Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including ANOTHER lawsuit filed regarding Vince McMahon’s return, AEW running house shows, Kota Ibushi, ratings, New Japan this weekend, Fedor’s last fight, AEW and NXT TV reviews, Rampage spoilers and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: AEW to start running house shows
4:51: Another WWE lawsuit and investigation
8:09: Kota Ibushi is a free agent, upcoming NJPW shows this weekend, CMLL Friday show thoughts
21:05: Raw ratings
28:10: Reelz loading up on wrestling content
31:53: More info on Wrestling With Shadows re-release, Fedor’s last fight is this Saturday on CBS
AEW & ROH head Tony Khan is no stranger to signing free agent talent, so now that former NJPW star Kota Ibushi has no contractual home, Khan is interested in talking with him.
During his weekly appearance on Busted Open Radio Wednesday, Khan was asked about Ibushi and his process when someone like that becomes available.
“There’s a lot of great free agents in the world of pro wrestling, but certainly Kota Ibushi is a great talent. When you have a name like that, that is certainly somebody everybody in the world of pro wrestling would be very fortunate to have in their promotion. We really wanted to work with him in the past, so I think that is certainly something we’d have to consider.”
Ibushi’s contract expired on January 31st with NJPW issuing a release wishing him luck in his future endeavors.
The 40-year-old has been injured and out of action since October 2021 with a dislocated shoulder suffered in the G1 Climax finals. On Tuesday, GCW announced that Ibushi would be wrestling at both Bloodsport and Spring Break during WrestleMania weekend in Los Angeles.
After spending a year and four months sidelined with a shoulder injury, Kota Ibushi is ready to resume his pro-wrestling career.
On Tuesday, GCW announced that Ibushi will take part in Bloodsport and Spring Break events over WrestleMania Weekend. NJPW then released a statement that the 40-year-old is leaving the promotion and wished him well in his future endeavors.
Ibushi spoke with Dark Puroresu Flowsion recently about his wrestling future. He was asked how money factors into his decision regarding where to wrestle.
Ibushi responded:
About money, I think it’s very much unnecessary, but for me the things I care about and what’s necessary [for me] are more important. So I don’t want to be in a match without meaning. There aren’t a lot of matches without meaning, but I think I’ll show up in places in the future that truly and fully understand me.
Ibushi was also asked about potentially wrestling for AEW. He responded that he hopes to open a wrestling school in Japan before speaking with the promotion.
Ibushi said:
[A] lot of my best friends are in AEW. My younger peers in Japan are also growing up [there?]. Nonetheless, I don’t think of going to AEW immediately. I want to have a ‘school’ in Japan. Once that’s been worked out, I think I’ll talk with AEW.
Ibushi also commented on choosing “Speedball” Mike Bailey as his opponent for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport.
The match with Speedball Bailey was an important match for my comeback match after 1 year and 4 months. I chose him. I’m really looking forward to it!
During his time in NJPW, Ibushi was a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, three-time Junior Heavyweight Champion, 2011 Best of the Super Juniors winner, 2015 New Japan Cup winner, and won the G1 Climax in 2019 and 2020. He also won the Junior Heavyweight tag titles once along with Kenny Omega and the heavyweight tag titles once with Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Kota Ibushi and Speedball Mike Bailey will soon go at it.
It was announced on Tuesday evening that Ibushi and Bailey will meet at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9 on March 30 during WrestleMania weekend.
“It didn’t take long for someone to step up to the challenge of @ibushi_kota,” Barnett wrote on social media. “Like lightning, “Speedball”, has thrown his glove down and declared WAR.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Joey Janela announced that Ibushi would be at his Spring Break 7 event, which will take place the following day on March 31. Bailey will also be on that show, taking on El Hijo Del Vikingo.
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced on Tuesday that as of January 31, Ibushi would no longer be under NJPW contract. He hadn’t wrestled for the company since suffering a shoulder injury at the G1 Climax 2021 finals and had a public falling out with the company in 2022, with Ibushi calling out NJPW for pressuring him to return early from the injury among other issues.
On the same day Kota Ibushi was announced as making his GCW debut in March, NJPW issued a statement announcing his departure from the company.
From the statement:
“With the conclusion of his contract period on January 31 2023, Kota Ibushi has departed New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ibushi had been recovering from injury since October 2021.
We apologise to Ibushi’s fans for the abrupt announcement, and join them in wishing Ibushi the very best in all his future endeavours.”
Shortly after, Ibushi posted the following on Twitter:
“There were various conflicts, but thank you to New Japan Pro-Wrestling I chose the position of being free to renew my contract. Thank you for your long and condensed period. thank you From now on, I hope you will watch over my path! I don’t know what will happen”
Ibushi will work both GCW Bloodsport and GCW Spring Break 7 during WrestleMania weekend in Los Angeles.
