Kota Ibushi firmly established himself as the shining star of New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2021 before an injury destroyed his career in one tragic moment.
Known for his incredible athleticism, relentless drive, and mesmerizing in-ring style, he was on top of the world.
His journey in NJPW had reached its zenith, having won two consecutive G1 Climax tournaments and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Fans and insiders alike were certain that Ibushi’s future was one of continued greatness.
However, in the final match of the 2021 G1 Climax, the unthinkable happened—a devastating injury that would leave him sidelined for nearly two years.
What was once a career on an unstoppable rise would soon be marked by uncertainty.
In this article, we look back at Ibushi’s meteoric rise, the horrific injury that changed everything, and how he has struggled to reclaim his former glory in the aftermath.
Kota Ibushi Had Become The Top Star In Japanese Wrestling Before His Injury
By 2021, Kota Ibushi had firmly established himself as the face of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
Known for his unmatched athleticism, daring in-ring style, and magnetic charisma, Ibushi had ascended to the top of the promotion through years of jaw-dropping performances and significant victories.
Ibushi’s career trajectory took a monumental leap in 2019 when he signed an exclusive NJPW contract.
This was after years of freelancing around the world, which included a stint in the WWE as part of the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016.
He was also reunited with Kenny Omega, whom he wrestled alongside for years as the iconic tag team “the Golden Lovers”.
His dedication to NJPW bore fruit when he became the first-ever IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in 2021, unifying the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships—a moment that symbolized his position as the promotion’s cornerstone.
Having also won back-to-back G1 Climax tournaments in 2019 and 2020, Ibushi achieved a feat only a few in wrestling history had accomplished.
His high-risk style and versatility, blending high-flying moves with stiff strikes, made him an icon. Ibushi was not just a wrestler.
He was the epitome of the “Golden Star” moniker, representing hope, creativity, and the physical toll of professional wrestling.
With Ibushi at his peak, fans and pundits alike envisioned a long and fruitful reign atop NJPW.
However, his fearless approach to wrestling, coupled with his refusal to compromise on his intense in-ring style, ultimately contributed to his shocking downfall—a career-altering injury during the G1 Climax Final in 2021.
His Last Match Before Injury Ended In Disaster
Kota Ibushi’s last match before his horrendous injury could hardly have been a bigger one, unless it had been in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom.
That was the match Ibushi was competing for a chance to appear in, as he reached the final of the G1 Climax in 2021.
The Golden Star had won Block A in the G1 Climax 31. En route to his victory he beat top stars like Shingo Tagaki (then-IWGP World Heavyweight Champion), Tetsuya Naito and KENTA.
The only wrestlers he failed to beat were Zack Sabre Jr and Hiromu Takahashi, showing how dominant he was in that year’s competition.
The other side of the field saw Kazuchika Okada triumph over the likes of Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jeff Cobb and Hirooki Goto.
He and Cobb picked up 16 points each in the group. Tama Tonga was the only man to beat Okada, but The Rainmaker’s win over Jeff Cobb meant he advanced to the final to face Kota Ibushi.
The winner of that match gained what every winner has gained in recent years. A briefcase with the contract to a match in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom. This has been the prize for winning the G1 Climax since 2012, starting with
The contract is called the “Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate” and this is what Okada and Ibushi were fighting over in the main event of the G1 Climax 31 Final.
A match with Shingo Tagaki at the Tokyo Dome awaited the winner, so both men gave it their all in this incredible match.
Ibushi was the favourite. He had grown into a top star and had already won the two previous G1 Climax events.
Nobody, not even Okada himself, had managed to win a third consecutive tournament, so the Golden Star was prepared to make history at the Nippon Budokan.
The match was excellent, up to a point. Many have said it was one of the best G1 Climax finals ever, showing two supreme workers at their absolute peak.
Ibushi continued his streak of having no regard for his own life and bumping on his neck more than the Four Pillars during their pomp.
The duo had 25 minutes of incredible action before everything went wrong.
