Katsuyori Shibata Next Match Announced

NJPW

Katsuyori Shibata’s Japanese wrestling return has been announced following his recent appearance for AEW.

Shibata will return to the ring later this month on December 28, at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event. He will face Tom Lawlor in a  UWF rules bout.

Per  UWF rules, the match can be won via KO (including TKO), submission, or points. There are no pinfalls with this stipulation.

Following Shibata’s serious head injury in 2017, the popular star stepped away from the ring for four years, before making his surprise in-ring return at the October 21, 2021 G1 Climax event, facing Zack Sabre Jr in a UWF Rules bout.

He then returned to the ring in January at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 in January, facing off against Ren Narita.

The match was originally meant to be contested under special rules as a health precaution, but Shibata called for the bout to be fought under normal rules moments before the bell rang.

Shibata’s only match since then took place on AEW TV, with the wrestling veteran unsuccessfully challenging for Orange Cassidy’s All-Atlantic Championship on the November 4 edition of Rampage.

Shibata previously told Tokyo Sports that he finds his current situation ‘frustrating’ because he wants to wrestle more.

You can read Shibata’s recent comments on his wrestling future right here.

【12.28 INOKI×巌流島】
柴田勝頼vsトム・ローラー決定！#追悼猪木 https://t.co/8WKuFIyjjF pic.twitter.com/n8pgz7Hh9E

— Ganryujima (@Ganryujima_PR) December 14, 2022

Think you’re a wrestling mastermind? Well you can prove it by taking quizzes in our brand new quiz section! Don’t forget to tweet us your results!

• UWF
• KATSUYORI SHIBATA
• japan
• Return

Share this article with friends