New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that Hiromu Takahashi has relinquished the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. The limit to defend the title is six months, and Takahashi is set to be out for nine to twelve months with a broken neck. As heartbreaking as it is for any wrestler to vacate a title, this is an especially heartbreaking turn of events. Takahashi has a tendency to anthropomorphize objects, and considered the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship, or as he called it “Mr. Belt,” a dear companion.
#njdest #njpwUSA#TickingTimeBomb#もっともっともっともっともっともっともっと pic.twitter.com/3Hfv1lW65e
— 高橋ヒロム / Hiromu Takahashi (@TIMEBOMB1105) August 20, 2018
Takahashi was injured in July at G1 Special In San Francisco. The injury occurred during a title defense against Dragon Lee. Hiromu won the title at Dominion in June.
RELATED: New Japan Pro Wrestling Announce Huge Matches For September
Officials have announced a tournament to crown a new champion. Four of the most recent IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champions will compete. The four men will be BUSHI, KUSHIDA, Will Ospreay & Marty Scurll. BUSHI & KUSHIDA will face off at Destruction In Kobe on 9/23. Ospreay & Scurll will face off at Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Long Beach. The winners will face off for the vacant belt at King Of Pro Wrestling in October.
The Junior IWGP throne is vacant. KUSHIDA, BUSHI, Ospreay, and Scurll have all entered the Junior Heavyweight championship tournament!https://t.co/lxkHWGAome#njpw #njdest pic.twitter.com/oo8Ya0tASp
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) August 20, 2018
