On the final night of action in the G1 Climax, we got a truly special moment in professional wrestling. Katsuyori Shibata made his return to the ring, as he grappled with Zack Sabre Jr. in a five minute exhibition that just had fans asking for more. After the match, he’d take a simple back bump – and during the finals of World Tag League & Best of The Super Juniors, announced a full return.
Katsuyori Shibata Match Will Focus On Grappling, No Strikes Permitted
This will come at Wrestle Kingdom 16, where his return match is a major draw for the first night. Fans were excited, and instantly abuzz with hype for this. For those unaware, Shibata was forced into retirement back in 2017, after a headbutt left him with a subdural hematoma and need for emergency surgery. It looked like he’d never wrestle again, but he’d keep pushing until it was possible again.
However, this match will come in a different style to other NJPW matches. Looking to ease him back in, NJPW has done what they can to protect Shibata as he makes his way back into the ring. In a tweet from their Global Twitter, the following would be revealed.
“The rules have been determined for Katsuyori Shibata‘s match at Wrestle Kingdom. It will be a Catch Wrestling Rules match. Stretches and grappling will be the focus. Rules are as usual, but strikes are prohibited.”
All Signs Point To Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata
The opponent in this match remains a mystery, but only two men truly make sense. Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata are perfect for catch wrestling rules, and neither are booked for the first night of WK16, with them only possibly showing up in the New Japan Rumble. Suzuki & Shibata only wrestled once, during the 2017 New Japan Cup – while Nagata & Shibata feuded back in 2016.
While both have a lot of strikes in their moveset, they mainly focus on submissions as they get older – and Suzuki especially has roots in catch wrestling. He is the godfather of MMA after all, one of the men who started that style of combat sports back in the 90’s, and has two submission wins over Ken Shamrock himself.
Who do you hope to see wrestle Shibata on January 4th? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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