Kota Ibushi has provided a concerning update on his recovery from a broken femur, revealing that the bone has not healed and acknowledging that a return to professional wrestling currently appears “hopeless.”
Despite that assessment, Ibushi remains adamant that he will eventually wrestle again.
The 44-year-old AEW star provided the update in a Japanese-language video posted to Instagram following another operation on his injured leg. According to Ibushi, a checkup conducted the day before surgery revealed that his femur had failed to fuse during the ten months since the fracture. “Last week Thursday, I had surgery to replace the plate in my leg with a thicker one. The surgery, fortunately, was a success, but it made something clear to me. A return to pro wrestling is hopeless.”
Ibushi explained that the new, thicker plate is intended to remain in his leg permanently. While he expects it to allow him to live his everyday life without significant problems, he said returning to wrestling would carry the risk of another break. “Given my age, the plate I had put in this time will never be taken out and will stay as it is for the rest of my life. Thanks to it I’ll be able to live my daily life without problems, but if I wrestle, there’s a high chance it breaks again. If that happens, even daily life becomes difficult.”
Ibushi also admitted that the determination he experienced during previous injury recoveries initially wasn’t there this time, leaving him questioning whether his age and the condition of his leg had changed his outlook. “If it were the old me, I’d still want to aim for a return, but that desire isn’t coming, and I’m confused by it. Is it my age? Is it that my body has understood that with this leg I may not get back to my peak? That’s what I was thinking, but two days after the surgery I was completely back to normal.”
Despite describing his wrestling future in such uncertain terms, Ibushi ended with a defiant promise that he has no intention of allowing the injury to permanently end his career. “Even if it’s hopeless, I will absolutely return to the ring. I don’t know how many years it will take, but I will never give up.”
Ibushi suffered the fractured femur during a match in November 2025 and has not competed since.
The injury represents another significant setback for Ibushi after he previously missed most of 2022 due to the shoulder injury he suffered during New Japan Pro Wrestling’s 2021 G1 Climax. That period ultimately preceded a public dispute with NJPW and his departure from the promotion in 2023.
After working independent dates and appearing for GCW, Ibushi signed with AEW in 2024.
Ibushi is a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and two-time G1 Climax winner, while also holding the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships during his career. He is also widely known for his Golden Lovers partnership with Kenny Omega in DDT and NJPW.
We wish Kota Ibushi all the best with his recovery.
