this stage of his career. Either way, this was an extremely disappointing final to a tournament that had so much promise. However, I'm happy KUSHIDA got the big victory. ***¼

NJPW 9/17/16 Ota City General Gymnasium, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI 21:03. This was okay, but BUSHI just isn't the type of worker anyone is really going to have an excellent match with. There was a mist spot and there was some outside interference. Just a bunch of B.S., but at least the match didn't end right there (which made the interference seem even more pointless) and things actually kinda picked up a bit near the finish. To their credit, they somehow managed to keep things somewhat interesting for more than 20 minutes, which is why I think it was pretty good overall. ***

NJPW 11/5/16 Osaka EDION Arena: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI 15:11. KUSHIDA challenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. This was slightly better than their previous match. This was more serious and more aggressive compared to 9/17/16. The post-match was a setup for KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Tanahashi. ***¼

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17 Tokyo Dome, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi 16:15. Takahashi attacked KUSHIDA during his ring entrance. KUSHIDA took revenge with a big somersault plancha off the top to the outside. Takahashi executed a sunset flip off the apron to the floor in front of Jushin Thunder Liger, who was doing commentary. Takahashi did more spectacular stuff, like a flying senton off the top to KUSHIDA, who was standing on the floor. Takahashi made sure to sell his left arm even when he was on offense. Takahashi was about to hit a flying move off the apron, but KUSHIDA caught him in a submission hold. Now Takahashi's arm was even worse off. KUSHIDA continued working on the arm by viciously kicking it. In the end, this match was more a showcase for Takahashi. He did some spectacular moves and got put over after spending most of his previous three years in Mexico. KUSHIDA did a very good job trying to fill in the rest of the match. ***½

NJPW 3/7/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi 11:54. KUSHIDA did most of the work in this match, especially for his team since Tanahashi basically decided to take the night off. EVIL and Takahashi were okay. **½

NJPW 4/9/17 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi 1:56. As some form of revenge for the Tokyo Dome match, this time it was KUSHIDA who attacked Takahashi during the entrance... KUSHIDA hit a crazy plancha off the top turnbuckle to the outside onto Takahashi. However, Takahashi executed a few moves and then pinned KUSHIDA within a couple of minutes. What!? I'm not too happy about this booking. *½

RevPro 4/13/17 London, England York Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. 26:56. KUSHIDA challenged ZSJ for the RevPro British Heavyweight Title. ZSJ wore all three titles he held at the time (PWG, EVOLVE and RevPro titles) on his way to the ring. The match started off with great matwork. It almost looked like ZSJ was going to twist KUSHIDA's head off at some point. The counters were quickly and smoothly executed in this match. Sabre's selling was very good and quite realistic. Sabre's mannerisms were a bit cocky. KUSHIDA started working more intensely on Sabre's arm. KUSHIDA wasn't able to maintain control for too long though. Sabre showed his great technical skills. Somehow the match felt like it lacked something. It felt a little bit laid back for their standards. When the RevPro crowd stops singing, you know there's something wrong. I think that if the match was slightly shorter that they possibly would have a bit more of an urgent battle. Don't get me wrong, it was a very good match, but it wasn't the excellent match I hoped for. ***¾

NJPW 5/3/17 Fukuoka Convention Center: KUSHIDA & Juice Robinson vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito 9:00. This was the first match in New Japan that KUSHIDA had since the quick loss to Takahashi. KUSHIDA showed a lot of aggression and wanted revenge. There was some brawling in the crowd. They went back into the ring. KUSHIDA gave a strong performance, everyone else was okay. Takahashi pinned KUSHIDA again. **

NJPW 5/22/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIV Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI 15:51. KUSHIDA wore the ROH Television Championship belt around his waist. He had recently won that title from Marty Scurll on 5/14/17 in Philadelphia, PA. This BOSJ XXIV league match between KUSHIDA and BUSHI was the main event of this Korakuen Hall show. For some reason some people apparently thought this was a great match. I don't see it. BUSHI tried, but didn't bring much to the table other than a chair. This wasn't bad, but certainly not recommended viewing by any means. BUSHI's selling wasn't too bad actually. KUSHIDA gave a strong performance. ***

