Kota Ibushi
Acting
Biography
Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and former martial artist who signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2023. Widely praised by fans and critics for his explosive athleticism, striking ability, and willingness to take extreme physical risks, he built a reputation for delivering some of the highest-rated matches of his era, particularly through his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). His accolades include the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Best Flying Wrestler award in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013, Pro Wrestling Match of the Year in 2015 against Shinsuke Nakamura, and induction into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2022. Ibushi began his career in 2004 with DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he became one of the company’s top stars. During his time there, he won the KO-D Openweight Championship three times, the KO-D Tag Team Championship five times, and the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship twice. Two of those tag title reigns came alongside Kenny Omega as the Golden☆Lovers, whose combined 351 days as champions remain a DDT record. He first appeared for NJPW in 2009 before officially signing in 2013. Across his time with the promotion, he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship three times, the NEVER Openweight Championship once, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Ibushi later won the Best of the Super Juniors in 2011 and the New Japan Cup in 2015. After leaving both NJPW and DDT in 2016 to work as a freelancer, he competed for multiple promotions and took part in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. Returning to NJPW full-time in 2019, Ibushi won the G1 Climax in 2019 and 2020, becoming the first wrestler to win the tournament in consecutive years since Hiroyoshi Tenzan in 2003. Those victories made him the only wrestler to win all three of NJPW’s major singles tournaments. In 2021, he captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and unified it with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to become the inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, while ranking No. 5 in the PWI 500.
Known For
A world-class roster of diverse male and female wrestlers give fans a new wrestling experience for the first time in 20 years.
All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite
Wrestlers will portray heroes or villains as they follow a series of events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.
WWE NXT
An in-ring show featuring more wrestlers, more stories and more action to super-serve fans.
All Elite Wrestling: Collision
New Japan Pro Wrestling is a Japanese promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 1972. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it is the largest wrestling promotion in Japan and one of the largest in the world.
New Japan Pro Wrestling
Many cruiserweight wrestlers from around the world battle in the 32-man tournament.
WWE Cruiserweight Classic
An exploration of the wrestling world's underground. Traveling from First Nations communities in rural Manitoba to Mexico's Lucha Libre scene in Juarez, the series sees Damian Abraham exploring the personalities involved in the sport of pro wrestling.
The Wrestlers
The second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 5, 2020, headlined by Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (c) in a dual title match for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14: Night 2
All In (2018), promoted by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, was a landmark independent wrestling event held on September 1, 2018, at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Featuring talent from NJPW, ROH, CMLL, Impact, AAA, MLW, and the NWA, it drew over 10,000 fans, becoming the first U.S. wrestling event outside of WWE or WCW to do so since 1993, and its success led directly to the launch of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in January 2019.
All In
The nineteenth and final night of the tournament took place on August 12, 2019 at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, and featured the match to crown the winner of G1 Climax 29.
NJPW G1 Climax 29: Day 19 (Final)
AEW WrestleDream was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place on October 1, 2023, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The event was held in honor of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW) founder Antonio Inoki, taking place on the one-year anniversary of his passing.
AEW: WrestleDream 2023
The first night of Wrestle Kingdom 14 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2020, headlined by Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14: Night 1
Power Struggle 2014 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, held on November 8, 2014, at the Bodymaker Colosseum in Osaka, Japan, and headlined by Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
NJPW Power Struggle 2014
Dominion 7.12 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling on July 12, 2020, at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan, and was headlined by Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. EVIL for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.
NJPW Dominion 7.12 in Osaka-Jo Hall
The first night of Wrestling Dontaku 2019 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling that took place on May 3, 2019, at Fukuoka Kokusai Center in Fukuoka, Japan, and was headlined by Dragon Lee (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2019 - Day 1
Destruction in Okayama (2015) is a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event is scheduled to take place on September 23, 2015, in Okayama, Okayama at the Momotaro Arena. The event will feature nine matches, four of which will be contested for championships. It will be the tenth event under the Destruction name.
NJPW Destruction In Okayama
NJPW New Year Dash!! 2018 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) that took place on January 5, 2018, at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, and was headlined by CHAOS (Gedo, Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito).
NJPW New Year Dash !! 2018
The New Beginning in Osaka 2015 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, held on February 11, 2015, at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Osaka, Japan, and headlined by Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. AJ Styles for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2015
Wrestling Dontaku 2015 was a New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) pay-per-view held on May 3, 2015, at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center in Fukuoka, Japan, headlined by Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Hirooki Goto for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2015
The nineteenth and final night of the tournament took place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on August 16, 2015. It was broadcast on NJPW World.
NJPW G1 Climax 25: Day 19 (Final)
The nineteenth and final night of G1 Climax 30 took place on October 18, 2020, at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan and featured the tournament final between A Block winner Kota Ibushi and B Block winner SANADA.