NJPW has released a statement on the status of Kota Ibushi. The former dual IWGP Champion and Intercontinental champion was recently pulled from the companies Summer Struggle series. The reasons for this were given as a bad reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination. However, new updates have confirmed Ibushi has a case of Aspiration Pneumonia.
In a statement issued by New Japan Pro Wrestling, they stressed that the illness was not related to the vaccination and that Kota Ibushi had tested negative for Covid.
Kota Ibushi was scheduled to participate in a few shows at the end of this month, namely events in Osaka on July 22nd and 23rd and Nagoya on July 24th. There is no current timeline for his return to the ring. However, he will be assessed ahead of the Wrestle Grand Slam event on July 25th.
Kota Ibushi Will Be Eager to Regain His IWGP Crown
Kota Ibushi has had quite the year in NJPW. He defeated Naito to claim both the IWGP Championship and Intercontinental belts. He then became in inaugural IWGP Heavyweight champion before losing the title to Will Ospreay.
Now, with the belt around Shingo Takagi’s waist, Kota Ibushi will be eager to get back into the run and restart his journey to the top. This could happen at the Wrestle Grand Slam event, assuming medical staff clear Ibushi for a return to the ring. Failing that, however, all eyes will turn to the G1.
With less than two months before the start of the G1 Climax event, Kota Ibushi will be eager to get back to full match fitness. He won the event in 2019 and 2020, becoming only the third wrestler to win back-to-back G1’s. He will be looking to set history this year and claim victory for a third successive year.
Doing so would give him the opportunity to headline Wrestle Kingdom in the new year and try to reclaim the gold from whoever is the IWGP Heavyweight champion at the time. Kota Ibushi is a star draw for NJPW. Hopefully, this bout of pneumonia will not hinder his performance once he returns.
