Former World Heavyweight Champion unlikely to return to AEW until Kenny Omega gets cleared - Reports
Former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi made several appearances on AEW TV last year. However, the 42-year-old has been absent from Tony Khan's promotion since the November 15, 2023, episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite.
Interestingly, a recent report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter has claimed that the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion was looking to return to the Jacksonville-based promotion after Kenny Omega's comeback.
The Cleaner has been with the company since its inception and is a former AEW World Champion. Unfortunately, due to ongoing health issues, the 40-year-old is currently sidelined.
Omega spent several years wrestling in Japan, predominantly in DDT Pro-Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. There, he became friends with Kota Ibushi. In 2009, the duo joined forces in the ring and became the Golden Lovers, a tag team that is active to this day. Together, they have won the KO-D Six-Man Tag Team Championship, the KO-D Tag Team Title, and the KO-D Openweight Championship.
Notably, Ibushi's last in-ring appearance on AEW television saw him join forces with Omega, Paul Wight, and Chris Jericho for a Street Fight against Brian Cage and The Don Callis Family. Ibushi and Co. emerged victorious in a hellacious bout.
Sean Ross Sapp provides an update on AEW star Kenny Omega's return
Last month, popular wrestling journalist Sean Ross Sapp spoke about Kenny Omega's return on the Fighful Select podcast. The journalist revealed that The Best Bout Machine was not expected to return in the foreseeable future.
"Not expected back in the coming months or anything like that. He [Kenny Omega] did have the surgery in order to check how things were progressing. This was something completely unforeseen. But knowing Kenny, he has got to heal up, get in shape, and then get into ring shape as well,'' he said. [H/T Sportskeeda]
Omega last competed inside the squared circle on the December 5, 2023, episode of Collision. He locked horns with Ethan Page in a singles match and emerged victorious. It will be interesting to see when The Cleaner returns to in-ring duties.