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Kota Ibushi Statement On Teaming With The Elite In AEW Blood & Guts Match

By John Canton • Published 13th July 2023
aew blood guts kota ibushi golden elite

Kota Ibushi is finally going to make his debut for AEW and it’s going to happen in a Blood & Guts Match.

The main event of AEW Dynamite in Saskatchewan wasn’t a match – it was an announcement. The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club were supposed to announce who their fifth partners would be in next week’s Blood & Guts match airing on the July 19th edition of Dynamite in Boston.

Don Callis was in the ring ready to announce the Blackpool Combat Club’s fifth team member when his rival Kenny Omega of The Elite showed up to try to shut up his former friend. Instead, Omega was attacked by Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takesita of the BCC team. That’s also when Pac showed up with a chair shot to Omega’s back. Pac has a long history with Omega in AEW going back four years, so there’s a lot of history there as Pac revealed he would be on the BCC team.

Just when it looked like the BCC guys with Pac were going to break Omega’s neck with a chair, Omega cued up a video package. That video announced that former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi will team with The Elite’s Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) in the Blood & Guts match. While Ibushi wasn’t on Dynamite, the fans cheered loudly for him in the video and clearly knew who he was.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to include Ibushi, who has teamed with and fought against The Elite many times in his career. As a tag team partner with Omega, they are known as the Golden Lovers and are known as close friends. Most AEW fans could have guessed it was going to be Ibushi in this spot. It wasn’t considered a shocking reveal.

On Twitter following Dynamite, Kota Ibushi issued this statement about his AEW debut in the Blood & Guts match.

“Kept you waiting huh. I’ve been watching AEW this whole time. Kenny, your 5th man is…the Golden Elite’s Kota Ibushi!! Sorry I’m late Page, Bucks, Kenny. Next week I’ll be there!!

Kota Ibushi is finally back at full strength so shall we change the world together? Let’s go!!”

The Blood & Guts match is AEW’s version of WarGames with two rings side by side surrounded by a massive cage with a roof on it. It’s a 5-on-5 tag team match that usually takes up a lot of time and features a lot of blood. This year’s Blood & Guts Match should be no exception.