KUSHIDA has Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. The veteran professional wrestler has issued a statement regarding the diagnosis.
As PWMania.com previously reported, KUSHIDA was forced to withdraw from Wednesday’s NJPW Burning Spirit tour event in Japan due to a suspected skin disease. This followed his absence from a live event on September 17 due to a fever, but he tested negative for COVID-19.
According to an update, KUSHIDA was diagnosed with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease after being screened for the suspected skin disease. He was also removed from Friday’s Burning Spirit live event.
“We apologize to fans who were looking forward to seeing KUSHIDA wrestle and appreciate your understanding,” NJPW wrote in the announcement. They added, “NJPW joins fans in wishing KUSHIDA a full and speedy recovery.”
There is no word on whether KUSHIDA will compete in the final tour event on Sunday, when he will team up with Tama Tonga to face IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori. As of this writing, there is no timetable for KUSHIDA’s return to ring action.
According to the CDC, HFMD is usually not serious, but it is highly contagious. Although there is no specific medical treatment for the disease, most people recover on their own within 7-10 days. HFMD is common in infants and children under the age of five. Fever and other flu-like symptoms, mouth sores, and skin rash are among the symptoms.
KUSHIA posted a statement on Instagram about his diagnosis on Wednesday night, along with a photo of his hand.
“Hand foot and mouth disease has been announced. I’m really sorry for the cancellation of the tournament due to the typhoon, and to those who were looking forward to the match in Western Japan for the first time in a while. “You can get injured, but you don’t have any illnesses,” the words of trainer Mikawa, Yokohama made me feel a little better. Anyway going to sleep now and work on my physical and mental recovery. I’ve been living like dead these past few days…,” he wrote, via Instagram translation, with the photo seen below.
KUSHIDA was set to work a 10-man tag team match with Tonga, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yano, and Jado vs. White, Ishimori, NEVER Openweight Champion Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Gedo on Friday’s show. Tonga, Tanahashi, Toru Yano, and Jado will face White, Ishimori, Anderson, Gallows, and Gedo in the new match.
KUSHIDA has been with NJPW since WWE let him go in April of this year, along with other budget cuts. In July and August, he worked four Impact Wrestling dates, defeating Rich Swann in his debut, then Deaner in singles action, then teaming with Chris Sabin to defeat Deaner and Eric Young at Emergence, and finally teaming with Sabin and Alex Shelley to defeat Deaner, Young, and Joe Doering on the August 25 episode. Since then, he has appeared at the NJPW G1 Climax and the NJPW Strong Fighting Spirit Unleashed, where he teamed with Trent Beretta, Taylor Rust, and Rocky Romero to defeat The Bullet Club in a six-man match. KUSHIDA has been on the NJPW Burning Spirit tour throughout September.
Because of Typhoon Nanmadol, NJPW recently canceled the Burning Spirit tour dates.
The following is KUSHIDA’s entire Instagram post:
