NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 Junior title match stopped due to injury
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 came to an early end after an injury to one of the competitors.
*The following contains spoilers from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19*
IWGP Junior Champion DOUKI suffered a left arm injury that forced a stop to his title defense against El Desperado, with the title changing hands due to the injury.
After a brawl on the outside, DOUKI climbed to the top rope to attempt his bombs away senton to the floor. He connected on the move, but his left arm smacked the padded floor. DOUKI immediately grabbed at the arm, and the match was stopped after a short consultation with referee Marty Asami.
Desperado’s music played and he was declared the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. The new title holder cut a short promo celebrating his win, noting that he will not apologize for how he won the title.
The reign is the fifth Junior Heavyweight title reign for Desperado. A reign longer than one day will push him past Will Ospreay into tenth place for most total days as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Our full report from Wrestle Kingdom 19 is here.
A video of DOUKI’s injury is embedded below for as long as it’s up before a copyright takedown.