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IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Gabe Kidd Out With Knee Injury, Withdraws From G1 Climax 35

Gabe Kidd is out of G1 Climax 35. Will he be back in time for Forbidden Door London?
Lyric Swinton|
Gabe Kidd
Gabe Kidd | All Elite Wrestling - Lee South

IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Gabe Kidd's run in G1 Climax 35 has come to an untimely end.

Kidd suffered a hyperextension of the knee on the first night of NJPW's top tournament of the year in a B Block loss to AEW/DDT/NJPW star Konosuke Takeshita.

On the following night, Kidd addressed the crowd on crutches and shared the news of his injury as well as his forfeiture of his planned match with IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr that was scheduled to main event later in the night. At the time, Kidd still hoped to return to the G1 before the end of the tournament.

Gabe Kidd addresses fans and withdraws from G1 Climax 35 due to injury.
Gabe Kidd addresses fans and withdraws from G1 Climax 35 due to injury. | New Japan Pro-Wrestling

By night five of G1 Climax 35, it was evident that the injury was too severe to make a return, and Kidd officially withdrew from the tournament, forfeiting his remaining block matches with his scheduled opponents receiving 2 points each by default.

According to Fightful Select, the situation was "touch and go" initially and fortunately just a hyperextension rather than a torn MCL as they originally feared. NJPW wanted to be on the safe side and pull him from the tournament altogether to avoid a more serious injury. Sources told Fightful Select that they didn't believe Kidd was slated to make it to the semifinals, which made it easier to adjust the remaining dates of the tournament in his absence.

A week after the conclusion of G1 Climax 35 on August 17 is the AEW and NJPW co-produced Forbidden Door London in Gabe Kidd's home country of England. Due to Kidd being IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion and an active member of the Death Riders in AEW on several occasions, he has been widely expected to be involved in this year's August 24 Forbidden Door event. We'll know more in the coming weeks about whether he'll be cleared to compete in time for the PPV in the O2 Arena.

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Lyric Swinton
LYRIC SWINTON

Lyric Swinton is a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s in Sport & Entertainment Management. Her lifelong passion for wrestling has taken her around the world, primarily writing about alternative and international promotions for several major wrestling and media outlets, such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine, Blavity, Fightful, and more. She has covered wrestling for seven major promotions in some of the most famous venues in the world, including Wembley Stadium and the Tokyo Dome.

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