Former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia and will continue to miss upcoming NJPW events, the company announced Wednesday.
Ibushi has been out of action in recent weeks due to an illness. Prior to being pulled from the July 19 Summer Struggle card, Ibushi had missed the previous two events due to side effects from COVID-19 vaccination.
In an update, NJPW has confirmed that Ibushi’s illness was not a result of side effects arising from his COVID-19 vaccination. The company issued the following statement:
Aspiration pneumonia has no connection to COVID vaccinations, and Ibushi’s illness is not a result of his inoculation. We apologize for any misunderstanding. Ibushi has also tested negative for COVID-19.
The report added that a final decision on Ibushi’s participation at Wrestle Grand Slam on July 25 will be made after assessing his recovery. In the meantime, Ibushi will miss the NJPW events on July 22 and 23 in Osaka, as well as July 24 in Nagoya.
For the July 22 event in Osaka, Tomoaki Honma will replace Ibushi as Master Wato’s tag partner against the team of IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi & BUSHI.
Stay tuned for updates on Ibushi’s recovery.
