Tetsuya Naito Admits He Will Never Be Back To Normal Following Latest Surgery
Tetsuya Naito believes he'll never be "back to normal" following his latest return to New Japan action.
Jun 7, 2022
New Japan star Tetsuya Naito has said that there's "no way" he'll ever be "back to normal" following his latest return from injury.
Speaking at the post-show press conference following his return to the ring, Naito explained:
"I had surgery on my right eye, and I came back to this ring for the first time in a month since May 1st at the Fukuoka PayPay Dome. I had two surgeries on my right eye, two surgeries on my right knee and two other surgeries that I haven’t disclosed, for a total of six surgeries, and when you have surgeries, you recover.
"But unfortunately, there is no way that I will ever be back to normal. So, what should we do? I think thinking about that and making changes is one of the ways to enjoy wrestling. That is why I came back to this ring at this time. To those who have been waiting for my return, thank you for waiting so long. I have nothing to worry about anymore. Please enjoy my wrestling to the fullest. See you next on June 12 at Osaka-jo Hall. Adios!"
His comments come at a time when injuries are a key topic discussed in relation to NJPW. One of several reasons for Kota Ibushi's recent public fallout with the company was recovery time from injury.
Naito teamed with LIJ stablemates BUSHI and Shingo Takagi for his first match in a month, defeating Suzuki-gun in a six-man tag match as part of the Best of the Super Juniors 29 final undercard.
H/T to POST Wrestling.