I kinda feel bad for KUSHIDA right about now.

[King (Super) Dragunov]

Imagine your home promotion won't stop pigeonholing you, so you decide to bet on yourself because you know your worth, travel across the globe, come to America, get the dream of WWE via NXT, and then you end up part of a brand destined to be taken out behind the barn because the guy that owns everything has an inferiority complex even though it's his fault for not having common sense about the situation.

[CeilingFan]

It wouldn't surprise me if the Cruiserweight Championship is retired soon.

What will Kushida do then?

[HMARK Center]

I obviously hope KUSHIDA gets to do whatever makes him happy and makes a lot of money doing so, so clearly I don't want him getting cut or anything from WWE, but I miss the hell out of him in NJPW, guy was always one of my favorites.

Still, it's true that he did end up getting stuck as the "Junior ace" when he wrestles a style that should clearly translate well to him challenging heavyweights, too; didn't help that his overall booking to that top spot felt more forced than most NJPW pushes do, he clearly had the talent for it but it still came off heavy-handed to the audience.

If the day comes that he gets caught in the Nick Khan Cut-O-Matic (and, again, not saying I want that for him if he's happy where he's at), I think him going to NJPW-US and working on Strong would be a smart move; he seems to want to make his mark in America, he'd be around a company he knows well, they'd book him well on there, he'd have a whole new roster to work with, and he could make appearances with all other kinds of North American promotions given the relationships NJPW is working on.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

He's had a really odd NXT run. He debuted in April of 2019 and didn't compete on a Takeover card until October of 2020.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Aug 17, 2021 7:43:14 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

He's had a really odd NXT run. He debuted in April of 2019 and didn't compete on a Takeover card until October of 2020.

It’s weird... The guys that were supposed to know exactly what to do with him, didn’t know what to do with him. Same was true for Keith Lee early on, too.

[corndog]

I was wondering how KUSHIDA was doing in WWE/NXT. He probably should have moved to heavyweight, at least had some NEVER runs in New Japan. Honestly, I didn't blame him for leaving New Japan, he was in a dead end and even as the Junior-Ace, he was on borrowed time even though Hiromu got injured. I don't really know what is going on with his run in WWE/NXT, but I hope he's doing alright and is happy. I also think HHH brought him in to help train and to help with Japanese talent brought over, since he speaks pretty good English and even before coming to WWE, had residency in Toronto.

[The Rick Jericho]

I think if anything, if they were to release him, they would probably state it on their website. Like it was mutual as a sign of respect for him.

[Totorob101]

I have a feeling the Japanese talent will fall victim to the next set of cuts,Kushida is champion of an almost dead division,Saraay has barely featured and doesn't fit at all,tozawa is on burrowed time and Asuka has Vanished,heck even Io isn't doing anything now.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Kushida debuted before I stopped watching and I remember almost nothing about him except coloured hair and... sneakers?

By that time, it felt like NXT was debuting a new indie talent every week, and it just didn't matter any more - it became like Marvel movies. I don't care how good you all are, there is not enough time in my life to give you all attention, especially when I know WWE won't either.

I feel worse for Kevin Owens, who signed an immense WWE contract and got into the shape of his life immediately before AEW really got solidified as something viable long term.