10 Upcoming Wrestling Stories That Are Already Doomed
3. The Golden Lovers Reunite
Kota Ibushi has not looked like Kota Ibushi since suffering a serious injury in the 2021 G1 Climax final. Having reportedly returned to the ring too early after a previous spell on the sidelines, Ibushi added an arm injury while working Kazuchika Okada in an October 2021 tilt, starting a 15-month spell on the sidelines that wasn't broken until WrestleMania 39 weekend.
Between all this, Ibushi entered an ugly public contract dispute with New Japan, eventually securing his release. By the summer of 2023, he was in AEW in body, but not necessarily spirit. The 'Golden Star' spark of old extinguished, Ibushi entered a series of flaccid performances under Tony Khan's banner, visibly slower and less assured than before, ahead of the most calamitous performance of his career for NOAH in January 2024, where he was injured again.
If Ibushi is capable of returning to his vintage years - when he was rightly considered amongst the best in the world - he hasn't looked it since signing with AEW.
In August 2024, Dave Meltzer reported that when the diverticulitis-stricken Kenny Omega returns to AEW, Ibushi will follow. A Golden Lovers reunion, with both men firing at peak level, sounds nothing short of incredible.
And incredibly fantastical.