Kota Ibushi

Kota Ibushi won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2021 before unifying it with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to become the inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion later that year. He won the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors, the 2015 New Japan Cup, and the 2019 and 2020 editions of the G1 Climax, making him the only wrestler to have won all three tournaments. In NJPW, he is a one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. The Golden Star’s high-flying offense and innovative offense revolutionized junior heavyweight wrestling before ascending to main event status.

Kota Ibushi suffered an injury in a match against Josh Alexander at AEW Collision last fall, and has been out of action since October 2025 after suffering a broken femur, undergoing surgery followed by a second surgery in February 2026. After turning 44, he admitted a comeback doesn’t seem likely right now and has turned his focus to buying a new wrestling venue in Japan, hoping to revitalize Shinjuku FACE, a notable venue in Tokyo where many wrestling events have been held.