Major NJPW Star Pulls Out Of G1 Climax Through Injury

A top NJPW star is injured.

On July 20, Gabe Kidd announced that he’d suffered a knee injury during his opening match of the G1 Climax tournament against AEW star Konosuke Takeshita.

During the match, Takeshita hit Kidd with a shoulder breaker, but landed on top of his rival’s right knee. Kidd then continued to favour the knee for the rest of the match.

While appearing on crutches, Kidd forfeited his match on night two, but said he remained determined to return to the tournament. However, his plans have been stopped in their tracks following medical advice.

Gabe Kidd Vows To Return To NJPW Better Than Ever

During an appearance at NJPW’s show in Tokyo on July 25, Kidd announced that he was pulling out of G1 Climax 35. The British star said that after speaking with doctors, there was no way he’d be cleared to return to the ring in time to finish the tournament.

“I was really hopeful that I could come back and power through this and continue in this G1 Climax, but I’ve spoke to the doctors and there is no way I can be cleared, so I have no other choice [but] to withdraw from the G1 Climax, and this is sh*t, man. It really f*cking sucks. It’s been a mental battle these past few days since I found out this information..

A positive note is that I’ve received hundreds of messages from these people — the fans — and they’ve said they want me to rest and come back stronger,” he said. “And I can only promise you one thing, is that when I am back fighting on this blue mat that it is going to be the best version of Gabe Kidd that you’ve ever f*cking seen.”

At present, there are no details on the exact nature of the injury or how long Kidd will be out of action. Kidd remains the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion, although there’s been no comment on whether or not he’ll be forced to vacate the championship.

H/t to F4wonline