NJPW 5/29/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIV Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Ryusuke Taguchi 22:53. This was an interesting match. Taguchi has never been one of the best wrestlers technically speaking, but occasionally his effort makes up for it. In some ways, Taguchi is somewhat of an overachiever. KUSHIDA was smart enough to let Taguchi kinda do his thing and make the most out of the match. It's almost like KUSHIDA saw this as a challenge to make this as good as possible. KUSHIDA carried this match really well. KUSHIDA tied Taguchi up in submission holds. KUSHIDA sold his knee for a while, giving Taguchi something to focus on. In the meantime, Taguchi sold his left arm a bit. Eventually, KUSHIDA went back focusing on the arm while still selling his own knee. The match grew increasingly more interesting, and the crowd was really into it. KUSHIDA executed the Kimura and then Back to the Future (small package powerbomb) for the win. ****¼

NJPW 6/1/17 Nagoya International Conference Hall Event Hall, Best Of the Super Junior XXIV Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Volador Jr. 15:44. This was the main event of the show. While this was very good, it was slightly disappointing and not on the same level as their 7/8/16 match at Arena Mexico. However, if you like these workers it's certainly worthwhile viewing this match. The main problem was that it lacked urgency. KUSHIDA did La Mistica and then went for the Kimura. Speaking of the Kimura... As a fun sidenote, here's a little history lesson about KUSHIDA's main finishing submission move, the Kimura lock (also known as the hoverboard lock). On 10/23/51, Masahiko Kimura (a Japanese judoka who had an infamous pro wrestling match again Rikidozan in 1954) defeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu founder Helio Gracie in the famous Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As the story goes, Kimura was greeted with raw eggs and insults by the Brazilian crowd. However, Kimura executed an armlock but Gracie did not surrender so Kimura rotated Gracie's arm until it broke. Gracie still refused to give up, resulting in Kimura breaking the arm a second time. As Kimura was about to break the arm a third time, Gracie's corner threw the towel in and that gave Kimura the win in that match in 1951. That's why this brutal submission hold is known as the Kimura. Anyway "Back to the Future" another win for KUSHIDA. ***½

NJPW 6/3/17 Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIV Final: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 27:59. KUSHIDA suffered some big losses earlier in the year, so he really wanted to win this tournament to prove he's still the best. Will Ospreay was the winner of the previous BOSJ tournament. He wanted to become the second person to win this tournament back-to-back (Tiger Mask did it in 2004 & 2005). We went into this with two workers who really wanted to win this in story, and they managed to translate that will to win in this great match through showing a sense of urgency and overall emotion. This was the sort of great match where they were able to feature fantastic athletic moves without compromising the psychology of the match. Ospreay executing the reverse rana onto KUSHIDA on the apron was one of the many crazy moves that made me go"wow" out loud. When they traded Kawada kicks, it put a smile on my face. KUSHIDA somewhat made up for his embarrassing losses earlier in the year by winning the tournament for the 2nd time. The post-match celebration was great too. ****½

NJPW Dominion 6/11/17 Osaka-Jo Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi 19:12. KUSHIDA challenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. This was much better than their previous meetings. This felt more like a complete fight and not just some cool spots, even though cool spots were still featured. It was a heated fight. There was a spot where KUSHIDA ran, jumped off a chair and hit Takahashi sitting on a chair with a devastating dropkick. Takahashi hit his signature sunset bomb. KUSHIDA finally beat Takahashi! KUSHIDA became the 77th IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. **** 

RevPro 7/8/17 London, England Walthamstow Assembly Hall, British J Cup First Round Match: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly 21:27. This was very good, but not quite as great as their matches in Japan. Their matches in Japan were exceptional so that's hardly a knock on this match. It's just that after knowing what they are capable of, it was pretty clear that they didn't go all out for this match, but that's still better than most workers are capable of in general. KUSHIDA used a chair as a springboard and hit a dropkick on O'Reilly sitting in a chair. ***¾

