KUSHIDA Yujiro Kushida ( May 12 , 1983 ) is a Japan ese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist . He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling as Kushida ( stylized in all capital letters ) . He is a former four - time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion , while also being a former two - time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion , alongside Alex Shelley as the Time Splitters . He also won the 2015 Best of the Super Juniors and 2016 Super J - Cup tournaments . He won the ZST Genesis Lightweight Tournament and AJPW ' s U - 30 Tag Team Tournament in 2008 with T28 . He is also undefeated in mixed martial arts competition . MMA and Professional wrestling career . Takada Dojo and ZST ( 2003 – 2005 ) . Kushida trained at Nobuhiko Takada ' s Takada Dojo to be a professional fighter since he was in junior high school . He debuted at ZST in a fight against Kenji Mizuno in January 2003 . He won the ZST Genesis Light Weight Tournament in 2004 . Around the same time , he held a part - time job with the " Tokyo Sports " magazine . Kushida was offered to continue on in the MMA field , but his dream was to become a professional wrestler and he went out to do just that . Soon after he would embark to Mexico and Canada with money borrowed from his mother , Sachiko , and began training for a career in professional wrestling . Hustle ( 2006 – 2009 ) . Kushida returned to Japan on February 10 , 2006 , signed by his trainer Takada ' s promotion Hustle after being scouted by Tajiri and Hiroshi Nagao . Tajiri eventually took Kushida under his wing completely as an apprentice . Kushida debuted as a pro wrestler on September 7 , 2006 , with Tajiri to take on Red Onigumo and Blue Onigumo . Kushida quickly earned the title " Hustle Supernova " and became one of the top up - and - comers of the babyface faction Hustle Army , forming a team with Tajiri and fellow apprentice Banzai Chie . Kushida and Chie , assisted by guest model Hitomi Kaikawa , then entered a feud with villainous Monster Army member Giant Vabo , but they were mostly unsuccessful . Moreover , their alliance with Tajiri broke up when he was brainwashed in a storyline by Yinling into joining Monster Army , so they enlisted Ryoji Sai in order to snap him back to his former self . They eventually brought Tajiri back to his senses in 2007 , returning to their trios matches . 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 he was defeated due to a miscommunication with Tajiri , forcing him to abandon the Hustle Army and the promotion itself . All Japan Pro Wrestling and Osaka Pro Wrestling ( 2007 – 2008 ) . Kushida started competing in All Japan Pro Wrestling in July 2007 , wrestling against Ryuji Hijikata and T28 . In February 2008 , Kushida teamed up with T28 to participate in the U - 30 Tag Team Tournament , a one night tournament that featured AJPW ' s top young wrestlers . The team defeated CJ Otis and Mototsugu Shimizu in the first round , Kaji Yamato and Taishi Takizawa in the second round and the team of Daichi Kakimoto and Manabu Soya in the finals to win the U30 Tag Team tournament . The team would go on to compete in AJPW ' s 2008 Junior Tag League , the team ended up tied for last place with only four points for two victories and three losses . Kushida and Tajiri competed in Osaka Festival 2008 and reached the semi final of the tournament but were knocked out by Daisuke Harada and Zeus . Kushida also competed in the Mondo 21 Cup 13 - man battle royal . On 12 June , Kushida won his first three - way dance against Kuishinbo Kamen and Kanjyuro Matsuyama . After teaming up with Billyken Kid and defeating Takoyakida and Tigers Mask , Kushida went on a winning streak at Osaka Pro Wrestling in both singles and tag team matches which is still intact today . Touring North America ( 2009 – 2010 ) . In March 2009 , Kushida faced Rey Ohara in a loss that marked a turning point in his career , as the stipulations forced him to leave Japan . Kushida went on to compete in wrestling promotions in Canada , Mexico , and the United States , most notably Chikara and Border City Wrestling . Kushida participated in a steel cage match for the BSE Suicide Six Pack title in which he was defeated by Tyson Dux . On November 3 , 2010 , while competing for Canadian Wrestling ' s Elite , he challenged for the CWE Championship against AJ Sanchez , but failed to win the title . Kushida won his last match in Canada , defeating Michael Von Payton at Capital City Championship Combat in March 13 , 2010 . In October 2010 , Kushida made two appearances for American promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) . Smash ( 2010 – 2011 , 2012 ) . Kushida was in the main event at Smash . 1 where he defeated Hajime Ohara , and went on to team with Lin Byron to defeat Ohara and Syuri in the main event of Smash . 2 . Kushida lost to Prince Devitt in Smash . 3 ' s main event . Kushida defeated Isami Kodaka in a world tryout match on Smash . 