NJPW’s Hirooki Goto out of action with injury

Hirooki Goto suffered an injury at NJPW Destruction in Kobe on Sunday.

At the show, Goto & YOSHI-HASHI retained their IWGP Tag Team titles by defeating TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste). But Goto had to miss NJPW’s Road to Destruction event on Monday due to an injury suffered during the tag title match.

NJPW has announced that Goto’s injury is being assessed and there currently isn’t a timetable for his return.

“As a result of an injury sustained at Destruction in Kobe, Hirooki Goto will not be cleared to compete in scheduled matches at live events September 25 in Nagoya and September 26 in Fukui,” NJPW wrote. “Goto is currently undergoing assessment, and currently has no timetable set for his return.”

Goto was supposed to team with YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano against Jeff Cobb, Henare & Callum Newman at both of those Road to Destruction shows. Satoshi Kojima is taking Goto’s place in the matches.

Further information about the injury Goto suffered wasn’t provided. It appears that it may have been a knee injury.

NJPW also announced that Taichi “has requested and been granted a leave of absence” from events on the Destruction tour through October 7. There was an angle at Destruction in Kobe where Yoshinobu Kanemaru turned against Taichi. Kanemaru left Just Five Guys and joined House of Torture.

SANADA is defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against EVIL in a lumberjack match at Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday, October 9. The other members of Just Four Guys and House of Torture will be at ringside as lumberjacks.