Kota Ibushi’s difficult recovery from a broken femur has taken another serious turn, but the AEW wrestler has made clear that he is not prepared to consider his in-ring career over.
Ibushi announced that he was being hospitalized on September 15 ahead of another surgery on his femur. The procedure is scheduled for the following day and will involve doctors removing the plates currently in his leg and replacing them with what Ibushi described as the strongest available option.
The update comes nearly a year after Ibushi suffered the injury in an AEW Collision match against Josh Alexander. Ibushi fell awkwardly to the floor during that bout and sustained a broken femur, an injury that required immediate surgery. What initially appeared to be the beginning of a long but manageable rehabilitation process has instead become an extended series of physical setbacks for one of professional wrestling’s most distinctive performers.
“I am being hospitalized starting today,” Ibushi wrote. “Tomorrow, I will undergo a second surgery on my femur. They will remove all the current plates and replace them with the strongest available option, as the doctors said my current ones were simply too weak for my body and leg.”
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Ibushi did not hide the emotional toll of facing another operation after so much time spent recovering. At the same time, his message was defined by determination rather than resignation. He said he did not understand why he had to go through another surgical process, but he firmly rejected the idea that the injury would be the final chapter of his wrestling career.
“Why now? It makes absolutely no sense to me,” Ibushi said. “I am so exhausted from having to go through surgery after surgery. But I am not giving up. I refuse to let something like this end my professional wrestling career. I will make sure this surgery is a success and absolutely return to AEW.”
A Complicated Road Since the Injury
The broken femur represented a major interruption for Ibushi, whose career has already required extraordinary patience and persistence. The injury occurred during his AEW Collision meeting with Alexander and necessitated an immediate operation to stabilize the break. Femur injuries are among the most significant lower-body injuries an athlete can face, particularly for a wrestler whose style has long depended on explosive movement, balance, precision and impact-heavy offense.
Ibushi’s latest comments indicate that the hardware used in his prior repair became a concern. He said doctors told him that the existing plates were too weak for his body and leg, leading to the decision to remove them and install a stronger replacement. The update does not provide a specific rehabilitation timetable following the new surgery, and any expectation for a return will necessarily depend on the procedure’s outcome and the recovery that follows.
There is also some complexity in how Ibushi has described the number of operations. In his new message, he referred to the upcoming procedure as his second surgery on the femur. However, Ibushi had previously indicated that he underwent another surgery earlier in 2026 after appearing at Wrestle Kingdom for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement. The exact medical sequence and how the procedures are being counted have not been detailed publicly.
What is clear is that recovery has not followed the straightforward path Ibushi hoped for after the initial injury. He has remained open about portions of that process, sharing signs of progress when they came while also acknowledging the frustration brought on by repeated medical obstacles.
Earlier Signs of Progress Offered Hope
In April, Ibushi shared an encouraging update after the earlier procedure, saying that surgery had been successful. He posted footage that showed him doing squats and walking up and down stairs with limited difficulty. For a wrestler coming back from a broken femur, those basic movements carried considerable importance. They were tangible signs that he had regained some mobility and strength following a long period away from the ring.
At that point, Ibushi expressed considerable optimism about returning before the end of 2026. He acknowledged that doctors viewed 2027 as the more realistic target, but he was aiming to beat that projection and return to competition sooner. That attitude has been a consistent part of Ibushi’s public outlook throughout his career: he has repeatedly set ambitious goals even when the obstacles in front of him appeared substantial.
The need for a new surgery makes an in-ring comeback by the end of 2026 considerably more uncertain. Ibushi’s prior target was already more aggressive than the timeline he said doctors had suggested. Now, with hospitalization and another procedure required, it would be premature to attach any firm date to his AEW return.
Ibushi himself did not offer a revised timetable in his latest message. Instead, he focused on getting through the surgery successfully and maintaining his commitment to wrestle again. For now, that is the central point: he is still planning for a return, even if the timing has become more difficult to predict.
Ibushi’s Return Remains a Personal Mission
The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion has built a career around athletic brilliance and an unconventional, resilient path through the industry. His reputation was established through years of major performances, a singular ring style and an ability to make high-risk offense look remarkably natural. Those strengths also make a full recovery from a leg injury especially important. Ibushi’s work has historically involved the kind of acceleration, leaping ability and lower-body confidence that cannot simply be approximated after a major femur fracture.
That reality helps explain why the latest surgery matters beyond the immediate medical issue. The goal is not merely to become mobile again; Ibushi’s stated objective is to return to an AEW ring. A return at the level expected of him will require patience, careful rehabilitation and clearance from the medical professionals overseeing his recovery.
There is no indication in Ibushi’s announcement that he plans to rush that process despite his eagerness to get back. In fact, the decision to replace the current plates with a stronger option underscores the need to establish a more secure foundation before attempting a comeback. His frustration is understandable, but his statement also recognizes that completing this next step successfully is essential.
For AEW, Ibushi’s eventual return would be meaningful whenever it happens. His presence brings international stature, a unique connection to major Japanese wrestling history and the possibility of matches unlike those offered by most of the roster. Yet the immediate priority is clearly his health rather than any creative plan or prospective opponent.
No Date for an AEW Comeback
Ibushi’s message should not be read as a retirement announcement. Quite the opposite: he explicitly said he refuses to allow the injury to end his professional wrestling career and promised that he would return to AEW. But it is also not a return announcement. The coming surgery adds another unknown to an already lengthy recovery, and the timeline he once hoped to meet may no longer be realistic.
His recovery has moved from the original fracture and repair, to encouraging physical progress, to the discovery that a stronger plate is now needed. Each stage has tested his patience. Ibushi’s own words make plain that he is weary of the cycle, but they also make plain that he remains committed to seeing it through.
For the moment, Ibushi faces the most immediate challenge: a successful operation and the rehabilitation that follows. His goal remains unchanged. The route back to AEW, however, has become longer and more demanding than he expected.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.