NJPW superstar Katsuyori Shibata shocked fans at today’s G1 Climax finals event when he returned to the ring and faced Zack Sabre Jr. in a five-minute UWF rules exhibition matchup. The bout ended in a draw, but did see Shibata showcase his chain-wrestling skills, and even trapped ZSJ in an Octopus Stretch submission.
Afterwards Shibata grabbed a microphone and announced that next time he’s in the ring he will be in an actual match. He has not wrestled since April of 2017 due to a subdural hematoma suffered during a classic showdown with Kazuchika Okada. He was briefly involved in an angle with KENTA back in 2019 but an official matchup was never able to take place.