Top NJPW Star To Undergo 2nd Eye Surgery
For the second time in three years, Tetsuya Naito's right eye is going under the knife.
Top New Japan Pro Wrestling star Tetsuya Naito is set to undergo surgery on his right eye for the second time in three years.
Per Tokyo Sports, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion has been suffering from double vision, a narrowed field of vision and poor depth perception, having experienced a flare-up of the superior oblique muscle paralysis that first struck him in 2019. Surgery that November proved only to be a temporary fix, with Naito stating that he feels worse today than he did back then.
The 39-year-old has been suffering since last summer. Speaking after his defeat to Kazuchika Okada at Sunday's Wrestling Dontaku 2022 event, Naito confirmed he would be undergoing what he called "emergency surgery."
NJPW's next tour, Best of the Super Jr. 29, provides a much-needed break in Naito's schedule. As a heavyweight, he will not be required to participate in the promotion's signature junior heavyweight round-robin competition.
There is currently no word on how long Naito will be sidelined, though Naito told Tokyo Sports that he was "not too pessimistic" about the situation. As one of NJPW's biggest names, one would imagine he is hoping to return for the collaborative AEW show, Forbidden Door, in June.