Originally published at NJPW issues statement on Kota Ibushi's exit from the company
NJPW comments on Kota Ibushi’s exit.
As of January 31st, 2023, Kota Ibushi became a free agent and is no longer under contract to New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Today, it was announced that Ibushi is scheduled to debut for Game Changer Wrestling as a part of The Collective weekend in Los Angeles, California. NJPW commented on Ibushi’s exit via a statement on their website:
With the conclusion of his contract period on January 31 2023, Kota Ibushi has departed New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ibushi had been recovering from injury since October 2021.
We apologize to Ibushi’s fans for the abrupt announcement, and join them in wishing Ibushi the very best in all his future endeavors.
飯伏幸太選手、退団のお知らせhttps://t.co/wFOetd9pLT#njpw pic.twitter.com/x7hgrjUx3w
— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) February 1, 2023
The last time Ibushi was in action was the 2021 G1 Climax finals in which he suffered a shoulder injury. Ibushi is the first holder of the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He had been working with NJPW on a consistent basis since 2017.