Katsuyori Shibata is officially all elite, with Tony Khan and the superstar announcing that he has signed with All Elite Wrestling.
Khan confirmed the news in a tweet on Saturday, and also shared a statement written by Shibata. In it, Shibata addresses Khan, and says that after working with Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling for the past year, he’s learned that AEW is “the best environment where wrestlers can focus only on fighting in the ring.”
Shibata previously competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, beginning his career in 1999 and becoming a highly decorated competitor. In NJPW, Shibata is a former three-time NEVER Openweight Champion, a one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, and the winner of the 2017 New Japan Cup.
In 2022, Katsuyori Shibata first appeared at an AEW event at Forbidden Door. Since then, he’s made various appearances. In 2023, Shibata made his Ring of Honor debut, in a match against Wheeler Yuta. He would go on to win the ROH Pure Championship during his time there, but has since dropped the title after returning to Japan last month.
It’s unknown when Shibata will return to the United States to compete for All Elite Wrestling.
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