SANADA Says He’s Back In Ring Shape After Taking Time Off To Heal

In an interview with NJPW1972.com, SANADA spoke about getting healthy after taking time off due to a neck injury. He hasn’t wrestled since April and was medically cleared last month. Here are highlights:

On healing during his time away from the ring: “I’m finally back in my best shape. All this year, from January 4 in the Tokyo Dome when I hurt my neck against Tetsuya Naito, I’ve not been where I wanted to be physically, but with this time off I’ve gotten there.”

On the state of NJPW in his absence: “One thing about being on the outside looking in is I’ve been able to be fairly objective on things. I do wonder how fans feel about the IWGP World Heavyweight and Global Heavyweight Champions both being away from the venues right now. You can say that the champion is a special attraction, but I think there’s a problem with the champion not being on the road every night. There are towns where NJPW can only come once a year or so, and those people can’t see the champ, the face of the company.”

On the younger generation in NJPW: “It’s great to see them do well, but at the same time, they still haven’t really produced big results, apart from Tsuji winning the Cup. I see them with their pictures on the event posters, and it seems off, like they still haven’t produced. Being that heavily promoted feels like it isn’t earned.”