Various: Minoru Suzuki Suffered Concussion Injury, Kevin Sullivan Hospitalized in ICU Over Serious Health Issues, Indies

Minoru Suzuki Suffered Concussion Injury

Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki suffered a concussion injury at an event called Osaka Crush Night for Tenryu Project earlier today in Osaka, Japan.

The promotion announced that Suzuki suffered an injury during his Best Two-out-of-three falls match with Kengo & YASSHI against Tomohiro Ishii, Yuji Hino, & DonFujii for the WAR World 6-Man Tag Team Championship that resulted in the match being called off by the referee. It was announced that Suzuki was sent to the hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion. It was also announced that Suzuki was allowed to leave the hospital and his medical condition will be monitored over the next few days.

It was also announced that Suzuki is able to walk and talk properly and has not shown any significant concussion symptoms nor did he suffer any bleeding in the head or other areas.

Sukuzi provided an update earlier today on Twitter stating that a CT scan was done and there were no particular problems found and for fans to not need to worry about him.

“I’ll report it for now. I did a CT scan and other tests, but there were no particular problems. I was kicked out of the hospital with a “If you’re feeling fine, go home!” feeling. I remember everything. I even remember how I fell at the end. So there’s no need to worry. For now, I’ll just say one thing… “If I see you again, I’ll beat you all up!”

---

Kevin Sullivan Currently Hospitalized Over Him Suffering Serious Health Issues

Former WCW wrestler and booker Kevin Sullivan has been dealing with serious health-related issues since this past May requiring hospitalization.

In a GoFundMe fundraiser that was recently launched, Sullivan’s wife Nicolle stated that Sullivan has been dealing with several serious health issued including sepsis and encephalitis following a medical incident this past May in Florida that require surgery on his leg. Sullivan’s wife also stated that Sullivan has been in and out of conscious and is currently in the ICU.

Sullivan’s GoFundMe page:

The Taskmaster needs your help! Wrestling legend Kevin Sullivan is facing a critical medical emergency and financial crisis.

On May 12th, 2024, while in Florida for autograph signings, Kevin suffered a devastating accident. He underwent emergency surgery that saved his leg and life but faced severe complications, including sepsis and encephalitis. This unforeseen catastrophe has placed an immense financial burden on his family, as Kevin has been in and out of consciousness in the ICU, far from home.

Despite these challenges, Kevin has shown incredible resilience. Months later, he is still fighting to regain his independence.

Even with an excellent insurance plan, the coverage is nearly exhausted due to the length of stay.

Kevin’s illustrious career in wrestling spans six decades, starting in the late sixties. He thrived in Championship Wrestling from Florida, collaborating with legends like Mike Graham and Eddie Graham. Kevin continued to impact the wrestling world with WCW and through various speaking engagements, including Vice TVs ‘Tales from the Territories’ and his weekly show on Conrad Thompson’s network, ‘Tuesday with the Taskmaster’.

This GoFundMe is set up to help cover the costs of:
 -Continued hospital expenses
 -Skilled nursing care
 -Acute and subacute occupational and physical therapy
 -Recurring medical expenses
 -Transportation to return home to his family

Your support will help Kevin return to what he loves most: entertaining fans with his rich stories and vast knowledge of wrestling. Any contribution, big or small, will make a significant difference in Kevin’s recovery journey.

Thank you for your generosity and support.

---

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

Major League Wrestling recently announced that Renee Michelle will be making her official debut for the company at their MLW Fusion taping on July 12th in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The National Wrestling Alliance announced that they have recently signed Reka Tehaka to an exclusive contract with the company.

EVIL Uno recently announced that his next Mystery Wrestling event, Mystery Wrestling X, will be taking place on September 8th in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.

As noted before, the June 28th Super Vierners event for Consejo Mundial De Lucha Libre at the Arena Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico featured Atlantis Jr. defeating Kyle Fletcher to become the new ROH World Television Champion. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Atlantis Jr.’s victory was the first time that a non-Mexican title had changed hands at the Arena Mexico since La Sombra (Andrade in WWE and AEW) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinantal Championship in 2013.

As noted before, AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling announced this past Sunday that they will be holding a new co-promoted event with CMLL, Stardom, and Ring of Honor called Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, 2025 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that NJPW had planned at one point to hold an event with this same name at Madison Square Garden in 2020 as a follow-up to their co-promoted G1 Supercard event with ROH in 2019. Meltzer reported that NJPW ended up dropping their plans due to issues involving the COVID-19 pandemic and the company’s popularity falling in the United States during the pandemic.

Friday’s New Japan Soul 2024 event for NJPW in Tokyo featured DOUKI defeating El Desperado in the main event to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. This was DOUKI’s first ever championship victory of his NJPW career.

Following United Empire’s victory over Just 5 Guys in a Six-Man Tag Team match at Friday’s NJPW New Japan Soul 2024 event in Tokyo, TJP revealed in a post-match backstage press conference that his United Empire stable will be debuting a new member soon. TJP stated “The other order of business was to find out next recruit. I see a lot of guessing, mostly among Western fans, that’s fine. He’s not from the UK, he’s an American, and he’s also not famous, either. I didn’t want anybody who accomplished a long resume outside of here. They have no pride and they have no heart. They come here, and we went they for a month or two and they’re gone. No, I found somebody that’s young and hungry and has all the right fundamentals, and they’re starving for the opportunity. They’re gonna live, breathe, eat New Japan Pro-Wrestling and the United Empire. It’s somebody that I’m a good friend with and somebody I’ve watched for a little while grind and grind and grind to wait for this opportunity. He’s gonna be here soon, and I can’t wait for you to meet him. United Empire still has our direction. We have winds on our side, gold around waists, and we’re gonna add to it. Onwards and upwards. Crowns up.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

Weest Coast Pro Wrestling recently announced one new match for their co-promoted Untouchable event with Deadlock Pro Wrestling and Prestige Wrestling on July 20th in San Francisco, California:

• Alex Shelley vs. Alpha Zo