KENTA Hospitalized Following NJPW Royal Quest, Says He's Fine
After NEVER Openweight title bout...
It was a day of extremes for KENTA at NJPW's Royal Quest in London on Saturday. The recently-acclimated Bullet Club member defeated Tomohiro Ishii at Copper Box Arena to win the NEVER Openweight title, after a hard-hitting 20-minute battle. The smashmouth performance, however, wasn't without some noticeable difficulties.
Late in the match, KENTA was noticeably dazed, though it's not clear what specifically caused him to be out of it. At one juncture, he wasn't aware enough to get out of a pinfall at the right moment, causing the referee to have to slow down his count.
KENTA, however, managed to collect himself enough to finish the match with his Go to Sleep, ending Ishii's fifth reign with the belt at 83 days.
It came out later that KENTA was hospitalized following the event, but fortunately he seems to be okay. The new champion tweeted about the situation, writing, "This is the best way to start as NEVER CHAMP in the hospital. I’m totally fine. Thank you for booing me London."
Late in the match, KENTA was noticeably dazed, though it's not clear what specifically caused him to be out of it. At one juncture, he wasn't aware enough to get out of a pinfall at the right moment, causing the referee to have to slow down his count.
KENTA, however, managed to collect himself enough to finish the match with his Go to Sleep, ending Ishii's fifth reign with the belt at 83 days.
It came out later that KENTA was hospitalized following the event, but fortunately he seems to be okay. The new champion tweeted about the situation, writing, "This is the best way to start as NEVER CHAMP in the hospital. I’m totally fine. Thank you for booing me London."
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