4 , only to lose his next three matches for the promotion . He ended his losing streak alongside Tajiri and Akira Shoji with a victory against Ohara , Jessica Love , and Kageman Guro at Smash . 8 . At Smash . 9 , Kushida challenged Mike Mondo for the OVW Heavyweight Championship , but lost . At Smash . 10 Kushida participated in his first hardcore match , teaming with Super Crazy and Isami Kodaka to defeat Hajime Ohara , Heimo Ukonselkä , and Jessica Love . Kushida ' s initial run with Smash ended on March 31 , 2011 , at Smash . 15 , where he was defeated by Ohara . On March 14 , 2012 , Kushida returned to Smash to compete in the promotion ' s final event , in a victory over Yusuke Kodama . New Japan Pro Wrestling ( 2010 – present ) . Kushida participated in the annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament , which began on May 30 , 2010 . He participated in seven matches winning four out of them , giving him a total of eight points , just coming shy of the semi finals . Kushida also participated in the new tag team tournament called Super J Tag Tournament , Kushida partnered with Gedo . The pair first went up against Kota Ibushi and Austin Creed , Kushida pinned Austin to advance to the semi final . However the pair lost to Ryusuke Taguchi and Prince Devitt in the semi final so were out of the tournament . Kushida then went on to team up with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tajiri to compete in J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament 2010 , the team beat Chaos to progress to the finals where they were eventually beaten by Hirooki Goto , Prince Devitt , and Ryusuke Taguchi . Kushida participated in Super J Tag League teaming up with Akira in block B , the pair won two matches and lost two matches amassing a total of four points , missing out on the final by two points . On February 25 , 2011 , it was announced that Kushida , with Tajiri ' s blessing , would be leaving Smash and becoming a full - time member of the New Japan roster , beginning on April 1 . On March 19 Kushida unsuccessfully challenged Prince Devitt for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship . On May 26 , Kushida entered the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors tournament . After winning five out of his eight - round robin stage matches , he finished fourth out of the nine wrestlers in his block , narrowly missing the semifinals of the tournament . Kushida then went on to compete in J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament 2011 with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Máscara Dorada , however the trio were beaten in the second round by Jushin Thunder Liger , Karl Anderson and Giant Bernard . On August 27 , 2011 , he participated in the Destroyer Cup , a special battle royal at All Together . On September 19 , Kushida was set to challenge Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship , but a week earlier , Ibushi was forced to pull out of the match and vacate the title , after dislocating his left shoulder . Kushida was then booked in a decision match against former champion Prince Devitt to determine a new champion . On September 19 , Kushida was defeated by Prince Devitt in a match for the vacant IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship . On November 12 at Power Struggle , Kushida and Tiger Mask unsuccessfully challenged Davey Richards and Rocky Romero for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . At Wrestle Kingdom VI , Kushida participated in his first match on January 4 Dome Show by teaming up with Jushin " Thunder " Liger , Tiger Mask IV and Mascara Dorada to defeat Atlantis , Valiente and Suzuki - gun ( Taichi and Taka Michinoku ) . Liger won the match by pinning Valiente . On January 21 , Kushida returned after the NJPW break period to take part in the " Fantastica Mania 2012 " events , teaming with Hirooki Goto , beating Máscara Dorada and Rush . The second night Kushida lost to Máscara Dorada in a match for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship . At The New Beginning , Kushida along with Seigigun ( Wataru Inoue and Yuji Nagata ) , Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe were defeated in a ten - man tag team elimination match by Suzuki - gun ( Lance Archer , Minoru Suzuki , Taichi , Taka Michinoku and Yoshihiro Takayama ) . On 27 May , Kushida entered the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament , after a strong start beating three of his first four opponents , which included Prince Devitt , Kushida would go on to lose most of his remaining matches which , in the end , gave him eight points , once again narrowly missing out on the semi final . On July 22 , Kushida picked up a big win , when he defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Low Ki in a non - title match . However , Low Ki was first scheduled to defend his title against Kota Ibushi and when , on July 29 , Ibushi became the new champion , Kushida stepped up and challenged him to the title match originally scheduled for September 2011 . On August 26 , Kushida returned to the United States , when he wrestled at a Sacramento Wrestling Federation ( SWF ) event in Gridley , California , battling SWF Champion Dave Dutra to a time limit draw . During the American trip , Kushida also formed a new partnership with Alex Shelley , saving him from IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions , Forever Hooligans of Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero . On September 7 , Kushida took on Ibushi in a match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and lost . On October 8 at King of Pro - Wrestling , Kushida and Alex Shelley unsuccessfully challenged Forever Hooligans for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . On October 21 , the Time Splitters entered the 2012 Super Jr . Tag Tournament , defeating The World Class Tag Team ( Gedo and Jado ) in their first round match . On November 2 , Kushida and Shelley defeated Suzuki - gun ( Taichi and Taka Michinoku ) to advance to the finals , where , later that same day , they defeated Apollo 55 ( Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi ) to win the tournament and become the number one contenders to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . On November 11 at Power Struggle , the Time Splitters defeated Forever Hooligans in a rematch to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship , Kushida ' s first title in New Japan . On November 15 , Kushida participated in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament and was eliminated by Masato Tanaka . Time Splitters made their first successful title defense on February 10 , 2013 , at The New Beginning , defeating Forever Hooligans in the third title match between the two teams . Their second successful defense took place on March 3 at New Japan ' s 41st anniversary event , where they defeated Jushin Liger and Tiger Mask IV . On April 7 at Invasion Attack , Time Splitters defeated Apollo 55 for their third successful title defense . On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2013 , Time Splitters lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship back to the Forever Hooligans in their fourth defense . From late May to early June , Kushida took part in the 2013 Best of the Super Juniors , where he managed to win four out of his eight matches with a loss to Kenny Omega in his final match on June 6 costing him a spot in the semifinals of the tournament . On June 22 at Dominion 6 . 22 , Time Splitters failed in their attempt to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship from the Forever Hooligans . On July 18 , American promotion Ring of Honor ( ROH ) announced that Kushida would be making his debut for the promotion on August 3 in Toronto , Canada . Kushida defeated Adam Page in his debut match for the promotion . Back in New Japan , Kushida and Shelley defeated Suzuki - gun ( Taichi and Taka Michinoku ) on September 29 at Destruction to earn another shot at the Forever Hooligans and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . However , Time Splitters were forced to back out of the title match , after Shelley was sidelined with a back injury . Shelley returned from his injury on January 4 , 2014 , at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome , where the Time Splitters unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in a four - way match , which also included Forever Hooligans and Suzuki - gun . Time Splitters were victorious in a non - title rematch the following day , after which they asserted themselves as The Young Bucks ' next challengers . They received their title shot on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka , but were again defeated by The Young Bucks . In March , Kushida took part in German promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling ' s ( wXw ) 16 Carat Gold weekend . On April 12 , during New Japan ' s trip to Taiwan , Kushida unsuccessfully challenged Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Championship . Time Splitters received another shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on May 10 at Global Wars , a special event co - produced by NJPW and ROH in Toronto , but were defeated by The Young Bucks in a three - way match , also involving Forever Hooligans . At the second NJPW / ROH event , War of the Worlds on May 17 , Kushida unsuccessfully challenged Jay Lethal for the ROH World Television Championship . On May 30 , Kushida entered the 2014 Best of the Super Juniors tournament , where he won his block with a record of five wins and two losses , advancing to the semifinals . On June 8 , Kushida defeated Taichi to advance to the finals of the tournament , where he was defeated by Ricochet . On June 21 at Dominion 6 . 