DDT star Kazusada Higuchi retiring due to medical issue
Kazusada Higuchi, one of the best wrestlers on the DDT roster, has been forced to cut his in-ring career short.
DDT Pro Wrestling announced today that the 37-year-old Higuchi is retiring from the ring after a medical check-up found an issue with his neck. A retirement ceremony will be held at DDT’s event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on April 5, but Higuchi will not be able to have one final match due to the condition his neck is in.
The announcement from DDT said:
- During a regular health check-up conducted by the promotion, a subluxation of the first and second cervical vertebrae was detected, and a doctor determined that ‘continuing to participate in contact sports would be dangerous.’ In light of this, Higuchi, his doctor, and the promotion carefully reviewed and discussed the possibility of him continuing his career, but unfortunately, we have reached the conclusion that he must retire.
Higuchi spoke at a press conference and said that, while he isn’t experiencing any noticeable symptoms, his neck has “reached its limit.” He is disappointed that he cannot wrestle anymore but is grateful that this issue was detected early and he can leave the ring on his own two feet.
“While I can no longer compete in the ring, I believe life goes on, so I intend to take a new step forward and continue to do my best,” he said. “Thank you all so much for the past 12 years.”
A cervical disc herniation previously caused Higuchi to miss several months in 2024-2025. He returned from that injury in March of last year. In 2025, he won the King of DDT tournament and had a reign as KO-D Openweight Champion.
Before starting his career as a pro wrestler in 2014, Higuchi competed in sumo wrestling.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.