10 Things You Didn't Know About Kota Ibushi
8. He Had A Long-Term Rivalry With Finn Balor
From 2009 to 2014, Ibushi was a centerpiece of New Japan Pro Wrestling's junior heavyweight division. That meant that he frequently found himself across the ring from the company's most dominant junior of the 21st century - Prince Devitt, the man who would become Finn Balor.
Devitt and Ibushi first met in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, but their rivalry escalated when The Golden Lovers defeated Apollo 55 (Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. That bout was named Match of the Year for 2010 by Tokyo Sports, and though Apollo 55 reclaimed the belts, a feud was born. Ibushi would go on to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title from Devitt in 2011, and while he was stripped of the title due to injury, he'd famously compete for it in a rare three-way match at Wrestle Kingdom 7, taking on Devitt and Low Ki.
When Devitt turned heel and formed Bullet Club, the feud became personal. Devitt relied on his stablemates to run interference and hand him victories, but at Wrestle Kingdom 8, Ibushi defeated the future NXT Champion in a one-on-one match to claim his third IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Devitt left the promotion for WWE soon afterwards.
Given that Finn Balor is a part of the Raw roster, odds are that the final chapter in this rivalry hasn't been written.