When it was first announced that Kota Ibushi would be making his AEW Dynamite to help The Elite fight Blackpool Combat Club at Blood and Guts, there was an understandable wave of excitement that swept wrestling fans. After all, this was a performer with a history of championships and excellent matches in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as a man with a long personal history with Kenny Omega.
It was a can’t-miss addition, right?
But when Ibushi showed up, it was kind of like the second picture in one of those “We have Kota Ibushi at home … ” memes. Typically ridiculously shredded, Ibushi appeared to be in merely good shape. He looked like he was moving at about three-quarters speed much of the time. And then he also hurled himself back first into some tacks for no discernible reason after the show.
If you thought Ibushi wasn’t operating at his usual high standards, you were right — according to the man himself. Ibushi took to Twitter/X to explain (h/t Fightful for the translation).
I’m home
It’s my fault that I didn’t know thumbtacks and glass after all this time.
I have thin wrestling shoes, so it penetrated and it was just painful from the middle, and I ended up moving like an old man.
I’m sorry! Far from being unable to kick, both ankles were stiffLife with a cane for the first time in my life No, I’ll be cured tomorrow! That is Kota Ibushi!
ただいま❗
今更ながら画鋲やガラスなんてしらなかった自分が悪い。
自分は薄いレスリングシューズだから貫通してきて途中からひたすら痛くておじいさまのような動きになってしまった。
くやしい！蹴れないどころか両足首がぶっ凝れた人生初の杖生活❗いや、明日には治る！それが飯伏幸太だ！ pic.twitter.com/m4rxeT1U9s
— 飯伏 幸太 (@ibushi_kota) July 26, 2023
As we’ve discussed internally here at Wrestling Junkie, it was kind of an impossible spot to be in for someone who hadn’t been wrestling regularly. Thanks to his very public falling out with NJPW management, until Blood and Guts, Ibushi had wrestled only twice since October 2021, and both of those matches were on consecutive nights this March.
The guess here is that the Golden Star will get himself back to the kind of form we’ve seen from him in the past. Here’s hoping he gets to show that to AEW audiences at some point.