The 40-year-old hasn’t wrestled since dislocating his right shoulder in the 2021 G1 Climax finals against Kazuchika Okada. What followed was a disintegration of his relationship with NJPW after Ibushi went public with claims he was being pressured into returning early and that was he accused of trying to get out of his contract.
NJPW eventually held a press conference to apologize to Ibushi and explain their side of the situation. The manner in which they did caused Ibushi to correct them publicly after they said his mother’s suicide attempt caused him mental duress, resulting in a follow-up clarification.
NJPW later reduced the pay for Ibushi and two officials by 10% for three months over the incident, and Ibushi remained under contract through today.
Ibushi debuted for NJPW in 2004 and held the IWGP World title, IWGP Heavyweight title, IWGP Intercontinental title two times, IWGP Junior Heavyweight title three times, IWGP Tag Team titles, and IWGP Junior Tag Team titles during his time there.
Kota Ibushi’s return to the ring has been confirmed, albeit for an unexpected promotion.
GCW announced on Tuesday that the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion will compete at both Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport on March 30th and Joey Janela’s Spring Break on March 31st as part of their Collective weekend in Los Angeles.
Dave Meltzer previously reported that the 40-year-old is set to become a free agent at the end of January.
If he doesn’t compete elsewhere before then, it will be Ibushi’s first matches anywhere since the 2021 G1 Climax final for NJPW when he lost to Kazuchika Okada.
In that match, he dislocated his right shoulder that required the match to be stopped which has kept him on the sidelines ever since. He was initially thought to be out for just two months.
In December of 2022, Meltzer reported that Ibushi’s shoulder had been holding up well in doing some “light training” That followed Ibushi saying in July 2022 that his injury was getting worse.
In May of 2022, Ibushi went public with his frustrations with NJPW management. He claimed an official was pushing him to return in December 2021 when he wasn’t ready and that his contract was threatened to be terminated as this official thought he was trying to get out of his deal.
It was reported Ibushi was set to win the 2021 New Japan Cup as part of his return, but he was pulled by the front office due to medical concerns. The company held a press conference shortly after to give their side of the story, issuing apologies for themselves and on behalf of Ibushi, and that Ibushi would remain under contract.
There was some talk at the press conference about Ibushi being under mental duress due to his mother’s attempted suicide which Ibushi took umbrage with, resulting in NJPW needing to further clarify.
In June, NJPW announced they would reduce Ibushi’s pay by 10% for three months, in addition that of two NJPW officials, over the incident.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio going over the 2022 class of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. John Muse joins us to go over the full class, the acts who were close, and next year’s new candidates.
After that, we talked about all the recent news. Topics include:
John Cena on SmackDown and if he will be at WrestleMania
The Rock and WWE’s decision
Barry Windham
Sasha Banks at WrestleKingdom
Ticket sales for AEW Revolution so far
MJF at UFC 282
ROH, NXT, & UFC shows tomorrow
Tony Khan’s ROH press conference
Vince McMahon documentary
Dana White’s Slap League
Miro’s current situation
The video version of this show is available for video subscribers at video.f4wonline.com.
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.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio talking all the latest news in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter including stories on Kota Ibushi, New Japan 2.1, PWG’s influence on today’s wrestling, TV ratings analysis, and more.
But first, we talk about the big story published today by the Wall Street Journal concerning more hush money payments by Vince McMahon.
Kota Ibushi has provided an update on his injured shoulder.
Ibushi hasn’t wrestled since the finals of the G1 last year on October 21. His match against Kazuchika Okada that night had to be stopped early due to Ibushi suffering a shoulder injury.
He recently responded to several questions from fans on Twitter regarding his injury. Ibushi noted that his shoulder appears to be getting worse.
Translations of Ibushi’s tweets have been provided by @thefeelite:
“Sadly, my shoulder [injury] is getting worse. I have done my rehab according to the instructions and guidance [of my doctors and trainers] too. I’m not risking anything this time,” a translation of Ibushi’s post reads.
“My shoulder won’t move at all, so I probably overdid it for many years.”
“However, physically, it’s been 8 months and I still can’t do a single push-up, so I’m making a calm decision. I’ll say it again and again, but I’m not giving up.”
“You can’t worry about [injuries as wrestler]. It’s a profession that assumes injuries [are going to happen]. I won’t forget that there are a lot of other people who have had more frustrations than me.”
“If I wrestled now, [my shoulder] would dislocate in less than a minute. I’m sorry that it’s gotten worse and made daily life difficult, instead of having rested again for a little under a year. I will do everything I can to take care of my mother.”
