El Desperado Announces Injury, Will Miss NJPW Super Jr Tag League

By: Noah Leatherland

NJPW have announced that El Desperado will miss the upcoming Super Jr. Tag League due to injury. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion has been diagnosed with spinal canal stenosis and a hernia.

El Desperado posted a video on his YouTube channel addressing the injury, describing his symptoms, and his stepping away from the tournament. In it, he announced that Masatora Yasuda would be filling in for him, teaming with Mistico. The transcription of the video from the NJPW website is as follows:

My sincerest apologies, but I will not be appearing at Super Jr. Tag League.

 

I’m currently dealing with spinal canal stenosis and a hernia. My left leg has no strength, and with the pain and pins and needles I’m currently unable to stand, walk or even sit upright for long periods of time.

 

From the start of this year I’d noticed some strange sensations in my left glute, and there was some tingling in my legs from around March. At that point I expressed to the company that I was having some symptoms, but that I had no issues with strength or anything like that, and asked to continue wrestling, while staying in contact with the medical and training staff.

 

The pain started coming around June, and the last couple of months, I would be waking up around 4AM in pain with my left leg. I started taking painkillers after meals but was still able to wrestle that way, and as I tend to think, I figured I could get through to the end of the year. I said I could still wrestle, but I was taking the issue far too lightly. My body had reached its limits. My apologies, again.

 

For this Super Jr. Tag League, Mistico was scheduled to wrestle with me, and we can’t just send him back with nothing to say for it, so I have chosen (Masatora) Yasuda to replace me. Some of you might think ‘with your connections you can come up with a bigger name than a Young Lion,’ but I’d like for you to think of this as a key step to the future of NJPW.

 

Right now, (Shoma) Kato and (Katsuya) Murashima are on excursion. It’s a vital time for a young wrestler to not just gain experience in the ring, but in life and living in a variety of environments. When they come back, maybe it will be Yasuda and (Daiki) Nagai’s turn to go, and I don’t know when that might be. But from just an in ring perspective, Nagai has been able to get semi and main event bookings through being in Unbound Co., while Yasuda hasn’t had as many chances. So I want to give Yasuda this opportunity to team alongside a global megastar like Mistico, and to see what he can make of this spot.

 

In the past, Yasuda was critical on social media of a Young Lion being put into Best of the Super Jr. Talking to him at the time, I understood how much value he put in the brand and the significance of a BOSJ entry. I thought he was being a pain in the ass, but at the same time I liked that he felt that strongly about it. Maybe this leaves him a little conflicted. I understand how he feels, but at the same time, if you have an opportunity dangling in front of you in your career, you’re wrong not to seize it, and I want him to seize something by teaming with Mistico in this series.

 

And don’t worry about Mistico. Even with his partner like this, he’ll show up for the fans like Mistico always does. I have complete trust in him.

 

So that’s it. I’m off Super Jr. Tag League, and Yasuda is in. Ah, and as for (November 9 Shin Kiba 1st Ring produce event) ‘Gaspe’ Invitational. I can’t move, but my desire to see something truly horrific trumps all that, so we’ll be going ahead as planned. Show up.

El Desperado is also scheduled for a big singles match against his partner Mistico at the upcoming CMLL x NJPW event Lucha Kingdom on November 16th, but not statement has been made on whether he will be able to compete in Mexico City.

The NJPW Super Jr. Tag League kicks off on October 24th.

Everyone here at Monthly Puroresu wishes El Desperado a speedy recovery.