Tag: tetsuya naito injured

NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito to undergo eye surgery

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito will be undergoing eye surgery according to a report. 

Tokyo Sports reports that Naito, 39, will have surgery on his right eye to repair superior oblique muscle paralysis, which has been causing him to have double vision. 

Naito underwent a similar surgery in 2019, and was out of action for 20 days following the operation. 

The Tokyo Sports article quotes Naito as saying that his eye is in worse shape now than when he first underwent surgery for the eye muscle paralysis three years ago, but that the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament provided a break in his schedule to allow for the surgery. 

While the junior heavyweight tournament is going on in May, NJPW’s top heavyweights will be in the United States for a pay-per-view in Washington D.C. on May 14 and an NJPW Strong taping in Philadelphia on May 15.

If his recovery timetable is similar to the last time he had the eye surgery, Naito would hypothetically be back in action in time for the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view on June 26.

Naito challenged Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Wrestling Dontaku today at the PayPay Dome, where Okada retained the title.

Tetsuya Naito injured, off February 22 NJPW Road to Castle Attack

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW announced this evening that Tetsuya Naito will miss the Monday, February 22 Road to Castle Attack event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

Naito suffered a knee injury in a tag match on the February 16 Road to Castle Attack event at Korakuen and has not wrestled since. 

Naito had been scheduled to team with SANADA against Kota Ibushi and Tomoaki Honma in the semi-main event of Monday’s show. Instead, SANADA will now face Honma in a singles bout. 

Naito is currently scheduled to face Ibushi for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on the Castle Attack event at Osaka-Jo Hall on Sunday, February 28. On the February 17 Road to Castle Attack show at Korakuen, Naito addressed the crowd prior to the first match and apologized for not being able to participate in his scheduled tag bout that night. He addressed Ibushi directly in that promo and NJPW’s Chris Charlton speculated that Naito seemed committed to making the event in Osaka. 

NJPW has held 24 events in the first 51 days of 2021. They have 40 more events scheduled over the next 73 days.