Backstage News On Kota Ibushi's AEW Return & Trent Beretta Match

Kota Ibushi made his return to All Elite Wrestling on the June 21 edition of Collision, marking his first appearance in AEW since November 2023.

The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has been plagued by injuries for several years, and has wrestled sparingly since July 2024 after suffering injuries in a bout with Naomichi Marufuji in a Pro Wrestling NOAH ring in January 2024. The ‘Golden Star’ is set to wrestle his first singles match in AEW on the June 25 edition of Dynamite, taking on Trent Beretta - a first-time singles encounter between the two.

A report from Fightful Select has shed some more light on Ibushi’s status heading into the match, with sources in AEW stating that Ibushi is in a ‘much better place’ physically than he has been for quite some time. As for why Beretta - who himself has also recently returned from a long injury absence - has been chosen to face Ibushi, Trent’s familiarity with both the AEW TV style and the Japanese style marked him as the ideal opponent for Ibushi’s return.

Ibushi and Trent have faced off four times in the past, wrestling several tag matches as opponents in New Japan in 2018.

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