New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) has announced that veteran wrestler Tomohiro Ishii has suffered a neck injury and will therefore withdraw from the upcoming New Japan Cup tournament. As a result, Satoshi Kojima has been named as Ishii’s replacement.
Kojima will face the winner of the match between Ren Narita and Taichi in Round 2 of the tournament. This event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 12, in Takamatsu, Japan.
Ishii was initially set to participate in the tournament later this month after receiving a first-round bye. However, NJPW reported that he sustained a neck injury and will be absent for the duration of the tour. Ishii last competed for NJPW at “The New Beginning USA” event in Trenton, New Jersey, where he was defeated by Oleg Boltin, resulting in Boltin winning the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship. Earlier in the week, Ishii faced Andrade El Idolo during the AEW Collision TV tapings, which aired on Saturday, February 28.