New details have come to light regarding Kota Ibushi's health issues.

The Japanese star aggravated what's believed to be a previous injury while working a match against Naomichi Marufuji at NOAH's New Year special on January 2.

The high-flying star was said to be in a lot of pain after this match and was taken to hospital immediately afterward. The wrestling promotion shared an update on his diagnosis with us, revealing additional injuries to his right ankle:

"Kota Ibushi, who sustained an injury at Pro Wrestling NOAH's Ariake Arena event on January 2nd, has been diagnosed with a right tibiofibular ligament tear and a right ankle lateral ligament complex injury as a result of a more thorough examination than his initial diagnosis."

Ibushi is expected to undergo another detailed examination to determine further course of treatment. We will keep you updated on the matter.

The 41-year-old has been dealing with persisting health issues going back to his time with NJPW. He has only wrestled a total of 8 matches since parting ways with the promotion in November 2021, and most of them have been tag team bouts.

After the latest injury setback, Kota Ibushi shared a number of heartfelt messages with his fans on Twitter. In one such tweet yesterday, he hinted at potentially retiring from the sport after fulfilling his current obligations:

"I came here with the goal of being able to do it for 20 years, and I think it's about time. There are still a lot of things left on my contract, but I want to complete them!

"I try not to talk too darkly or think about the future, but I have to take care of my mother and other things, so I'll talk about it when the time comes! Don't miss a match."


We should expect a firm update on Ibushi's future in wrestling once a more detailed timetable for his recovery is revealed.