NJPW Star KUSHIDA Set for Philippine Debut Match

NJPW’s own “Time Splitter” KUSHIDA is adding the Philippines to the long list of countries he has wrestled in next month. He will compete in the country for the first time for Filipino Pro-Wrestling (FPW) on November 9.

The six-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion will be in a tag team bout, teaming up with “The Maestro” Cali Nueva against The YOLO Twins.

While it is his first time in the Philippines, he has wrestled in other countries in East Asia, namely China and Taiwan. He was part of the recently concluded NJPW Historic X-over in Guangzhou, China, held last October 5 in a singles match against Zack Sabre Jr.

KUSHIDA has had a decorated 19-year career performing all over the world. Aside from being a multi-time Jr. Heavyweight champion, he’s also held the Jr. Tag belts four times as part of the Time Splitters with Alex Shelley and, more recently, with Kevin Knight as the Intergalactic Jet Setters.

He also held the Ring of Honor Television Championship in 2017, racking up five defenses. He was also a former WWE NXT Cruiserweight champion, holding the title for 161 days in 2021.

NJPW’s Presence in the Philippines

Before the announcement of KUSHIDA debuting in the country, there were already others who had made the trip and wrestled in front of the Filipino fans.

Last year, the former Jeff Cobb came back to the Philippines and wrestled for FPW as well. He won the FPW Championship by defeating the longest reigning champion, Mike Madrigal. He brought the title to Japan, which was seen in multiple NJPW shows, including Wrestle Kingdom 19, just this January.

Prior to that, he made his Philippine debut back in 2019 for the now-defunct Philippine Wrestling Revolution (PWR).

Former IWGP World Heavyweight champion Zack Sabre Jr. and reigning two-time NJPW World TV champion El Phantasmo have also performed for the Filipino fans. ZSJ has wrestled there twice, both for shows organized by Dexcon, a pro-wrestling event organizer that is a collaborator of the two other promotions in the country: Puso Wrestling and World Underground Wrestling – Philippines (WUW).