KUSHIDA diagnosed with hand, foot, and mouth disease, pulled from NJPW event

NJPW’s KUSHIDA has been diagnosed with Hand, foot, and mouth disease and has been pulled from Friday’s Burning Spirit event. 

NJPW announced the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion’s diagnosis on Wednesday after announcing earlier in the week that the star would miss an earlier Burning Spirit tour event with a suspected skin disease. 

KUSHIDA had been set to take part in a 10-man tag match on Friday’s show. That match will now be an eight-man tag, with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tama Tonga, Toru Yano, and Jado facing Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Taiji Ishimori. The match had originally been booked as KUSHIDA, Tanahashi, Tonga, Yano, and Jado vs. White, Anderson, Gallows, Ishimori, and Gedo.

No announcement has been made as to KUSHIDA’s status for the tour’s final event on Sunday at Kobe World Hall, where he is currently slated to team with Tama Tonga against Jay White and Taiji Ishimori.