KUSHIDA is a true veteran in the pro wrestling world as he has been working as a pro wrestler since 2005. He made a name for himself in NJPW and won multiple titles all around the world.

The current NXT Cruiserweight Champion is arguably on his best run yet in WWE, but it seems KUSHIDA thought about hanging his wrestling boots up for good back in 2017.

KUSHIDA recently took to Twitter and revealed that he thought about retiring from pro wrestling after every match in 2017 due to concerns over his mental and physical wellbeing. However, a match with Kyle O’Reilly around that time gave him the desire to have another match with him in the future.

“In 2017, around this time, I was considering retirement after every match. I was concerned about my mental and physical health after every match. I wrestled back and forth between Japan and the United States twice a month.

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“During that time, I sometimes suffered from severe abdominal pain after matches. I crouched on the floor with a cold sweat and had no choice but to wait for the pain to pass. had to insert a gastro camera down my throat at the hospital to examine my stomach. But the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong. The doctor’s diagnosis was that my autonomic nerves must have been disturbed. My level of this abdominal pain wasn’t normal. And, if it continued, I couldn’t wrestle anymore. I knew it wasn’t an exaggeration. And I knew that my wrestling career could be over at any time.”

“I had a match with Kyle O’Reilly at that time. It was four years ago in London. At this point, it was rumored that Kyle O’Reilly would soon sign a contract with WWE. After our match, I talked to him directly. He told me his honest intentions. At that time, I thought it would be great to have a match against him in the WWE some day. I knew my professional wrestling life wouldn’t last forever.”

“So Yesterday was special. WWE/NXT universe! Thank you for watching. Our fight will go on forever,” 

KUSHIDA is also expected to get a major push in NXT as the company plans on focusing on the Cruiserweight Division and title on NXT programming more often. We are certainly glad KUSHIDA didn’t retire and continued to wrestle and hope his health is much better now.

Subhojeet Mukherjee

Subhojeet, a professional wrestling fan for over 20+ years, found his passion during the Monday Night Wars. With expertise honed over decades and a broad spectrum of interests including TV, movies, anime, novels, and music, he offers insightful analysis and coverage. Respected in the industry, Subhojeet keeps fans informed and engaged with his knowledge and perspective.

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