Shinjiro Otani is a puroresu legend. Otani was a young lion in the legendary NJPW dojo. He made his in-ring debut for the promotion in 1992. Otani parted ways with the company to start Zero1 with former NJPW star Shinya Hashimoto.

Otani suffered cervical spine injury during his match against Takashi Sugiura earlier this month. Otani was injured when he took a German suplex into the turnbuckles during the match.

Otani was paralyzed following the incident. He successfully went under the knife mid April and is currently recovering from surgery. However, doctors have yet to determine if Otani can wrestler in future.

Otani’s injury led to an outpouring of support from fans and peers alike. AEW star William Regal announced Saturday (April 30) that he’s trying to help the puroresu legend in his time of need.

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I don’t do this normally publicly but I’m trying to help a old dear friend of mine, Shinjiro Otani. A little part of that is that any of my tshirts under my account at @PWTees will be donated to his care. Thank you.

Otani’s situation is being closely monitored by doctors and family members. His wife Eriko Otani released statement following the surgery. Ringside News will continue to keep you posted on his health.

What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!

Manik Aftab

Manik Aftab serves as a news writer at Ringside News. He has covered pro wrestling and sports entertainment for a variety of publications, including Sportskeeda Wrestling, The Sportster, and WrestleZone. Outside of his professional duties, Manik likes to indulge in fiction, thrillers, comics, manga, and anime.

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