New Japan Pro Wrestling announced on Friday that Hiroshi Tanahashi would be out of action for the rest of the current World Tag League tour due to a right knee injury.
Details of the injury were not revealed, past that he wrestled on Wednesday night, but was pulled from his Thursday night booking. Tanahashi, 40, has been bothered by knee problems along with neck, shoulder, and biceps problems over the past few years.
New Japan stated that “At the present time, precise details on the condition of Tanahashi’s knee are unknown. Tanahashi is currently undergoing a thorough medical assessment, and when more details become clear, a decision will be made as to his future appearances.”
Tanahashi had an MRI done, believing he had suffered an injury to his meniscus, which he had injured previously. Instead he was told he had arthritis in the knee and water on the knee.
Tanahashi holds New Japan’s Intercontinental title, which he’s scheduled to defend against Jay White on the January 4th show at the Tokyo Dome. Given Tanahashi’s long standing reputation for working hurt and not missing major shows, the injury would have to be unbearably bad for him to miss the Dome show.