NJPW's Himoru Takahashi To Miss 9-12 Months With Broken Neck
Terrible news for the popular Junior Heavyweight.
New Japan Pro Wrestling's Hiromu Takahashi could miss up to 12 months of action after suffering a broken neck on the promotion's G1 Special In San Francisco show (7 July), according to Dave Meltzer in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Takahashi, who is the company's reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, hurt his neck while wrestling long-time rival Dragon Lee. He landed straight on his head followed a botched Phoenix-Plex from the luchador. Though clearly woozy, 'The Ticking Time Bomb' was able to finish the match, but had to be rushed to a medical facility after collapsing backstage.
Hiromu remains under close medical care, and has offered a number of ambiguous updates via social media over the past few weeks. Up until now, his actual status had remained a mystery, but Meltzer notes that while the belief is that Takahashi's neck is broken, there's no evidence of nerve damage.
Company sources estimate that Hiromu could be back in athletic training within six months, with a further three-to-six required before he's allowed to wrestle again. On top of this, NJPW won't announce their plans for the Junior Heavyweight belt until after the ongoing G1 Climax tournament has finished.