The past few years have not been kind to Kota Ibushi when it come to injuries as the previous IWGP Heavyweight Champion has wrestled lower than two dozen matches up to now five years. Ibushi looked to have turned a corner when he returned to AEW in the summertime of 2025, but that run was cut short in October during a match with Josh Alexander where broke his femur, an injury that some believed would keep him out of motion for as much as two years.
In a rare interview with “HypeTalkTV,” Ibushi opened up about how he has been feeling recently, revealing that he can picture himself back within the ring rather a lot prior to what doctors have told him, that is that if the matches he’s involved in are easy. “The surgery…it was really painful,” Ibushi said. “”Now, walking is okay, but running I am unable to do. The doctor said a yr, but I’ll do it in half that. Yes, in six months…in AEW is high quality. Just–sometimes or once, I would like to do like an ‘easy match.'”
Ibushi did make a surprise appearance at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 to be an element of Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony, where he was visibly struggling to make his way down the Tokyo Dome ramp. Nonetheless, “The Golden Star” desires to be certain that that the subsequent time he walks down the ramp, he’s in perfect condition. “I’ll heal my leg as fast as possible and are available back to the ring. I would like to return back quickly as possible, as soon as possible. Yes, I’ll return to the ring in perfect condition as soon as possible. I would like everyone to know that.
As for what Ibushi would have done in AEW had he not gotten injured, those scrapped plans were recently revealed by The Young Bucks on an episode of “Being The Elite.” Matt and Nick Jackson revealed that they were going to wrestle Ibushi and his Golden Lovers tag team partner Kenny Omega at Full Gear 2025 in what would have been a rematch from their 2018 bout in NJPW.
Please credit “HypeTalkTV” when using quotes from this text, and provides a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.