Folks, it's official: Kota Ibushi, the former multi-time IWGP Champion inside New Japan Pro Wrestling and long-time tag team partner of AEW World Trios Champion Kenny Omega, is a free agent. After years of negative back-and-forth banter between the “Golden Star” and NJPW management, and a string of injuries that kept him out of the ring since the 2021 G1, Ibushi is apparently healthy enough to start wrestling once more and will test out his shoulder with not one but two new matches for GCW, including a bout against “Speedball” Mike Bailey at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport on March 30th and against Joey Janella one day later on March 31st in the main event of his namesake Spring Break show, both of which will be broadcast live on Fite from Los Angeles.
For fans of professional wrestling, this is nothing but good news, as any time Ibushi gets into a ring it's going to be a big-time bout worthy of your Pay-Per-View dollars and attention, but no one really expects Ibushi to become a full-time GCW wrestler, largely because there aren't really full-time GCW wrestlers save Nick Gage. No, with his run in NJPW done, fans largely expect Ibushi to land at one of two promotions assuming he wants to continue on as a full-time professional wrestler, AEW or WWE.
Fortunately, Tony Khan was asked about Ibushi's status on Busted Open Radio and let it be known that the “Golden Star” is very much still someone the company likes and would be willing to work with him moving forward.
“There are a lot of great free agents in the world of pro wrestling,” Khan said. “Certainly, Kota Ibushi is a great talent. When you have a name like that, everyone in the world of pro wrestling would be very fortunate to have in their promotion. We've wanted to work with him in the past, so it's certainly something we would have to consider.”
Though Ibushi hasn't wrestled in AEW before, as the whole Forbidden Door phenomenon largely occurred when he was on the mend, he did wrestle on All In in a trios match with the Young Bucks – as The Golden Elite – against Rey Mysterio, Rey Fenix, and Bandido, and worked a number of matches for Ring of Honor when Kenny, the Jacksons, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Cody Rhodes were pulling double-duty between the two promotions in 2018. Even if he's technically wrestled for WWE before, famously taking part in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, even Ibushi thinks AEW will likely end up being his landing spot.
Kota Ibushi sees himself in AEW… eventually.
Speaking further to Dark Puroresu Flowsion one day removed from his initial comments on leaving NJPW, Ibushi noted that he isn't simply holding out for the best payday moving forward, as he's more concerned with landing the right opportunity than the dollar sign attached to it.
“About money, I think it's very much unnecessary, but for me the things I care about and what's necessary [for me] are more important,” Ibushi said via Fightful. “So I don't want to be in a match without meaning. There aren't a lot of matches without meaning, but I think I'll show up in places in the future that truly and fully understand me.”
Asked if he would be willing to join AEW at some point, Ibushi said yes, but he has something more pressing that he would like to accomplish first.
A lot of my best friends are in AEW,” Ibushi said. “My younger peers in Japan are also growing up [there?]. Nonetheless, I don't think of going to AEW immediately. I want to have a ‘school' in Japan. Once that's been worked out, I think I'lI talk with AEW.”
To their credit, Dark Puroresu Flowsion also reached out to the Young Bucks to see how they felt about Ibushi, and unsurprisingly, the Jacksons remain big fans.
“Love him. Miss him,” the Young Bucks responded via Fightful. “He kept us in the loop the night of Tokyo Dome about Kenny. Kept sending us little updates. Goes without question we’d love to have him around, or work with him. I think he has the ability to do whatever he wants.”
Will the Young Bucks, Omega, and Ibushi eventually reconvene in AEW, maybe with Konosuke Takeshita filling out the group? Yes, not to sound too presumptuous, but it sounds like every party wants to work together at some point, so really, it's a matter of when, not if, a deal gets done and how it affects everyone else moving forward. But until that day comes, at least wrestling fans won't have to wait too long to see the “Golden Star” in a ring once more.
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