As reported earlier, Katsuya Kitamura parted ways with NJPW. He was sidelined due to an injury, but the details were unknown.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer provided more details regarding Kitamura’s injury that ultimately made him leave NJPW.
According to Meltzer, Kitamura actually broke his leg in an unfortunate scooter accident. This is why he did not compete in a NJPW match since March of last year. His last match saw him team up with Manabu Nakanishi, where they lost against Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano.
NJPW officials weren’t sure if Kitamura would ever wrestle again, but they still offered him a contract. However, he turned it down. It was also noted that Kitamura’s situation was similar to Daniel Bryan, as he most likely would not have been medically cleared to compete for a very long time.
Meltzer noted that Kitamura wanted to compete and he had no intention of waiting for NJPW to finally medically clear him. The belief is that Kitamura will sign with another Japanese company that will clear him for in-ring competition.
Here is what Kitamura said on Twitter, which has been translated.
“Lastly, thank you for your continued support and encouragement over the past three years. Your support meant everything to me. I am thankful and hope you continue to support Katsuya Kitamura when he goes to a new stage.”
最後に、3年間にわたる熱い声援、応援、誠にありがとうございました！
皆様の応援が私の全てでした。
感謝しています。
次のステージに進む北村克哉をまた見守って頂ければ、今後も応援して頂けましたら幸いです。 pic.twitter.com/S795xJM9Fi— 北村克哉 (@KitamuraKatsuya) February 5, 2019