Towards the end of the match, Ibushi climbed to the top rope as Okada lay on the group. He attempted his iconic Phoenix Splash move as Okada rolled out of the way of the impact.
This led to Kota Ibushi landing seemingly face first on the mat, smashing his head and shoulder onto the canvas.
He did not get up from this, as Red Shoes attended to him in the ring. Eventually, the match was called off and Kazuchika Okada was announced as the winner.
Kota Ibushi’s Injury Kept Him Out Of Action For Two Years
The date of his return kept being pushed back. New Japan hoped Kota Ibushi’s injury would be healed enough by the following year for him to compete in the G1 Climax 32.
The man who should have won coming back after a year off was a great story, likely culminating in a Wrestle Kingdom match with Kazuchika Okada.
However, as time went on, it seemed less and less likely Ibushi would ever return to the ring. Eight months after suffering the injury, Ibushi admitted his shoulder was getting even worse, and he couldn’t do a single push-up.
“Sadly, my shoulder [injury] is getting worse. I have done my rehab according to the instructions and guidance [of my doctors and trainers] too. I’m not risking anything this time. “
“Physically, it’s been 8 months and I still can’t do a single push-up, so. I’m making a calm decision. I’ll say it again and again, but I’m not giving up.”
He still hadn’t returned by Wrestle Kingdom in 2023 as he entered the second year without wrestling.
Despite plans to start his own promotion and accusing New Japan of being in cahoots with the Yakuza, there was no update about when, if ever, Kota Ibushi would return to the ring.
On February 1st 2023, Kota Ibushi’s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling quietly expired. He was released from his deal nearly a year and a half after his shoulder injury and without wrestling a single match since.
It looked like his career was over and that Kota Ibushi would never return to the ring. The extreme length of the injury was mainly because he refused to have surgery, hoping to let the shoulder heal on its own.
This was a bad call and one advised against by doctors, but the stubborn Ibushi thought he knew better.
Fans began to think they’d never see Ibushi wrestle again after his NJPW release. Luckily, he did so just a month later at GCW’s Bloodsport, but it was not the Golden Star the fans remembered.
He Didn’t Recover Properly And Is A Shell Of His Former Self
While Kota Ibushi did return from his injury after nearly two years away, he was a much different wrestler than the fans recalled.
He wrestled against “Speedball” Mike Bailey at GCW’s Bloodsport 9 on the weekend of WrestleMania 38 in what was a “shoot style” match that had all the makings of the dread “Inokiism”.
It was a short match of only seven minutes and was generally received quite well. However, Ibushi was much slower in every aspect and didn’t have the usual snap or intensity he was known for.
This could have just been ring rust, most thought, and there was huge excitement when the Golden Star was revealed to have signed for AEW.
He was immediately placed on The Elite’s team for their Blood & Guts match with the Blackpool Combat Club, which reunited him with his former Golden Lover partner, Kenny Omega.
Sadly, his wrestling did not improve. All the things that made Ibushi great had been taken away by the injury and the time off.
He no longer had the strength and movement in his shoulder, which reduced the moves he could do and the speed at which he moved around the ring.
The time off also affected his instincts in the ring. Mistimed spots became a common occurrence, and even the legendary chemistry he had with Kenny Omega seemed to have disappeared.
Kota Ibushi was a shadow of his former self and had fallen so far from the high of being the best wrestler in the world.
Ibushi was removed from AEW TV later that year. He wrestled alongside Omega at both All In and WrestleDream, but after a four vs four street fight on Dynamite, he suffered a minor injury that kept him out of action until January.
He also suffered an ankle injury that threatened his career in a match against Naomichi Marufuji. He was carried off after a disappointing match in so much pain that Ibushi called an ambulance to take him to hospital.
He has since made another comeback and intends to make a return to AEW with Kenny Omega.
However, it doesn’t look like we’ll get the Golden Star of yesteryear back ever again, and after his injury, Kota Ibushi needs to adapt his game to be relegated to a happy memory.
