In November, Tetsuya Naito underwent surgery on his right eye to treat paralysis of the upper oblique muscle. The condition was caused by superior oblique muscle palsy.
In a recent interview with NJPW1972.com, Naito revealed that he got six stitches on his eyelid following his title match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18.
Naito defeated SANADA to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On needing stitches on both eyes: “Right, my eyelid. We clashed heads when I went for that last Destino. So after the match, I got to the back, gave my comments, went to the trainer’s room and got six stitches. I really didn’t want them and asked if there was another way, but didn’t have a choice. Those stitches hurt like hell. And the anesthetic before- can you imagine getting a shot on your eyelid? But the doctor’s all happy go lucky about it. Actually on the last Korakuen shows of the year I got hit on the other side, and that was three stitches on that eyelid. So I had nine stitches across two eyes within two weeks of one another.”
On how his eye is doing after surgery: “Well, the more you get this, it is diminishing returns. in all honesty, things aren’t right, but they are better than before.”
On the new generation in NJPW: “Whatever sport you follow, that changing of the guard is a fact of life. You can’t resist that, and if it didn’t happen then we wouldn’t move forward as a genre. NJPW needs this and I know I’m not going to be around forever. It’s a little sad to be in my spot, but I can grow from this pressure, it’s something that I never felt before, and that’s exciting.”
