Summary

HENARE shared new details about the knee injury that sidelined him from December 2024 until his in-ring return at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20.

He said the injury occurred near the end of the World Tag League tour and described the damage as torn patella tendons.

HENARE said he initially thought he had a sprain and walked to the back, but trainers quickly identified a more serious issue.

After returning, he also entered the 2026 New Japan Cup and was eliminated in his first match by Oleg Boltin.

HENARE injury details reset expectations after his NJPW return

HENARE revealing the severity of the patella tendon damage creates a concrete consequence, his return timeline now carries clearer medical context for fans tracking how quickly he can rebuild momentum.

With his New Japan Cup run ending in round one against Oleg Boltin, this update frames his current position as a comeback phase rather than a fully re-established run.

Quotes

Quote from HENARE

"Basically what happened was the tendons that hold your kneecap on just ripped off. I’d hurt it, and then, I was in there with Tetsuya Naito and he was trying to win the match obviously, so he kept on it. Just ripped what was left of those tendons off when he put a hold on, and as stubborn as I was, I kept fighting… I did (walk to the back after the injury). I figured that I had just sprained it. But my kneecap was right up where my quad was. The trainers backstage took one look and went, ‘Oh, maybe there’s no more tendon here,’ and that was that. The patella tendons are twice as thick as the Achilles that I’d injured before, so that speaks to the severity of it."

Sources

As reported by Fightful.