藤田ミノル
In 2009, Kushida got into a heated rivalry with his Monster Army counterpart, NWA International Junior Heavyweight Champion Ray Ohara. Kushida faced Ohara several times for his title, but was defeated each time despite Tajiri's best efforts to help him. Ohara allied himself with Minoru Fujita as his mentor to counter Tajiri, and stipulated a last title match in which Kushida would put his Hustle career in line. Kushida accepted, but was defeated due to a miscommunication with Tajiri, forcing him to abandon the Hustle Army and the promotion itself.