As noted, Wheeler Yuta defeated Katsuyori Shibata on this evening’s edition of AEW Rampage to become the new ROH Pure Champion, a shocking finish that not many saw coming. After the match Yuta continued to assault Shibata and hit him with a low blow and a DDT that had the former champ rocky when he was leaving the ring.
According to Fightful Select, Shibata will be taking some time away from ROH as he is needed back in Japan for an extended period of time. ROH was hoping they could have Shibata up through its Final Battle pay-per-view but that was no longer the case and the decision to drop the title to Yuta came earlier in the week. The idea was that Yuta’s post-match attack on Shibata would make for a good story as to why he will not be able to compete for a bit.
The report notes that Shibata has been very happy working for AEW/ROH and Tony Khan. It is mentioned that the Japanese superstar specifically enjoyed teaming with current International Champion Orange Cassidy and current FTW Champion HOOK. As of now, it is not known when he will return.
Shibata began wrestling for AEW back at Forbidden Door 2, and has been heavily featured on ROH TV as its Pure Champion. He has also wrestled a number of matches on AEW television and AEW pay-per-view events.