Okay, let’s talk about what I saw happen with Tanga Loa. I make it a point to keep up with the big matches, you know, just part of my routine, my own little record-keeping practice.
So I was watching the event, I think it was one of those New Japan shows, maybe related to the G1 or something around that time. Tanga Loa was in there, doing his thing. He’s always been a solid powerhouse, part of that whole Guerrillas of Destiny setup.
During the match, things got pretty rough, as they usually do. Lots of hard hits. Then there was this moment, I can’t recall the exact spot, but you could tell something wasn’t right with him. He was reacting differently.
My Observation Process
I rewound the footage a bit, trying to pinpoint it. Here’s what I noted down:
- He started covering his eye area.
- There seemed to be swelling almost immediately.
- He looked genuinely hurt, not just selling the move.
- The match finished, but he was clearly favoring that side of his face.
After the show, I did a quick search, just checking the usual fan forums and news sites I keep tabs on. Confirmation came pretty quick that yeah, it was an eye injury. Looked nasty in the photos that surfaced later. Swollen shut, pretty much.
It really makes you think. These guys put their bodies through hell. An eye injury isn’t like a sprained ankle; that stuff is serious business. It affects your vision, your balance, everything. Seeing him try to tough it out initially, that’s just the wrestler mentality, I guess.
Anyway, that was my process for catching and noting this down. You see these things happen live, or close to it, and you just track how it unfolds. It’s part of understanding the risks these performers take every time they step in the ring. Hopefully, he had a good recovery from it. Injuries like that are no joke.