WCPW 8/24/17 Milton Keynes, England Planet Ice, Pro Wrestling World Cup Quarter Final Match: KUSHIDA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. 30:08. Very good technical wrestling match. Fans of KUSHIDA and Zack Sabre Jr. will enjoy this and should check this out. However, it's not quite a match I'd recommend for everyone else. It's a slow-paced match. In a way, it kinda reminds me of the RevPro 4/13/17 match because it's a long match that is perhaps slightly too long. Again, it's very good, but I think that if it was 10 minutes shorter that they probably would have been able to make it more exciting. Also, if KUSHIDA and Sabre had the same chemistry KUSHIDA and Ibushi had, for example, that would have also helped translate this effort into a better match. ***½

WCPW 8/26/17 Newcastle, England Sport Central, Pro Wrestling World Cup Final Match: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 18:02. KUSHIDA had beaten Joseph Conners in the semi finals. Bea Priestley showed up at ringside to support Will Ospreay. This was a very good match between KUSHIDA and Will Ospreay. It wasn't their worst, but it certainly wasn't their best either. It's worth checking out if you want to know more about KUSHIDA and Will Ospreay. If you're just looking for great matches, you can skip this one. ***¾

NJPW 10/09/17 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 15:32. The match started off with some really spectacular moves. KUSHIDA dropkicked Ospreay over the guardrail, and as KUSHIDA was about to hit a move after jumping off a chair that he had placed on the floor, Ospreay was one step ahead, and caught KUSHIDA in mid-air. When Ospreay went for the space flying tiger drop, KUSHIDA caught him in mid-air with an armbar! Ospreay was definitely giving his best effort here, and KUSHIDA once again showed his tremendous all-round qualities as a wrestler. They clearly wanted to do something different here, and that certainly made for an interesting match. This was even better than their great BOSJ final match, because this match had more urgency and was wrestled at a faster pace. Also, it was interesting to see them having learned from each other’s moves, which meant they were avoiding each other’s moves more often instead of simply letting the other do whatever they pleased and going along with it. This was a super exciting match. The action was non-stop, and they didn’t give the viewer a chance to even consider looking away. Great match. ****¾

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 1/4/18 Tokyo Dome: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Marty Scurll 21:18. Will Ospreay did some good high flying. He really stood out here. KUSHIDA was very good, but didn't get to put his stamp on the match that much. Scurll was kinda annoying and Takahashi wasn't that memorable. I would have preferred another KUSHIDA vs. Ospreay match instead of this fatal 4-way. ***¼

NJPW 5/4/18 Fukuoka Convention Center: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 23:45. I got my wish. Here's another KUSHIDA vs. Ospreay match. Will Ospreay was the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. The early part of the match really was more about KUSHIDA attacking Ospreay's left arm. It was cool to see them have a different approach for this match. They weren't out there to do crazy stuff from the start, instead they were more focused on limbwork. Ospreay took a big chance with a Space Flying Tiger Drop, and it worked for him because it enabled him to gain control of the match for a little bit. Ospreay kept selling his left arm well. They teased KUSHIDA going for the Kimura, but Ospreay escaped quickly. They were really trying to tell the story that Ospreay wasn't 100% due to injuries, but he wouldn't let that get in the way of his chances and that made for an interesting match. KUSHIDA had the Kimura locked, but Ospreay escaped. KUSHIDA almost hit Back to the Future but Ospreay escaped. In the end, Ospreay got the pin. Really good match, but it wasn't on the level of their best matches because it lacked them taking it to the next level. Still, an excellent match overall. ***¾

NJPW 5/27/18 Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXV Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. SHO 19:24. This was almost a shoot style match. KUSHIDA moved around the ring smoothly. KUSHIDA focused on SHO's left arm. SHO gave a surprisingly good performance here. The match was pretty solid, but it's not as spectacular as most of KUSHIDA's top matches. However, the fact that they were daring enough to try something more credible is what makes it stand out from the other matches in this tournament. This was a very good match. I don't think it's necessarily one of KUSHIDA's very best matches, but it's certainly a unique match that's different, not only from most of KUSHIDA's other matches, but from non U-style pro-wrestling matches in general. It's not quite on the level of the matches KUSHIDA had with Kyle O'Reilly, but if you really liked those matches, you might want to watch this match as well. ****

