NJPW Gives An Injury Update For Hiromu Takahashi

At the G1 Special in San Francisco, “Ticking Timebomb” Hiromu Takahashi suffered a horrific neck injury. Fortunately though, it seems like everything might be okay for the reigning NJPW Junior Heavyweight Champion. 

On July 7, current NJPW Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi suffered what looked like one of the worst injuries of the year.

Taking a botched Phoenix Plex from Dragon Lee, Takahashi landed flat on his neck, slid across the mat, and was woozy for the rest of the match.

Although the match continued, and was a contender for match of the night, Lee and Takahashi notably rushed to the finish after the spot took place.

We have provided video of the spot for those who have not seen it, but viewer discretion is advised.

Takahashi won the match, likely continuing after the injury occurred on pure adrenaline. But following the match, Takahashi collapsed backstage and taken to a hospital in San Francisco. Doctors diagnosed his injury as a “broken neck” at first, though no one knew the severity of it immediately. Now, we have an official update from NJPW’s website on Takahashi’s health.

"“On July 7, during the G1 Special in San Francisco event, Hiromu Takahashi sustained a neck injury and was taken to a San Francisco hospital for evaluation.Takahashi was able to return to Japan today, and will proceed with treatment. We apologize for the delay in publishing this update, which was in order to ensure smooth and efficient transit for Takahashi at the airport. We deeply appreciate our fans’ concerns.”"

This is…incredible news for Takahashi, and wrestling fans everywhere. To know that Takahashi is already back in Japan is a great sign, and although the injury may require treatment, fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Takahashi’s injury might not be as severe as we originally thought, especially if he is already back in Japan. As for what this means for the landscape of NJPW, Takahashi will certainly miss some time, but he is already more likely to come back to the ring sooner rather than late.

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Following this news, NJPW will likely hold a tournament to crown the next Junior Heavyweight Champion. Unless, by some miracle, Takahashi is able to defend his title in a timely fashion, he will have to vacate the title. All of this is meaningless, though, and what really matters is that Takahashi is okay, and able to return to Japan for treatment. After this latest update, the Ticking Timebomb might be back in the squared circle sooner than fans thought.