Kota Ibushi's Wrestle Grand Slam status in question after being diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia
New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed that Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. The promotion posted a tweet confirming the news and also released a full write-up.
Kota Ibushi has been away from in-ring competition since the beginning of Summer Struggle. After further assessment, he was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia.
Ibushi tested negative for COVID-19, but recently missed a few shows due to the vaccine's side effects. NJPW has also confirmed that Ibushi will miss both July 22nd and 23rd cards in Osaka and the July 24th card in Nagoya.
Kota Ibushi's Wrestle Grand Slam status is also currently unconfirmed, and a final decision will be made on July 25th.
Here's the write-up from NJPW1972.com:
Kota Ibushi has been out of competition since the beginning of the Summer Struggle series due to illness. After careful investigation and thorough assessment, he has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. Ibushi’s illness was originally reported as a result of side effects arising from his COVID-19 vaccination. Aspiration pneumonia has no connection to COVID vaccinations, and Ibushi’s illness is not a result of his inoculation. We apologise for any misunderstanding. Ibushi has also tested negative for COVID-19. In order to give Ibushi more time to make a full in ring recovery, he will be absent from cards on July 22 and 23 in Osaka, as well as July 24 in Nagoya. A final decision on his participation at Wrestle Grand Slam on July 25 will be made after assessing Ibushi’s recovery. As a result changes will be made to the cards in Osaka and Nagoya as outlined below. We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Ibushi wrestle. New Japan Pro-Wrestling deeply apologises for the concern and inconvenience caused by this news. We appreciate your understanding, and hope you join us in wishing Ibushi the very best in his recovery.
Kota Ibushi was set to headline Wrestle Grand Slam
The Golden Star was set to challenge Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome. However, it remains to be seen whether Ibushi will be able to compete or NJPW is forced to make a last-minute change to the card.