AEW: Plans for Kota Ibushi Appearance, Darby Allin on Sting’s Injury, Jon Moxley on Blood in Wrestling

AEW Reportedly in Talks with Kota Ibushi for Planned Appearance

AEW reportedly is currently in talks with Kota Ibushi for a potential appearance and work in the company, according to Fightful Select.

It was reported that most AEW talent spoken to this week are currently under the belief that Ibushi will be joining the company soon in some capacity. Those spoken to reportedly stated that they believe Ibushi will be specifally showing up for the upcoming Blood & Guts match between the Blackpool Combat Club and The Elite.

It was reported that Ibushi’s management recently has reduced his media obligations and told others that the reason is due to his work schedule is going to pick up within the near future. One source spoken to close to Ibushi in Japan stated that Ibushi is currently planning to work at an upcoming AEW show.

It was reported that several talent who have worked in both New Japan and AEW have wondered in the past if Ibushi being involved in AEW would strain AEW’s working relationship with NJPW. It was reported that this likely would not be the case due to Ibushi had recently claimed that the issues between him and NJPW have been resolved and NJPW had given him a new contract offer.

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Darby Allin Comments on Sting’s Recovery from Head Injury

As noted before, Sting suffered a head-related injury at last week’s AEW Dynamite show in Hamilton, Canada. Sting suffered a cut on his lip and a loose tooth following a ladder spot that resulted in Sting hitting his face hard onto Sammy Guevara’s knees and a table.

A recent episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast featured Darby Allin as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Allin provided an injury update on Sting.

“He’s actually doing great. We talked the day after and he said he’s feeling great, which is awesome because I pulled him aside after that match and said, ‘be honest with me, how are you feeling? Not just your mouth, but your neck, every single thing about your body.’ People forget that he retired in 2014 when he took a buckle bomb. For him to be going as hard. Trust me, it’s none of my ideas. It’s all him. ‘Alright, is there a ladder here tonight? I’ll jump off it.’ A lot of people think it’s me being the bad influence, but no, it’s him. He has that hunger and that want to give the fans something. He’s feeling great and I’m stoked.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Jon Moxley Defends Usage of Blood in Wrestling

Sports Illustrated held a recent interview with Jon Moxley. One of the topics discussed included Moxley’s thoughts on the usage of blood in wrestling and his reasons for his support of it.

“This is a combat sport. College wrestling is a combat sport, too. They have blood timeouts to patch it up. The lowest prelim bout of a UFC card or a boxing card, somebody might have a little blood on their eyebrow or blood coming out of their nose. But they’re not selling a blood sport. It’s not, ‘Tune in for the blood! Tune in for the gore!’ It’s part of the aesthetic. It adds realism. Sometimes when I don’t even want it to. But I only know one speed. That’s with my foot to the gas pedal. If we’re going to do something, let’s f—ing do it. That can be detrimental when it comes to negative things, like drugs or alcohol. But that’s my mindset. If I’m doing it, I’m doing it. When it comes to blood, it’s just going to happen sometimes. Like I said, it’s foot to the gas pedal. Some people say, ‘This is just a random match. Why is there blood?’ I heard that last week vs. Tomohiro Ishii. He’s one of the greatest of all time. I’m not going to let that moment slip by. I’m going foot-to-the-f—ing-gas-pedal. How can I not? Then I hear that I can’t have a good match without blood. O.K., then, you made my argument for me. I’ll do it every time.

The point of the dissertation is that this is a combat sport. But we’re not allowed to have blood in a match unless it’s a personal grudge? We’re only allowed to have blood after a five-month grudge after someone slept with somebody’s wife or somebody ran over someone with a car? And then—and only then—are we allowed to have this dramatic crimson mask that looks the exact same every single time? For me, realism-wise, since this is a combat sport, that means there is the potential for blood in every match. Everything in wrestling is preposterous to some degree, but this helps with the suspension of disbelief. I’m actually for less blood but more often. If every single match on the card had a busted eyebrow or bloody nose, it would just be part of the sport. But some gory spectacle with blood shooting like a hose is pretty unnecessary. We’re elbowing each other in the face every single match. We’re kicking each other in the face every single match. What are these people made of if they’re not bleeding? People ask why there is blood in the ring every time I leave it. It feels unnatural to go out of my way to make sure no one is bleeding. That feels like I’m taking my foot off the gas pedal. That doesn’t interest me.”