AEW star Kota Ibushi has returned to action after months on the injured list.
On January 2nd, Kota Ibushi was hospitalised after his match with Naomichi Marufji at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s New Year show. The much-anticipated bout was met with concern from fans due to Ibushi’s condition throughout.
It was later reported that the star injured his ankle early in the match and had to undergo surgery for that and other injuries he had been dealing with. Since then, Ibushi has been providing updates on his progress on Instagram, and in March revealed he was hoping for a return in six months.
However, the Golden Star returned even sooner than he hoped with an exhibition match for Pro Wrestling GLEAT on July 1st where he took Daisuke Sekimoto to a five-minute time-limit draw.
Now, in a further indication that a full return could be on the cards in the near future, Ibushi has taken part in his first DDT match for seven years. The three-time KO-D Openweight Champion competed as a “special weapon” on behalf of Donshoku Dina as he faced the promotion’s President Sanshiro Takagi in a Weapon Rumble match for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Title. Ibushi helped Dino to victory with a Kamigoye to Takagi.
After the bout, Ibushi asked Takagi if he would allow him to compete in DDT one more time, and the President was all too happy to grant his request.
🔴WRESTLE UNIVERSEで生配信中！
髙木からのメッセージを聞いた飯伏から超ド級の衝撃発言！ 「もう１回、DDTに上がっていいですか？」
🔽今すぐ視聴！https://t.co/djOvAFMuc7#WrestlePeterPan#ddtpropic.twitter.com/gv2UKWAoXB
— DDT ProWrestling (@ddtpro) July 21, 2024
When Did Kota Ibushi Last Compete In AEW?
Kota Ibushi has not been seen in AEW since he teamed up with Paul Wight, Chris Jericho, and Kenny Omega to defeat Brian Cage and The Don Callis Family in a special ‘Like A Dragon Gaiden Street Fight’ on November 15th, 2023. The insane bout saw the star cycling at his opponents while trying to attack them with a lead pipe.