NJPW 6/2/18 Takasaki New Sunpia, Best Of the Super Juniors XXV Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Lee 18:17. Dragon Lee is a Mexican wrestler and he's a very gifted athlete. They did some cool spots and the match was pretty good overall, but there didn't seem to be much of a direction. In the end, it was just another BOSJ match. *** 

NJPW 6/3/18 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXV Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi 24:16. As of this BOSJ XXV tournament, KUSHIDA has been participating in every BOSJ tournament since 2010. KUSHIDA and Takahashi worked the collar-and-elbow lockup real well early in the match, making it come across like a big struggle. I thought it was cool they did something so fundamental and turned it into the story of the first five minutes. After the 5-minute mark, they started going for their usual bigger spots for a bit, but doing spots was never the main focus of the match. This was very different from their previous matches and it was a slower-paced match than their previous matches. Their 6/11/17 match is arguably slightly better, but this 6/3/18 match is certainly recommended as well. Closer to the finish, KUSHIDA started going more and more for Takahashi's arm. However, Takahashi kept going for the triangle submission and was determined to beat KUSHIDA this way, and he succeeded. This result meant that Takahashi won Block B and KUSHIDA ended up second in Block B. Takahashi would win the tournament by beating Block A winner Taiji Ishimori the next day. ****     

OTT 8/18/18 Dublin, Ireland The Arena On Suir Road: KUSHIDA vs. Shane Strickland 24:06. KUSHIDA was really good, as always. Strickland was okay. He was doing pretty generic stuff here. I think this would have been better if it was shorter because Strickland didn't appear to be the type of worker who knows how to fill a 24-minute match. I guess they got 24 minutes with the idea this was supposed to come off as an "epic" match. The main focus was on spectacular moves, but Strickland didn't know what to do in between, and the spectacular moves weren't all that spectacular. This match would have been better if it was half the length because then Strickland could have just done some spectacular stuff, with KUSHIDA having had an easier time carrying the match by filling in between. People who think this is a great match probably haven't watched KUSHIDA's best matches. Decent match, but certainly not recommended by any means. **¾

NJPW Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 10/8/18, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Final: KUSHIDA vs. Marty Scurll 18:33. The championship was vacated in August because of Hiromu Takahashi's neck injury. Scurll's work is quite dull and not very smooth. The match lacked drama and intensity. The match is only memorable because KUSHIDA became IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for the sixth time. **¾

OTT 10/13/18 Dublin, Ireland National Stadium. KUSHIDA vs. Tomohiro Ishii 18:48. It's interesting to see KUSHIDA, the top NJPW junior heavyweight, against one of the top NJPW heavyweights. This match took place in Over The Top Wrestling, an Irish pro wrestling promotion. The story was that KUSHIDA wants to prove he can hang in there with the heavyweights. The match was kind of a watered down version of a KUSHIDA match since KUSHIDA's usual matches are against workers that are faster and more agile than Ishii, who is at his best when he gets to work his slugging style heavyweight match. However, it was certainly an interesting match-up. Also, it was good to see Ishii have a match that was very different from his usual matches. There were some moments of sloppy execution here and there. KUSHIDA eventually started focusing on Ishii's left arm. In the end, the match is somewhat memorable as a novelty match, but it's certainly not one of the best matches of either worker. ***½

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 1/4/19 Tokyo Dome, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori 11:17. The way they worked this, it would have probably turned into a better match if it was longer. However, the match ended up feeling like they hadn't fully utilized the time they got. It lacked energy and some of the stuff they did during the final minutes wasn't too smooth. Very disappointing match. **¾

NJPW 1/29/19 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi 24:34. This was KUSHIDA's final match in NJPW. He got a big main event match against arguably the biggest NJPW star, Hiroshi Tanahashi. The junior heavyweight ace got to prove himself against the heavyweight ace, and it was a nice way to say farewell. KUSHIDA hit Back To The Future but Tanahashi kicked out. In the end, Tanahashi made KUSHIDA submit. Certainly not one of KUSHIDA's best matches, but a nice way to say goodbye and start a new journey. **¾ 

After the research I've done, this is how I look at his work...

