Kota Ibushi isn’t leaving AEW anytime soon.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has just confirmed that he re-signed a two year deal with AEW.
“This was incredible! A turning point in my life. I never thought I’d get to ride in a private jet! And I signed a two-year contract renewal. I still want to live, but I have no choice but to live. I can’t imagine myself still wrestling at 45. What else do I want? I don’t know. I have a dream to live and live this kind of pro wrestling! Back in the day when I was little. Just not just good 99% hell you won’t get there. How tough that 99% hell is was far above imagination. From training and daily living. Just don’t look down. Up the top. Still not enough not like this!!”
Ibushi is set to reunite with his Golden Lovers partner Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door. The duo will team with Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, and Hiroshi Tanahashi to take on Gabe Kidd, The Young Bucks, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli in a Lights Out Steel Cage match. Given the lights out moniker, this is likely the main event of Forbidden Door, though that’s just speculation on my end.
Ibushi originally made his AEW return back in June. Before that, the AEW star’s last match in AEW was in 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). Ibushi was then sidelined with a couple of nagging injuries.
Ibushi was also dealing with Visa Issues and it’s another reason he was gone from AEW for so long. He made his AEW debut back in 2023 and given the rollercoaster ride that he's been on, it’s great that he’s going to be given a chance to showcase why many considered him as one of the best wrestlers in the world during his final years in New Japan. We’ve seen a glimpse of that in his latest run, especially with his match against his longtime rival, Kazuchika Okada.