21 , Time Splitters defeated The Young Bucks to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the second time . On July 4 at Kizuna Road 2014 , Kushida became a double champion , when he defeated Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship . On August 10 , Time Splitters made their first successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against the ROH tag team reDRagon ( Bobby Fish and Kyle O ' Reilly ) . On September 21 at Destruction in Kobe , Kushida lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Ryusuke Taguchi in his first defense . Two days later at Destruction in Okayama , Time Splitters made their second successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against Suzuki - gun ( El Desperado and Taichi ) . On October 13 at King of Pro - Wrestling , Time Splitters made their third successful title defense in a three - way match against Forever Hooligans and The Young Bucks . On November 8 at Power Struggle , Time Splitters lost the title to 2014 Super Jr . Tag Tournament winners reDRagon . On December 7 , Kushida returned to ROH at Final Battle 2014 , where he and Shelley unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon for the ROH World Tag Team Championship . Time Splitters received a rematch for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on January 4 , 2015 , at Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome , in a four - way match also involving Forever Hooligans and The Young Bucks , but were again defeated by reDRagon . On February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka , Time Splitters received another title shot in a three - way match , but were this time defeated by The Young Bucks , who became the new champions . In May , Kushida entered the 2015 Best of the Super Juniors tournament . He finished his block on June 3 with a record of six wins and one loss . Despite others in the block having as many as two matches left to wrestle , Kushida secured the top spot in the block and a place in the finals . Kushida ' s early qualifying to the finals happened due to his Time Splitters partner Alex Shelley being forced to pull out of their last scheduled match against each other due to a foot injury . On June 7 , Kushida defeated Kyle O ' Reilly in the finals to win the 2015 Best of the Super Juniors and earn a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship . On July 5 at Dominion 7 . 5 in Osaka - jo Hall , Kushida defeated Kenny Omega to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time . He made his first successful title defense on August 16 against the winner of the 2014 Best of the Super Juniors , Ricochet . On August 21 , Kushida returned to ROH , losing to Matt Sydal in a non - title match , after which he agreed to defend his title against Sydal . On September 23 at Destruction in Okayama , Kushida lost the title back to Kenny Omega . Four days later at Destruction in Kobe , Kushida and the returning Alex Shelley unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . On January 4 , 2016 , at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome , Kushida defeated Kenny Omega to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship . He made his first successful title defense on February 14 at The New Beginning in Niigata against Bushi . Kushida ' s second title defense took place on March 12 at an ROH event in Philadelphia , where he defeated ACH . On April 10 at Invasion Attack 2016 , Kushida defeated the debuting Will Ospreay for his third successful defense . His fourth defense took place on May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2016 , where he defeated veteran wrestler Jushin Thunder Liger . Later in the month , Kushida entered the 2016 Best of the Super Juniors . Finishing with a record of four wins and three losses , he was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Bushi in his final round - robin match . On June 19 at Dominion 6 . 19 in Osaka - jo Hall , Kushida defeated Best of the Super Juniors winner Will Ospreay for his fifth successful title defense . On July 20 , Kushida entered the 2016 Super J - Cup , defeating Pro Wrestling Noah representative Taiji Ishimori in his first round match . On August 21 , Kushida first defeated another Noah representative , Kenoh , in the second round and then two Suzuki - gun representatives , Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru , in the semifinals and finals , respectively , to win the 2016 Super J - Cup . On September 17 at Destruction in Tokyo , Kushida lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Bushi . Kushida regained the title from Bushi on November 5 at Power Struggle . He lost the title to Hiromu Takahashi on January 4 , 2017 , at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome . Mexico ( 2016 ) . On June 1 , 2016 , the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre ( CMLL ) promotion announced Kushida as a participant in the 2016 International Gran Prix . On June 25 , Kushida made it to the semifinals of Lucha Libre Elite ' s World Championship tournament , before losing to Volador Jr . On July 1 , Kushida took part in the 2016 International Gran Prix , from which he was eliminated by La Máscara . On July 8 , Kushida unsuccessfully challenged Volador Jr . for the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship . On July 12 , Kushida and Marco Corleone won a one - night tag team tournament , defeating Rey Escorpión and Shocker in the finals . The tournament concluded his Mexican tour .