Looking Into Kota Ibushi's Pro Wrestling Future, Which Promotion He Lands With

Former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Kota Ibushi is currently a free agent and with so much interest in where his pro wrestling future lies, it now appears that WWE and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) are still on the table for him.

Dark Puroresu Flowsion, a Twitter account that is well-respected in the pro wrestling community, had reportedly spoken with Kota Ibushi about taking his talents to the Western hemisphere full-time.

"Of course, I'm interested in it. I'm good at producing players & I've created stars, so I don't think there's anyone who can control me even in that frame. I live so freely," Ibushi was quoted to have said.

Ibushi has dipped his toes in the Western market from time to time throughout his career which includes matches with AEW's Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro in WWE) and Sami Zayn (known in the independent circuit as "El Generico") and even had a tag team match with former WWE performer Austin Aries during the mid-00s.

In Japan, Ibushi has faced Zayn, Finn Balor (Prince Devitt in Japan) and Shinsuke Nakamura and told Flowsion that he would want to face any one of them once again as he had the "best bouts with them."

He currently has ties with both WWE and AEW and while most pro wrestling fans would want to see him in the latter promotion due to its openness in working with other promotions, both companies have a virtually equal chance of signing Ibushi.

Deciding to take his talents to AEW makes the most sense in terms of fantasy booking as they have a ton of ready-made bouts and storylines waiting for him, particularly Kenny Omega.

For most Western fans, their first exposure to their names is during their time as the "Golden Lovers"– a beloved tag team that had two runs together from 2009 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2019.

One of the most interesting long-term stories in the industry, the Golden Lovers had seen their star reach great heights together, but Omega decided to split things up when he jumped ship to NJPW and eventually join the "Bullet Club" in the hopes of staying in step with Ibushi's rising star.

YouTuber Super Eyepatch Wolf put together one of the best retellings of the entire Golden Lovers storyline, showcasing the value of long-term storytelling in the industry.

Outside of Omega, names such as Adam Cole, "Hangman" Adam Page, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), Castagnoli, MJF and even Keith Lee all make sense as people who Ibushi will likely be involved with most of the time.

Taking a chance on WWE also makes sense for the inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion as he has already competed under their banner during the highly acclaimed 2016 Cruiserweight Classic.

He faced burgeoning star Cedric Alexander and industry vet Brian Kendrick before eventually falling to tournament winner T.J. Perkins in the semis.

Ibushi has a story ready for him involving Cody Rhodes dating back to their Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 2018 which WWE will likely use as a starting off point for their rivalry.

WWE landing Ibushi would be a massive coup in chief content officer Triple H's favor as it gives him another former Japanese pro wrestling star to work with all while giving him a shot at reaching an even bigger audience at age 40 (41 on May 21).

Aside from the pro wrestling ring, Ibushi has also been tipped as a possible opponent for Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao sometime later this year–if the rumors are to be believed.

Pro wrestling fans can expect both WWE and AEW to get into a bidding war over Ibushi's services and it will completely be up to the decorated Japanese star to decide where he stays as he enters the twilight of his career.