Kushida has reportedly left WWE.
Kushida joined WWE after leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling back in 2019 where he was a 6-time IWGP Jr Heavyweight champion.
When he first joined WWE & the NXT brand back in 2019, many fans of his were very optimistic to see what he would be doing with the company, and after a somewhat promising start that involved a run with the NXT Crusierweight Championship, things quickly cooled down.
Kushida was eventually placed in a tag team named “Jacket Time” with Ikemen Jiro. The tag team was more of a comedy team, and whilst it may pop some fans, it definitely wasn’t what was hoped for him by his fans when he first joined the company.
Tonight, whilst Monday Night RAW was live, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select posted to his twitter & the Patreon that Kushida has indeed left WWE:
Fightful has confirmed that Kushida has left WWE
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) April 19, 2022
We'll have details as we learn them on https://t.co/jy8u4a7WDa. pic.twitter.com/CYaMQxmT2u
In an update to the Fightful Select post, Sean Ross Sapp had added that early indications are that Kushida’s departure was due to a contract expiry, but with at least on person in the company being under the belief that it was a “budget cuts release”. Dave Meltzer also believes that this was a contract expiry as he reported so during the latest Wrestling Observer Radio
H/T to WrestleTalk for the transcription
