The October 11 episode of "AEW Collision" was an episode filled with a lot of high-impact action as the stars of AEW built more hype for the upcoming WrestleDream pay-per-view on October 18, but for Kota Ibushi, his night ended in the back of an ambulance. During his match with Josh Alexander, both men tumbled off the top rope to the outside, with Ibushi suffering the worst of it. It was originally reported that Ibushi had broken his femur, but it has since been confirmed that he had broken his leg instead, and after undergoing surgery, the Japanese star has revealed on Instagram how long he will be out of action for.
"My current condition. One year to fully recover. Two years until I can step into the ring again. I believe in myself more than the doctors. I absolutely don't believe in that. I know I have amazing DNA that gives me the ability to heal!!" Ibushi's injury forced plans to change for the WrestleDream pay-per-view as Mark Davis, who made his return to AEW on "Collision" after recovering from his own injury, was going to team up with Alexander to face Ibushi and his Golden Lovers tag team partner, former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, who came to Ibushi's aid after the Don Callis Family tried to inflict more damage on him.
Ibushi's broken leg is the second long-term injury that he has suffered since signing for AEW back in 2023 as he broke both of his ankles wrestling Naomichi Marufuji at a Pro Wrestling NOAH event in January 2024, which kept him on the shelf for the majority of that year. However, Ibushi had to wait until June 2025 to make his AEW return as he needed to be both medically cleared and allowed back to the United States with a new work visa.
