Katsuyori Shibata Returning To The Ring At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16

Katsuyori Shibata is back.

The Wrestler recently revealed that he would make a "major announcement" at today's NJPW World Tag League 2021/Best Of Super Juniors 28 finals from Sumo Hall and Shibata has now made that announcement.

Standing in the ring with tears in his eyes, Shibata simply said, "January 4, I've got a match," before he triumphantly threw the microphone to the mat and headed backstage.

With that, The Wrestler will step inside the ring on night one of Wrestle Kingdom 16 inside the Tokyo Dome and compete in a full professional wrestling match for the first time in four years.

Shibata's return to the ring seemed wholly unlikely only a few months ago but The Wrestler shocked NJPW fans when he returned to the squared circle in October for a five-minute UWF Rules Exhibition Match against Zack Sabre Jr.

It emerged following the exhibition that Shibata still wasn't cleared for in-ring action but he recently said the October match "wasn't the endpoint" and he had a plan for a full return.

Shibata was previously forced to retire back in 2017 after he suffered a subdural hematoma following a match with Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis. The Wrestler underwent emergency surgery following the match and it was believed he would likely never wrestle again, such was the severity of his injury.

Beyond a few appearances in an NJPW ring, Shibata has spent the last four years working as the head coach at the LA Dojo.