Kota Ibushi update, NJPW contract set to expire at end of January

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer gave an update on the status of Kota Ibushi.

Meltzer noted that Ibushi, who has been out of action for more than a year, has been doing light training in the ring as of late and his injured shoulder has held up well. Meltzer added that Ibushi’s NJPW contract is scheduled to expire at the end of January 2023, though nothing is definitive regarding whether he’ll be staying with NJPW or leaving the promotion.

Meltzer wrote:

Kota Ibushi has been in light training in the ring of late and thus far the shoulder has held up well so that’s a good sign. His New Japan contract expires at the end of January and he made a tweet hinting at that. There was a lot of bad feelings over the past year but nothing is definite regarding staying or leaving at that point past he brought it up in a cryptic way about being a free agent in two months.

Ibushi hasn’t wrestled since losing to Kazuchika Okada in the 2021 G1 Climax finals. That match ended in a stoppage when Ibushi injured his shoulder.

In May of this year, Ibushi began expressing his frustration with NJPW management on social media. The issues stemmed from how Ibushi was treated by a member of NJPW talent relations, along with Ibushi feeling that NJPW was trying to rush him back from his shoulder injury too soon. The talent relations official (named Kikuchi) threatened to terminate Ibushi’s contract for making an appearance accompanying wrestlers to the ring at TAKA Michinoku’s Just Tap Out promotion.

NJPW announced this June that Ibushi, Kikuchi, and NJPW president Takami Ohbari were being penalized by having their pay reduced by 10 percent for three months. Kikuchi was also transferred to a different position within the company.