Ibushi also noted that the relationship between him and NJPW is still strained. He specifically mentioned the company announcing him for the New Japan Cup when they knew he would not be ready to return by then.
“They announced it, knowing that having me return by March 1st was impossible. A scam.”
NJPW has announced a three-month pay reduction for Kota Ibushi, company president Takami Ohbari, and company official Yuichi Kikuchi, stemming from issues between Ibushi and company management.
In a statement released on their website, NJPW announced that after consideration, Ibushi, Ohbari, and Kikiuchi (never mentioned by name) would all receive a 10 percent reduction in pay for July 2022 through September 2022.
Additionally, Kikuchi (referred to only as “the official”) will be transferred to a different position within the company. Kikuchi had served as head booker Gedo’s primary assistant.
Ibushi went public with his frustrations with NJPW management following an incident where he appeared at a Just Tap Out event on March 4. NJPW stated that Ibushi’s appearance constituted a breach of his contract, and Ibushi posted screenshots of text messages with Kikuchi that included Kikuchi threatening to fire Ibushi.
Ibushi blamed the matter for causing stress that ultimately led to his mother attempting suicide and suffering an injury in her attempt.
NJPW held a press conference on May 27 to publicly address the matter. While they publicly apologized to Ibushi, the relationship between Ibushi and the company remains strained.
Ibushi has been out of action since suffering a shoulder injury in the G1 Climax 31 finals on October 21, 2021.
During a press conference on May 27 2022 regarding events concerning Kota Ibushi and a member of NJPW staff (henceforth “The Official”), it was announced that both Mr. Ibushi and The Official would be subject to penalties as a result of their actions. Upon consideration, these penalties have been determined, and in the interest of transparency, are outlined below.
KOTA IBUSHI: A ten percent (10%) reduction in pay for the three month period between July and September 2022 as a result of a breach of contract.
Representative Director TAKAMI OHBARI: A ten percent (10%) reduction in pay for the three month period between July and September 2022 as a result of executive responsibility.
THE OFFICIAL: A ten percent (10%) reduction in pay for the three month period between July and September 2022, as well as a transfer to a different position as a result of inappropriate comments toward a wrestler representing a breach of duty.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling would like to once again apologise for the concern and inconvenience caused by these events, and humbly ask for your continued support.
At a press conference on Friday, NJPW addressed the status of Kota Ibushi.
Ibushi began expressing his frustration with NJPW management in a series of tweets earlier this month. The situation stemmed from an employee in NJPW’s talent relations department named Kikuchi threatening to terminate Ibushi’s contract for making an appearance accompanying wrestlers to the ring at TAKA Michinoku’s Just Tap Out promotion. The official believed that Ibushi was attempting to deliberately breach his contract so that he could leave NJPW.
Ibushi described Kikuchi’s interactions with him as being “power harassment.” Ibushi was also upset with Kikuchi for attempting to rush him back to the ring in time for January’s Wrestle Kingdom 16 after suffering a shoulder injury in October.
NJPW president Takami Ohbari and Bushiroad’s Takaaki Kidani appeared at Friday’s press conference and spoke about the situation. Ohbari stated that he met with Ibushi on March 31 to discuss the breach of contract. Ibushi apologized to Ohbari and made it clear that he wasn’t trying to leave NJPW. Ibushi’s penalty for the breach was limited to a reprimand.
Not wanting to lose the services of Kota Ibushi in such a manner, and wanting to find out his true mental state and opinions on this matter, I arranged a meeting with Mr. Ibushi at his personal training facility on March 31.
In my brief meeting with Mr. Ibushi, we chatted while we conducted some light exercise. As we moved on the mat, and participated in some jump training, I was amazed at his super human physical abilities, yet Ibushi confided that he found recovery from his 2021 shoulder injury was taking longer than he had expected, and that his range of motion was far from ideal.
After our conversation, Mr. Ibushi took me by car to a restaurant where we continued our conversation. Our conversation was amicable, and Mr. Ibushi explained to me that he had been invited to Just Tap Out by its manager TAKA Michinoku. He also explained that while he was in the dressing rooms, he made an impulsive decision on his own accord to head to ringside and second the wrestlers.
After receiving Mr. Ibushi’s explanation, I reprimanded him, reminding him that this was a breach of his contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as a breach of licensing agreements we hold with other companies. Mr. Ibushi sincerely apologized for his actions. Mr. Ibushi’s penalty for his breach was limited to a reprimand as, on hearing with Mr. Ibushi, it was clear there was no intention to breach the terms of his contract, nor did he believe a breach had taken place because he had not participated in a match.
