 Afterwards, "Pro Wrestling Torch" went back on their earlier report and stated that Ibushi had not agreed to a WWE contract beyond the tournament, which was a factor in him losing the semifinal match.On September 29, WWE announced that Ibushi would be teaming up with NXT's Hideo Itami in the upcoming Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.When Itami was injured, Ibushi was paired up with T.J. Perkins.