It gets worse for now, former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto. The NJPW veteran suffered an elbow injury during his unsuccessful title defense against Zack Sabre Jr. yesterday at Tanahashi Jam.
Goto, who debuted for NJPW in 2003, ascended to the top of the mountain in February earlier this year, defeating Sabre Jr. for the heavyweight title after numerous failed title challenges over the last three decades. Goto first challenged for the heavyweight title at NJPW Destruction in 2007, losing out to the eternal Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Claiming heavyweight gold at last, Goto embarked upon one of the most successful and busiest title reigns in NJPW history. Breaking the record for most successful defenses for the title, Goto clocked up seven defenses before Sabre Jr. reclaimed the belt. Among Goto’s defenses were Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, and David Finlay.
However, there was also a point of contention to resolve in his ongoing rivalry with Zack Sabre Jr. Their title rematch at NJPW Resurgence in May ended in a controversial double pinfall, allowing Goto to retain, much to the dismay of Sabre Jr. The trilogy-capping match came yesterday at Tanahashi Jam, with Sabre Jr. reclaiming the title he lost just over four months ago.
Hirooki Goto injury: Unfortunate Accident or an Overwork Injury?
Hirooki Goto has been a constant presence at NJPW since his 2003 debut. He has consistently wrestled as many as three matches a week for several years now, and with his age, perhaps this has finally become unsustainable. Goto, now 46, has been even busier during his heavyweight championship run, with those seven title defenses in four months speaking volumes of his work ethic.
In the fortnight leading up to his third title match with Sabre Jr., Goto wrestled eight matches – including his final defense against Shingo Takagi. Suffering an elbow injury during the title-losing effort against Sabre Jr., NJPW has now confirmed in an official statement that Goto will miss the upcoming New Japan Soul event on July 4th at the Tokyo Budokan.
“Hirooki Goto, who competed with Zack Sabre Jr. over the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in Nagoya on June 29, sustained an injury to his right elbow during the match, and as a result will be absent from competition on July 4 in the Tokyo Budokan.”
It has not been confirmed as to whether Goto entered the match with an underlying issue, but with that being said, Zack Sabre Jr. is the last wrestler you’d want to face with or without any arm injury. Many fans and analysts regard the British wrestler as the best submission wrestler working today, and to make matters worse for Goto, Sabre Jr.’s various finishers and submission holds often target the arms in some way.
As for NJPW’s statement, there is no suggestion that Goto’s injury layoff will be long-term. However, with AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door set for August 24th, NJPW may be sweating just a little over Goto’s availability.
Sabre Jr. and Goto are essentially all square after their three 2025 title matches following their Resurgence double pinfall. A fourth match in front of Sabre Jr.’s home crowd at Forbidden Door would provide a perfect platform to conclude the rivalry.
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