Katsuyori Shibata hasn't wrestled an official match since April 2017 due to a subdural hematoma, but made a surprise appearance at the G1 Climax 31 Finals, participating in a grappling match against Zack Sabre Jr.
Shibata is set to make "an important announcement" during the Best of the Super Juniors and World Tag League Finals on December 15.
Speaking to KAMINOGE (translation via golden_kuma), Shibata discussed his future.
When asked about being cleared, Shibata replied, "That's the thing I wanna work on. Carefully. I'd like to talk to the doctor and the company about how often I should wrestle. This is just my feeling, but I probably have only a handful of matches left in me if I'm able to wrestle. A couple of matches per year. Just like the pace of MMA fights. I'll have medical tests before and after each match. I think I need to improve my physical conditions while seeking for matches/rules that fit it. So the exhibition match at the G1 finals show was a huge step forward," he said.
After the exhibition, Shibata promised that the next match would be for real before taking a back bump.
Fightful will have coverage of NJPW Best of Super Juniors and World Tag League Finals on December 15. You can view results from the tournament by clicking here.