Seth Rollins captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the recently concluded Night of Champions 2023 premium live event. He defeated AJ Styles to secure the title, and it would be interesting to see who will be the first man to challenge him. Meanwhile, Kota Ibushi could return to the company to lock horns with The Visionary for a high-profile title bout.
Ibushi is one of the biggest free agents in the wrestling industry right now. His contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling expired in February 2023 after a rocky last few months with the Japanese promotion. He has been wrestling for GCW recently, defeating former AEW star Joey Janela in his most recent match.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has wrestled in WWE before. He participated in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic and NXT but never signed a full-time contract with the promotion. His last match was on the former black-and-gold brand against Bobby Roode (now Robert Roode).
Kota Ibushi shares a storied past with The Elite and other AEW stars. There have been teases from the company's EVPs regarding Ibushi's potential debut. However, WWE is the leading wrestling promotion in the world, and he could choose to make his main roster debut soon.
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The allure of wrestling there and the prospect of taking on Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship could lead to Kota Ibushi signing with the promotion.
The Visionary has never shared a ring with Ibushi. Hence, a first-time-ever singles bout between two modern-day greats would be a dream match.
Former WWE name Kota Ibushi called angle with AEW's Kenny Omega the "best story in the world"
Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi were known as the Golden Lovers in Japan. They were one of the most popular tag teams of their time, and fans still hope for the tandem's reunion.
In a recent interview, Kota Ibushi called his story with The Best Bout Machine the best in the world.
"We believe that Golden Lovers is the best story in the world. That's why, even when we're both 50 and 60, we definitely want to become a legend tag team all over the world. It is also one of my hopes and dreams." (H/T Fightful)
The wrestling business is highly unpredictable. Despite his history with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi could snub a reunion with his friends to join WWE. Upon his arrival, he could wrestle in the global wrestling juggernaut for the first time since 2016.