Tetsuya Naito Needed Nine Stitches After NJPW WrestleKingdom 18 – Main Event Injurt

Standing proudly at the top of the NJPW card is Tetsuya Naito, the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. However, his journey to the top was not without its challenges and battle scars.

Speaking with NJPW, the leader of LIJ opened up about his victorious moment at WrestleKingdom 18. He recounted how he emerged victorious in the main event, defeating SANADA to claim the world championship title. Despite the triumph, Naito revealed that he suffered an eye injury during the match, resulting in the need for nine stitches. The injury occurred when he and SANADA accidentally collided heads while executing his signature Destino finisher.

During that final Destino, we clashed heads which caused the injury to my eyelid. After the match, I made my comments, then headed to the trainer’s room where I received six stitches. I really didn’t want them and asked if there was another option, but unfortunately, there wasn’t. The stitches were extremely painful. The anesthesia before the stitching – imagine getting a shot on your eyelid. But the doctor remained cheerful throughout the process. Interestingly, just before the last Korakuen shows of the year, I got hit on the other eye resulting in three stitches on that eyelid. So, within two weeks, I had a total of nine stitches across both eyes.

Meanwhile, one of Naito’s greatest rivals, Kazuchika Okada, is set to leave the promotion in February. This move has sparked interest from renowned wrestling organizations such as AEW, TNA, and WWE. Pwrestling Newss will be keeping fans updated on Okada’s potential destination.