What’s the story?
According to NJPW’s official website, it has now been confirmed that former IWGP champion Hiroshi Tanahashi has suffered a ruptured tendon on his right biceps while taping for ROH’s War of the Worlds tour in Philadelphia last weekend.
Tanahashi reaffirmed the injury on Twitter, posting MRI and X-Ray images of his biceps. He also posted a comment saying, “I have suffered a bicep injury. I apologise to everyone who was looking forward to the show.” You can see the tweet below.
In case you didn’t know...
Before getting into professional wrestling, Tanahashi used to be a baseball player in high school. He started wrestling in college where he was noticed by wrestling scouts and was invited to try out for the NJPW Dojo. He had a successful tryout and was accepted as a trainee.
The 40-year-old eventually went on to become one of the leading stars of NJPW. He had a career laced with accolades including seven IWGP Heavyweight Championships and one IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
The heart of the matter
The injury, which initially looked like a minor sprain or tear, has turned out to be more severe, with doctors confirming a ruptured distal tendon on his right bicep. He is currently in recovery and had to pull out from competing in the ongoing Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
Also read: Top 5 NJPW Wrestlers that managed to stand out the most for a new-time viewer
What’s next?
With Tanahashi out, Satoshi Kojima has been brought in to replace him. Tanahashi is expected to return to the ring on June 9 at the Korakuen Hall. He is currently scheduled to face Naito at the upcoming Dominion event for the IWGP IC Title.
Author’s take
Tanahashi had a similar fate last year when he had to withdraw from the Dominion event due to a shoulder bruise. The injury comes at a really bad time for Tanahashi, and his fans will be hoping that he makes a timely recovery.
As NJPW continue on their roadmap on becoming the second biggest wrestling promotion in the world, it’ll be interesting to see how much longer Tanahashi remains towards the top of the card.
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