Kota Ibushi's Latest Injury Is Super Gross

By Andy H Murray / December 2, 2024

AEW's Kota Ibushi was spotted working with what appears to be an infection on his back at a Japanese wrestling event this weekend.

The 'Golden Star' was on Marvelous' 1 December event at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, teaming with Leo Isaka and Takumi Iroha against Joshi legend Chigusa Nagayo, Masato Tanaka, and Titus Alexander. On his left shoulder was what looked like an infected skin patch, as pictured above.

Kota himself has not commented on the situation, nor have there been any concrete reports on his condition.

Ibushi, Isaka, and Iroha were victorious in the Marvelous main event, which was the 42-year-old's fifth since returning from a myriad of serious injuries in July. The AEW-contracted star has worked for GLEAT and DDT as well as Marvelous during this period, but is yet to return to the United States. In August, he commented that the Tony Khan-helmed promotion was his "home", promising a reunion with the still-absent Kenny Omega.

Ibushi's 2024 has, unfortunately, been rife with incidents. In the 4 November Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported on a backstage issue between Kota and DDT personnel following an 8 September six-man tag match. There was a backstage divide on whether or not Ibushi's presence on the show was needed. Some young wrestlers made comments that Ibushi deemed disrespectful. DDT President Sanshiro Takagi, upon catching wind of them, asked the wrestlers to apologise. When they refused, Ibushi left. Meltzer noted that despite this, some felt the situation had been blown out of proportion - though Ibushi's 2024 DDT matches have since been removed from the Wrestle Universe streaming platform.

In January, Ibushi wrestled one of the most critically panned matches of the year with NOAH's Naomichi Marufuji. The 'Golden Star' suffered two serious ankle injuries in the bout, necessitating six months off, though he had been visibly struggling to recapture his old, electric form in AEW bouts before this.