Hiroshi Tanahashi Pulled From Upcoming NJPW Shows Due To Injury

New Japan Pro-Wrestling will be without one of their top stars for the upcoming Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour.

Hiroshi Tanahashi sustained a broken rib during the main event of NJPW Capital Collision on April 15. The Ace and Kazuchika Okada faced Aussie Open and the Motor City Machine Guns for the NJPW STRONG Tag Team Championships on the show but they failed win the belts as Aussie Open became double champions instead.

Tanahashi was pulled from Collision in Philadelphia on April 16 and New Japan have now announced the eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion will be absent from their upcoming Road to Wrestling Dontaku shows that begin today. When Tanahashi will return is unknown.

The Ace was planned for the Wrestling Dontaku card on May 3 and he looked set to team with Kazuchika Okada and another partner to challenge Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Ren Narita for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships. Tanahashi is also a part of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Title contender tournament and he is scheduled to face Will Ospreay in the semifinals on May 21 at NJPW Resurgence. The winner will face off with Lance Archer in the tournament final at Dominion on June 4.

Tanahashi's status for those matches is, of course, up in the air.