Kota Ibushi hopes to live a normal life in less than a year

At the beginning of October, Kota Ibushi underwent surgery to treat a femur injury that will keep him away from the wrestling ring for a long time. The Japanese star suffered an accident during his last match against Josh Alexander in AEW Collision. At one point in the match, Alexander carried Ibushi on his shoulders from the second rope, but they both ended up falling towards ringside, with Ibushi landing badly on the ground. 

Ibushi immediately knew the injury was serious, and the medical team quickly took him to the hospital, where he received the dreaded diagnosis. Today, eighteen days after his surgery, "The Golden Star" has taken to his Instagram account to provide an update on his condition, reiterating his intention not to return to action until fully recovered.

"Alright, last check-up today! I had 42 medical staples removed up to my waist! Now I can go home! It's been fine so far, but well, reality is reality. The femur fracture and my personal life will be fine in 8 to 12 months. From there, I will fully recover my body and return to ring training and more; I better take it as a process of about 2 years. Quite unexpected, but that was already said from the beginning, and I'm only on day 18 after the operation!" he wrote.

"Today I had a meeting with the AEW doctor at the hospital, for the first time in a long time since the operation. 'Are you already doing weighted squats as soon as we see each other?!' he asked me. I didn't! I didn't know what they were talking about, I thought it was a video of standing up and sitting down, so I showed it to him.

'Well, it would be too soon to do something like that, but normal. I feel very relieved. I heard you're doing squats and lunges with weights. You can't and shouldn't do that with a fractured femur,' he told me. I thought that kind of story would spread quickly, and at the same time, I learned how terrifying the Internet can be," he concluded.

Ibushi faces the long recovery process ahead with optimism and determination, something to admire considering the string of injuries he has suffered in recent years. In January 2024, he fractured both his ankles, which also required surgery. Let's hope this negative streak has finally come to an end and that Ibushi can return to the wrestling ring stronger than ever.