Kota Ibushi Shares Theory On How His Shoulder Dislocated

Kota Ibushi believes he knows why he suffered a dislocated shoulder against Kazuchika Okada.

Ibushi and Okada did battle in the finals of the G1 Climax 31 tournament. Things went south when Kota Ibushi missed a Phoenix Splash and landed hard on his arm. The match was stopped immediately and Ibushi was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder. He’s expected to be out of action for about two months.

During an interview with Tokyo Sports, Ibushi shared his take on why he ended up suffering the injury (rough translation via Google).

“There is a cause for it, weight control. This time, I’ve lost or gained weight by then. I was able to practice Phoenix, but there were too many waves. If that is 100 grams different, it’s completely different (feeling). Because it’s such an advanced technique. That was 3 kilometers different on the day of the KENTA match (18th). I was intentionally increasing it for the championship-deciding match, but I think I was tired … I wonder if my weight was definitely (influenced).”

Ibushi has had a string of bad luck as of late. This year for the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion has been riddled with injuries and illness. Ibushi was hospitalized earlier this year due to Aspiration Pneumonia.

Ibushi was out of action from July until September. He was able to return just in time for the G1 Climax. In the tournament, Ibushi had a highly praised match with current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi. Ibushi went over 25 minutes with Okada before the injury occurred.