Kenny Omega may not return to AEW alone
Kenny Omega may not return to AEW alone. The star could be accompanied by one of his long-time allies in his comeback. This is none other than Kota Ibushi.
The Golden Star is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world, with numerous accolades to his name that he earned in promotions such as DDT and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ibushi, who had been out of commission due to injury following his match against Naomichi Marufuji in January this year, finally returned to the square circle on a show organized by GLEAT last month, wrestling Daisuke Sekimoto to a time-limit draw in an exhibition bout.
Ibushi, who is currently signed with AEW, made his debut in the company representing The Elite alongside Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks during their Blood and Guts match against The Blackpool Combat Club, Konosuke Takeshita and PAC last year.
He was last seen in the Tony Khan-led promotion on the November 15, 2023 edition of Dynamite, where he teamed with The Cleaner, Chris Jericho, and Paul Wight to defeat Brian Cage and The Don Callis Family in an eight-person Street Fight. Fans have been wondering as to the status of the 42-year-old star in AEW, and now it seems that they have an answer.
An X/Twitter user recently inquired whether Kota Ibushi was finished with AEW. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion clarified that he is still very much All Elite, calling the promotion his home. He further teased making his return to the company along with Kenny Omega. The duo constitute the celebrated tag team called The Golden Lovers, and have held numerous titles together, including the KO-D Tag Team Titles, the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles.
"No, my home is AEW. We'll see a full comeback with Kenny," wrote Ibushi.
Check a screengrab of Kota Ibushi's tweet below:
Kenny Omega was taken out by The Elite earlier this year
Kenny Omega has been out of commission since December 2023 due to severe diverticulitis. The former AEW World Champion returned to Dynamite earlier this year to confront The Elite over their assault on Tony Khan. However, he was destroyed by Jack Perry and The Young Bucks for his trouble. Omega has not been seen on All Elite programming since revealing that FTR and two other members of the AEW roster would take on The Elite in an Anarchy in the Arena bout at Double or Nothing 2024.
A recent report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter claimed that Kenny Omega underwent surgery in May, and as a result, will miss AEW's upcoming pay-per-view, All In 2024. The Best Bout Machine was supposedly set to square off against iconic rival Kazuchika Okada for his Continental Title, but those plans have reportedly been scrapped since.
It remains to be seen when Omega makes his AEW comeback, and whether Kota Ibushi will accompany him.