Kota Ibushi Hints At Potential AEW Run

By Eric Mutter
kota ibushi Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

After a never-ending stream of news regarding his issues with New Japan Pro Wrestling in the late spring/early summer, talk of Kota Ibushi and whether he'll wrestle again had gone largely silent since June. But while it's still unclear when Ibushi could be returning, fans now know at least one place he would like to wrestle: AEW.

This was confirmed by Ibushi himself early Tuesday afternoon when he was asked by a fan if he was going to AEW.

"At least once," Ibushi said.

When another fan responded to Ibushi regarding their high hopes for his run with AEW, Ibushi had this to say about working for the promotion.

"I'm going because there are kind of a lot of AEW expectations, maybe three times," Ibushi tweeted. "I can't promise that the card will be set up correctly, but Lovers can."

While unconfirmed, it can be reasonably assumed that the "Lovers" Ibushi was referring to was the tag team between himself and AEW star Kenny Omega, best known as The Golden Lovers. The duo teamed together from 2009 to 2014, and again in 2018 before Omega left to join AEW.

Just minutes later, Ibushi was then asked who he would like to wrestle the most in AEW. His answer was a former opponent of his and a former AEW World Champion.

"Adam Page," Ibushi said.

Some had expected Ibushi to join Omega in AEW back when the promotion had been formed in 2019, only for Ibushi to sign a long-term deal instead. An emotional Omega would later discuss Ibushi's decision at Starrcast II, prior to AEW's first ever event, AEW Double or Nothing, in May 2019.

When/if Ibushi shows up in AEW will largely depend on his health and potentially even New Japan. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has been out for nearly a year after suffering a shoulder injury in the G1 Climax Final; as noted previously, he's had a tumultuous relationship with the promotion since, both due to the injury and negative front office interactions. The last update on Ibushi, however, suggested heat had cooled down between the two sides.

As for his injury, there is still no timetable for Ibushi's return to the ring. He has however shown signs of recovery, posting a training video in late July where Ibushi could be seen performing a standing moonsault, one of his trademark moves.

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