12 Upcoming Wrestling Stories That Are Already Doomed

6. Golden Lovers Reunite

Brock Lesnar John Cena
NJPW

The returns of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi from serious health issues and injuries in 2025 have been extremely satisfying to watch play out

In the case of Omega, the true and full extent of his diverticulitis-related absence makes wrestling seem relatively trivial in the grand scheme of things, whereas Ibushi's 2023 matches were remembered more for what he could no longer do than what he was still capable of. That, years removed from low ebbs, they are back performing in All Elite Wrestling and hanging with some of this era's best and brightest is encouraging, but it may be wise to temper expectations about a fresh run for the pair.

Ultimately, while tag team wrestling typically halves the workload, the Golden Lovers come with expectations higher than most and a legacy both men will presumably want to preserve. For all the fantasy booking options that exist with AEW's large and varied roster, the prospect of the pair falling even slightly below the in-ring standard they set in the 2010s stands to do worse than simply leaving the team in the corridors of history.

Odd matches and one more potential clash with The Young Bucks might be fun exhibitions to add extra value on pay-per-view, but any hopes for an extended run are probably best left parked before being outright dashed. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett