7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Aug 18)

7. The Return Of Katsuyori F*CKING SHIBATA

At NJPW Sakura Genesis, Katsuyori Shibata drilled Kazuchika Okada with a sickening, full-on headbutt in their IWGP Heavyweight Title match. It sounded like he'd dropped a watermelon on concrete. He suffered a subdural haematoma, as indicated by the grisly visual of blood trickling down, and had to crawl out of the ring en painful route to emergency brain surgery.

In the aftermath, Shibata experienced severely reduced mobility. One side of Shibata's body was said to be paralysed. He also experienced debilitating vision problems, walking into walls and fellow hospital patients. A return to the ring was (and still is) inconceivable; expectations for a full recovery were equally pessimistic. Until this weekend.

During the final night of the G1 Climax final, the piano intro of his theme rang out. After an eternal second of shock, the Sumo Hall faithful went nuts. The loud and sustained cacophony sent shivers down the spine. Everybody was on their feet. Many cried. He didn't just emerge from the curtain and walk under his own power; he walked with purpose. He adopted his trademark sitting ring pose, grabbed a microphone, and uttered the typically to-the-point declaration: "I am alive. That is all." The best part of all - not the pop, not the emotion, not the ceremonial bump - was the smile etched across his face. This wasn't the sickly grin he leered after delivering his über-stiff offence. He beamed at the reaction.

NJPW officials likely won't allow him to compete again - but that smile told an uplifting and incredible story of acceptance and gratitude.