2006-2011: average

2012-2015: excellent

2016-2018: great

KUSHIDA was able to make the most of the situation in many different settings whether it be the NJPW junior heavyweight division, the smaller Japanese promotions, or the foreign excursions early in his career. In the early North American matches, he showed that he could adapt to the North American independent scene and work heelish (while he generally works as a sympathetic babyface type worker). He showed that he could be a great rudo in lucha libre Mexicana. He appeared on shows in the British Isles and impressed people there. He even played his role well on "fighting opera"/sports-entertainment shows. KUSHIDA has always been able to incorporate the lucha style he was trained in very well into all these different settings. When you factor in that he has an MMA background as well, it's safe to say that he's really been able to work a wide variety of styles and be successful at it. In some ways, he's basically a "jack of all trades" arguably he's a master of none, but he more than makes up for that by being versatile and having a history of excellent matches with a wide variety of opponents. Plus, he always seemed to give at least a good effort. He was arguably the most consistent junior heavyweight of the 2010s. He would have good to very good matches on a regular basis and he was involved in a good number of matches that were excellent or better. His work was often so smooth that it's sometimes easy to take for granted how much of an all-round wrestler he is.

KUSHIDA should be remembered as one of the best Japanese junior heavyweight wrestlers of the mid and late 2010s. He was the junior heavyweight ace of the 2010s. Apart from working many excellent matches, his ability translated into many kayfabe accomplishments. He won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title on six occasions, he won the Best Of the Super Juniors tournament twice and he won the 2016 Super J-Cup among other title and tournament victories. When it comes to the booking, there were times where I think NJPW could have done more with him (especially in 2013) because at times he got lost in the shuffle for a bit by being booked in many multi-man matches (although that seems to be an ongoing issue with Gedo's booking in general) and in 2018 putting him in the heavyweight division where he wanted to be instead of telling him to stay put while guys he'd been fighting all these years such as Taichi, Will Ospreay, & Kota Ibushi soon got runs with the NEVER Openweight Title instead. When you think of some of the great history making junior heavyweights from previous eras, like Satoru Sayama and Jushin Thunder Liger... KUSHIDA represents a new era. The NJPW junior heavyweight division may never get the prestige back that it lost just before the turn of the century with the rush to get all the promising competitors into the heavyweight division, but very few wrestlers will be able to equal what KUSHIDA did in the 2010s. He'll go down as one of the all-time greats.

#1 NJPW 10/9/17 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 15:32. ****¾ 

#2 NJPW 7/20/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Super J-Cup ~6th Stage~ Round 1: KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori 16:25. ****¾

#3 NJPW 5/21/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIII Block A: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly 20:06. ****¾  

#4 NJPW 4/10/16 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 15:07. ****½

#5 NJPW 6/3/17 Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIV Final: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay 27:59. ****½

#6 NJPW 9/7/12 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: KUSHIDA vs. Kota Ibushi 25:10. ****½

#7 NJPW 5/29/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIV Block B: KUSHIDA vs. Ryusuke Taguchi 22:53. ****¼ 

#8 NJPW 6/6/13 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XX Block B Match: KUSHIDA vs. Kenny Omega 16:10. ****¼ 

#9 NJPW 6/7/15 Yoyogi National Gymnasium #2, Best Of the Super Junior XXII Final: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly 30:45. ****¼  

#10 CMLL 7/8/2016 Ciudad de Mexico Arena Mexico, World Historic Welterweight Title: KUSHIDA vs. Volador Jr. 1:58, 7:14, 12:32. **** 

#11 NJPW 5/27/18 Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXV Block B: KUSHIDA vs. SHO 19:24. ****

#12 NJPW 1/4/16 Tokyo Dome: KUSHIDA vs. Kenny Omega 12:48. **** 

#13 NJPW/CMLL 1/22/12 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, CMLL World Welterweight Title: Mascara Dorada vs. KUSHIDA 13:22. ****

#14 NJPW 6/3/18 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXV Block B: KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi 24:16. ****

#15 NJPW 7/5/15 Osaka Jo-Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Kenny Omega vs. KUSHIDA 20:44. ***¾