10 Things You Didn't Know About Kota Ibushi
Like that time we wrestled a blow up doll...
Over the past few weeks, WWE fans have been exposed to one of the best workers in the world - "The Golden Star" Kota Ibushi. The longtime New Japan Pro Wrestling star was a surprise ringside guest at NXT TakeOver: Dallas back in April, which many insiders took as confirmation that he'd be competing in the upcoming Cruiserweight Classic tournament.
That supposition turned out to be true, but there's more to the story than just that. This past week, Ibushi made his NXT debut, defeating Buddy Murphy in the show's main event. While that could easily be passed off as promotion for the Cruiserweight Classic, multiple outlets are reporting that Ibushi has signed a deal with the company. "The Golden Star" has denied it, saying that he has unfinished business in Japan, but WWE tells talent to deny signing contracts until the company can announce it.
The safe takeaway from all of this is that Kota Ibushi is pretty much guaranteed to be a part of WWE's roster going forward, as well as a major player in Raw's upcoming cruiserweight division. So just who is the company's most recent major acquisition, one who's sure to have people talking for a long time?
Here are 10 things you didn't know about Kota Ibushi:
10. He Tagged With Kenny Omega
Kota Ibushi may be primarily known as a singles worker, but he was also a part of a heralded tag team with none other than Kenny Omega, the current leader of Bullet Club and one of the hottest stars on the international scene. As The Golden Lovers, the pair held the DDT promotion's Tag Team Titles twice, and had a reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
The pair of real-life friends spent five years teaming regularly in DDT until late 2014, when Omega announced that he was leaving the promotion. He then showed up in New Japan as "The Cleaner," the new Junior Heavyweight ace of Bullet Club. While that didn't put them in one another's crosshairs (Ibushi had made the jump to the heavyweight division), Omega did infamously - and reluctantly - help AJ Styles retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title in a match with Ibushi.
As there was no resolution between the former partners, many assume that Ibushi's "unfinished business" in Japan refers to a one on one match with Omega. That will likely have to wait a while.