Doc Gallows remembers knocking out Katsuyori Shibata with a forearm shot during a match.
In April 2017 at NJPW Sakura Genesis, Shibata collapsed backstage following his match with Kazuchika Okada. After being rushed to hospital, it was discovered that he had a subdural hematoma which required emergency surgery. Though it looked like he would never be able to compete again, the veteran made his return to the squared circle at Wrestle Kingdom 16 for his first official bout in over four years.
Appearing on the Sports Guys Talking Wrestling podcast ahead of IMPACT Hard To Kill, Gallows, a NJPW veteran himself, shared a memory of working with Shibata, and how an old elbow injury that he never got fixed almost brought one of their matches to an abrupt halt.
"In Japanese wrestling, fans know that the forearm exchange is a huge thing. The one-two, back and forth, the big stiff forearm shots to the jaw, side of the head, the shoulder, whatever you're doing. I broke my right elbow about 15 years ago in WWE developmental and never had it fixed. That elbow is like a calcified antler sticking out of my right arm. I've never thrown a good forearm shot and been able to control it very well. I've expressed this to Japanese management on several occasions but they wanted to see it. We tagged in for Shibata's hot comeback and he popped me with one forearm, I popped him with one back and he went to sleep. Thank God, his muscle memory and him being such a bad ass, he was able to come to, go through the motions, and finish the match and the sequence we were headed into. I had a little dookie in my shorts there thinking I had screwed up bad.," Gallows said.
You can find Fightful's coverage of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night One by clicking here.
Elsewhere during the interview, Gallows provided an update on Talk ‘N Shop A-Mania 3. To learn more, click here.
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
