Top NJPW Star Off Saturday’s “Wrestle Kingdom” Due To Injuries

By Matthew Carlins
KENTA nose 16x9 @KENTAG2S

KENTA will miss New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 16 show at Yokohama Arena on Saturday. He's recovering from multiple injuries following his "no disqualification" match against Hiroshi Tanahashi at the Wrestle Kingdom show on Wednesday.

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New Japan announced early Friday that KENTA is recovering from a dislocated left hip, a broken nose, tendon damage to his finger, and severe lacerations to his back. He tweeted a picture of his bandaged nose. He said he underwent surgery on his broken nose.

KENTA tweeted a picture of his back following the match on Wednesday. It showed a long gash running from the top of his left shoulder down to the small of his back.

KENTA was bloodied after he fell from a 10-12 foot tall ladder at the end of Wednesday's match. He landed on a garbage can that was lying in the ring. Despite the violent fall and the injuries he suffered, KENTA said he'd do it all again.

"I had a good time," KENTA said in his tweet. "I have no regrets. I think that is also professional wrestling. I want to do it again."

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Hiroshi Tanahashi won the IWGP United States Championship from KENTA in Wednesday's match. Tanahashi finished him off with a High Fly Flow from the top of that same 10-12 foot tall ladder.

New Japan did not announce a replacement for Saturday's show. The card features matches between wrestlers from New Japan and wrestlers from Pro-Wrestling NOAH. KENTA was scheduled for a 6-man tag team match, teaming with NOAH's Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba against Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku.

KENTA is currently part of the New Japan roster, but he rose to international fame in NOAH. That's where he began his career in 2000. He left NOAH for WWE in 2014.

KENTA returned to NOAH at its show on New Year's Day. He teamed with Sugiura and Sakuraba to defeat Daiki Inaba, Masa Kitamiya and Yoshiki Inamura.

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