10 Wrestlers Who Turned Down AEW
2. Kota Ibushi
When looking at the absolute best wrestlers in the world right now, current IWGP Heavyweight Champion and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Kota Ibushi is undoubtedly in the conversation.
It's been a long journey for Kota to make it to the top of the NJPW mountain, and many had pondered whether the ridiculously talented grappler could be tempted to join his former Golden Lovers partner Kenny Omega in AEW.
Early 2019 saw Ibushi confirm to Weekly Pro Wrestling that he had indeed had contact with AEW about signing with the company, but that he had ultimately had no interest in joining Tony Khan's promotion.
The reason for Kota shooting down any AEW move came down to the simple fact that he didn't want to move full-time to the United States.
In that same interview, Ibushi did say he'd been open to signing with AEW when he was winding down his career, but that clearly isn't happening any time soon. Of course, the recent opening of the 'forbidden door' certainly throws up the possibility of seeing Kota Ibushi lining up against some of AEW's finest in the not too distant future.