Kota Ibushi To Make AEW Debut At Blood & Guts, Will Team With The Elite

The Elite revealed who the fifth member of their Blood & Guts team is on the July 12 episode of AEW Dynamite, confirming what fans had been hoping for months - Kota Ibushi will wrestle in an All Elite Wrestling ring.

Kenny Omega had teased that he’d travelled outside of North America to recruit an old friend to join the fight, and it was revealed via a video package that the inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion will be  reforming The Golden Elite with Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Page to take on The Blackpool Combat Club.

Ibushi will make his AEW debut on the July 19 Dynamite for the aforementioned Blood & Guts III match, in turn marking his return to a wrestling ring since competing at GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport and Joey Janela’s Spring Break 7 in March. 

Fans have long been hoping that Ibushi would make his way to AEW, especially after his acrimonious split with NJPW in 2022. Ibushi did perform at proto-AEW show ALL IN in 2018, teaming with the Young Bucks as The Golden Elite to defeat Rey Mysterio, Bandido, and Rey Fenix in the main event of the show.

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