Kota Ibushi is back!
The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion made his shocking return to AEW this past Saturday.
Kota Ibushi hasn't competed in an AEW ring since 2023. Bushi teamed with Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, and Paul Wight (aka The Big Show) in a street fight against Brian Cage & The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs). His team won. Ibushi was sidelined with a couple of nagging injuries that had plagued him for a good while.
Add in the fact that the former New Japan Pro-Wrestling star was dealing with Visa Issues and it’s a big component on why he hasn’t fought in AEW in ages. Ibushi has actually been wrestling in Japan since July 2024. He’s now a Pro Wrestling NOAH talent (in addition to AEW), and he’s also competed in DDT Pro Wrestling and GLEAT.
What’s more interesting is that Ibushi got into it immediately with Kazuchika Okada. The current Continental Champion has a date with Kenny Omega at All In, but will AEW make a match between Ibushi and Okada beforehand?
Okada and Ibushi have quite the history between one another in New Japan. While the two weren’t fierce rivals like Okada and Kenny Omega, these two had some legendary matches during their time in the Japanese promotion. The last time Okada and Ibushi fought was in the 2021 G1 Climax where the former beat the latter.
Ibushi would leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling a year later due to issues with management. It’s safe to say that he won’t be going back to that promotion anytime soon because his New Japan exit was ugly. At the moment, there’s no telling what the future lies with Ibushi in AEW. While a match against Okada seems clear, there’s no word on whether he’ll have a big match at All In.
It is confirmed that the 43-year-old will wrestle in AEW for the first time in two years on Dynamite this Wednesday. Thus far, his opponent has yet to be announced.