New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s, Matt Sydal f.k.a Evan Bourne, has been convicted for the possession of drugs.
Nikkan Sports adds that the former WWE Tag team Champion, Sydal was arrested on 23rd September at Kansai Airport in Japan, while he was travelling to defend the NEVER Openweight six-man Tag team Champion with Satoshi Kojima and Ricochet for the Destruction in Kobe Show (September 25).
As a result, Sydal was absent from the event and subsequently replaced by David Finlay in the Championship bout. Several tweets were published via his Twitter handle claiming that the superstar was facing visa issues, which prevented him from participating in that match. Moreover, his Twitter account has been silent on the issue.
Since then Sydal has tweeted about passport issues but not of the incident. Here’s the tweet:
According to PWInsider, Sydal is yet to be sentenced for the crime committed.
Some news reports stated that he was charged with possession of a “hidden pipe containing liquid cannabis two and a pipe containing cannabis two of a state of being attached to the electronic cigarette”; adding up to a bit more than two grammes.
While Sydal worked for WWE, he violated the company’s Talent wellness policy on two different occasions.
In 2011, he was suspended for 30 days for his first violation and the later occurred in 2012, for which he was suspended for 60 days. Courtesy some shoot interviews, Sydal claimed to have consumed synthetic marijuana which resulted in his failure in those wellness policy tests.
Japan has been very strict regarding the possession of cannabis.
The arrest may eventually mark the end of Sydal’s tenure in New Japan, where he is a former 2 time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag team Champion. In fact, there have been instances where the person convicted of similar charges were sentenced to five to seven years in jail.
A friend of Sydal (identity undisclosed) has offered his take on the situation. He has requested the fans to consider the accident he had in 2012 prior criticising him for his recent actions. He also stated that the wrestler suffers pain from those injuries even today.
“People have no idea what Matt goes through on a daily basis with that foot. So, if they villify him, they are villifying him for trying to maintain the quality of life he had before the wreck.”
During his stint with WWE, Sydal was involved in a horrific car accident in 2012, which broke his foot and dislocated it in five places. He was eventually released in 2014 and has been performing in Japan and Ring of Honor since then.
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