An active champion is officially sidelined in All Elite Wrestling. Ahead of this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, company president Tony Khan announced that Katsuyori Shibata has been medically suspended and is not cleared for in-ring action.
The suspension stems from his match against Daniel Garcia on the AEW All Out pre-show, the Tailgate Brawl. After Shibata’s victory, Garcia launched a post-match assault. Khan confirmed that the damage from a piledriver and a curb stomp led AEW’s medical team to sideline the champion.
Speaking alongside Renee Paquette, Khan explained:
“Katsuyori Shibata—that piledriver, that curb stomp that Garcia used on Shibata. The AEW doctors have not cleared Katsuyori Shibata, so I’m going to have to medically suspend Shibata until he can pass these exams. It does make some changes.”
We are LIVE with @ReneePaquette and AEW President + CEO @TonyKhan just hours before #AEWDynamite https://t.co/MIBDm2qn8t
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 24, 2025
The announcement casts a shadow over the AEW World Trios Championships. Shibata currently holds the titles with his partners in The Opps, Powerhouse Hobbs and Samoa Joe. With one-third of the team out indefinitely, the future of their reign is uncertain.
Despite Shibata’s absence, the feud between The Opps and Garcia’s Death Riders faction will continue. AEW has confirmed Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Claudio Castagnoli for Dynamite, keeping the rivalry alive while Shibata recovers.
In short, Garcia’s brutal attack resulted in the medical suspension of reigning Trios Champion Katsuyori Shibata. The fallout disrupts the division and raises questions about the titles, even as tensions between the two factions escalate.