10 Moments That Cemented Your Love For Professional Wrestling

The above image isn't actually from Katsuyori Shibata's return, but rather the match in which he suffered his career-ending injury.

Challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight Title vs. Kazuchika Okada, Shibata would suffer a subdural hematoma, effectively ending his career for good. Reports soon emerged following the April 2017 clash that Shibata had also experienced slight paralysis on the right side of his body.

Understandably, the concern was strong.

So, when he emerged during the finals of that summer's G1 Climax, took a back bump, and proclaimed that he was alive, Shibata, as well as the audience, shed tears.

By this stage, the three-time NEVER Openweight Champion had been established as a major fixture within New Japan's main event scene. His style exemplified New Japan's strong style aura; the headbutt that had caused Shibata's injury had become a staple of his arsenal. Though it had only been utilised regularly since the prior year, the constant impact to Shibata's head combined over time.

All we needed to know was that he was okay. It no longer mattered if he'd ever be cleared to compete again. The paralysis reports were chilling. For him to simply fall on his back without becoming permanently wheelchair-bound was enough to bring the entire Ryogoku Sumo Hall to a standstill.