10 Hottest Free Agents In Wrestling Today
2. Kota Ibushi
Last November, New Japan Pro Wrestling and DDT star Kota Ibushi was put on the sidelines with a cervical disc herniation that would force him to miss several months of action - and Wrestle Kingdom X. Still, fans believed that once Ibushi was ready to come back to action, he would take NJPW's decimated main-event scene by storm, emerging as a contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Title and one of the company's major stars.
It wasn't to be. In February, Ibushi surprised (and confused) fans when he announced that he was leaving New Japan to found the "Ibushi Pro Wrestling Research Institute." While there have been no further announcements about that, Ibushi has been picking up work here and there - including for EVOLVE and (weirdest of all) Kaiju Big Battel in Dallas over WrestleMania weekend.
Being in the city over WrestleMania weekend allowed Ibushi to make an appearance at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, giving credence to the theories that he would participate in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. Sure enough, this Monday, Ibushi was confirmed for the tournament.
Though the show will be running all summer, it will only consist of four taping sessions - leaving many fans wondering what Ibushi will be doing in the long run. WWE may very well have interest in him, but does Ibushi - who cited burnout when he left NJPW - even want to work a full schedule? It will be interesting to see where he winds up.