(NOAH) "I will do my best to stand in the center", green light for Kaito Kiyomiya's return.

6th April 2023

Tokyo Sports

Kaito Kiyomiya (26), the former GHC Heavyweight champion of Noah, takes his first step towards his comeback. At the Hachinohoe event on March 27th there were concerns about his condition because he suffered a concussion during the match, and the planned trip to the United States was cancelled. However, on the 5th, the doctor gave him permission to take part in matches, and with the decision to participate in the ATC Hall event in Osaka on the 8th, the "Future of the Ark", who has fallen to the bottom, once again faces the battle to reach the top.

On the 5th, with the smile finally returned to his face, Kiyomiya gave an interview in front of a hospital in Tokyo, where he confessed that he has been cleared to return to the ring as a result of the doctor's diagnosis. With a relieved expression, he revealed that the doctor had told him that his symptoms were mild, and emphasized, "Now I can confidently move on to Osaka next". 

In the match on March 27th, he was pinned by El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr with a Wagner Driver, and was unable to move for a while. Kento Nagahama, Noah's trainer said at the time, "He has a mild concussion". He explained that there was no abnormality in his eye movements and responses, and that he was able to move his hands and feet without any problems and so he was sent home, but that he had to rest for three days as a precaution. Initially, he was planning to travel to the United States on March 28th to accompany The Great Muta's agent, Keiji Mutoh (60), who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame 2023. However, due to Noah's rule that, "if you develop symptoms of a concussion, you should be able to contact the trainer at all times for 48 hours", the event was cancelled. Relinquishing the chance to learn special teaching from Mutoh and the first hand experience of WWE from the front to the backstage, he said as if to persuade himself, "It's a pity that I couldn't go to the United States, but I will make sure I seize the next chance". After losing to the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion of New Japan, Kazuchika Okada and then Jake Lee in the GHC match, the accident occurred while he was at rock bottom. Although insult had been added to injury, he looked ahead and said "Even though I couldn't do anything for three days, I was still thinking about professional wrestling in my mind. From there, I exercised little by little and my condition got better, so there is no problem anymore". At the Osaka event on the 8th, he will participate in the eight man tag match as planned. "I have received a total green light from both the doctor and the trainer, and so I will do my best to fight, so I would like my opponents to come at me without hesitation*". Instead of zero, this will be a new start from minus. He swore, "Also, I will do my best to stand at the centre of Noah. Please watch!" In order to prove that enthusiasm, he would like to make an impression of making a full comeback in the ring. 

Translated from Tokyo Sports

Picture credit, Tokyo Sports

Notes

*Naomichi Marufuji asked if he was mad as his opponents are Marufuji and "Sugi-san" (as Marufuji put it), and Sean Legacy who is making his Noah debut said that the challenge was accepted.