At the point of our meeting, I did not know the exact wording or particulars of Mr. Ibushi’s text conversation with the Official and as a result, did not offer a proper apology for the content of the conversation.
Ibushi then started tweeting publicly about the situation on May 10. Ohbari said he’s learned that the tweets “were made when Mr. Ibushi was acting in a state of concern for his mother. Mr. Ibushi told me that this situation triggered his mother’s mental distress, leading to a suicide attempt at the start of May in which she suffered a broken bone in her back.”
A meeting with Ibushi, Ohbari, and Kidani was held yesterday. Ohbari said that NJPW “fully and unreservedly” apologizes to Ibushi for the content of the messages he was sent by Kikuchi:
However yesterday, myself and the company owner Mr. Takaaki Kidani were able to meet with Mr. Ibushi, and discuss this statement to you here as well as our opinions on the matter. Before proceeding I would like once again to sincerely apologize to fans for the concern caused by this series of events.
I would now like to relay the company’s stance on this situation.
Mr. Ibushi’s actions in attending an outside event without proper procedure, as well as publicly disclosing internal affairs were actions in breach of his contract, and after consideration of the particulars I previously mentioned, an appropriate penalty for Mr. Ibushi will be determined.
However, the words of the Official in his text conversation were inexcusable, especially in their direction to a wrestler who risks his life in order to fulfill his role as a professional. It is this mindset that directly led to Mr. Ibushi posting his critical tweets about the company. For the thoughtless content of these messages, we fully and unreservedly apologize to Mr. Ibushi.
Despite the Official’s lengthy relationship with Mr. Ibushi, the lack of consideration shown to him and by extension our wrestlers at large should also be met with an appropriate penalty.
Ohbari confirmed that Ibushi has not been released from his contract and will continue to be a contracted NJPW wrestler. Ohbari said there was never any consideration given to terminating Ibushi, but he will likely receive a salary reduction for the contract breach and publishing company secrets.
The penalties Kikuchi will face haven’t been determined. Kidani said that “at the very least” they’re considering transferring Kikuchi to a different position.
When asked how close Ibushi may be to returning, Ohbari said there’s no set timetable because his shoulder isn’t in ring shape.
“There is absolutely no rush, and I don’t feel Ibushi needs to consider his injury as a weakness,” Kidani said. “With all he has done for NJPW, he can take all the time that he needs. So I think he shouldn’t worry about being in the ring, and rather discuss what he can do as things progress and as his condition improves.”
NJPW offered the following summation on the situation:
Kota Ibushi is, and will remain a key member of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling roster. This kind of severe disagreement between company and talent should not happen again; in order to prevent any such instances in the future, and ensure the best possible working environment for talent, we will be actively engaged in discussion with Mr. Ibushi about improving company policy and implementing proper procedure.
We again would like to apologize to fans, wrestlers and personnel for the concern and the disruption caused in the middle of the Best of the Super Jr. tour.
However, the press conference didn’t resolve all of Ibushi’s issues with NJPW. He tweeted the following after the press conference: “Don’t leave out the part you don’t want to talk about, the true story from May 8th. I’ll address in detail. My mother sensing my concern, asked me if there are any problems on May 8th. As a result of the story that I told her, on May 9th, she attempted suicide and broke her hip bone. That was 95% of my tweet. Why did you leave it out? I told you yesterday that I would address if it (their explanation on the press conference) was not correct.”
NJPW then issued a correction regarding some of the wording relating to Ibushi’s mother’s suicide attempt.
Michael Cole on Smackdown in a statement prepared for him to read, announced on the 5/20 live show from Grand Rapids, MI, that Sasha Banks (Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado, 30) and Naomi (Trinity Fatu, 34), had been suspended indefinitely and that a tournament would be held for the women’s tag team titles they had vacated.
The suspension is without pay. In addition, the company pulled all of its merchandise from its website, meaning it would not get any new merchandise revenue. There was merchandise for both women available at the live shows over the weekend because that stuff was prepared ahead of time.
Based on WWE contracts, the company also has the right to freeze the contract if suspending someone with the idea that they refused to work. In the case of Fatu, that is notable because it was believed her deal expired in around two months. It is known that her deal was coming due and she was in negotiations for a new deal. Most WWE new deals have been for significantly more money than the old deals because the competition in wrestling has raised the salary structure. It is not known when Varnado’s contract was due.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including notes on Kota Ibushi and Hana Kimura, the return of cheering to New Japan, ratings, Rampage’s schedule for Friday, AEW and NXT line-ups for the week, your RAW report, Hell in a Cell and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Kota Ibushi tweets, anniversary of Hana Kimura death, Owen Hart death
4:33: Fans in Japan may be able to cheer starting at Best of Super Juniors finals
