was the

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-time ...

and

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but is currently inactive due to suffering a shoulder injury. In March 2021, he became the company's inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by ...

. The team was formed in January 2009 in the Japanese

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

, where, over the next five years, they won the

KO-D Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Japanese promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). The title was established in 2001. In its early days, DDT occasionally referred to the title as the . It is currently the only tag tea ...

on two occasions. The team also made appearances for

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

(NJPW), where they won the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junior ...

once Once means a one-time occurrence. Once may refer to: Music * ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten'' * ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper * ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...

. The team disbanded when Omega left DDT in October 2014. Omega and Ibushi reunited at

The New Beginning in Sapporo The New Beginning is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held since 2011 as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view ...

in January 2018.

History

In July 2008, Canadian wrestler

started his first Japanese tour with the

promotion, where he quickly became friends with

, with the two forming a tag team named "Golden☆Lovers" in January 2009. On January 24, Ibushi and Omega defeated

Harashima Harashima (stylised in all capital letters) (born July 6, 1974) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling (formally Dramatic Dream Team), where he is a ten-time KO-D Openweight Champion and a curren ...

and

Toru Owashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . He is best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Championship, KO-D Openweight Champion and two time KO-D Tag Team Championship, KO-D Ta ...

to win the

for the first time. After one successful defense, they lost the title to

Francesco Togo , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Togo is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Bullet Club stable, and its sub-group House of Torture. Togo has spent the majority of ...

and

Piza Michinoku (born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for th ...

on May 10. Over the following years, Omega and Ibushi established themselves as one of the top tag teams on the Japanese independent circuit. On January 31, 2010, the Golden☆Lovers made their debut for

(NJPW), defeating

Gedo Gedo ( so, Gedo, Maay: ''Gethy'', ar, جيذو, it, Ghedo or ''Ghedu'') is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in Jubaland, southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. It was created in 1974 and is bordered by the Ogaden in E ...

and

Jado (born September 28, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . He is best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as part of a tag team with his partner Gedo. Jado and Gedo's careers have largely para ...

by referee stoppage, when Jado was legitimately injured. Afterwards, the Golden☆Lovers engaged in a rivalry with

Apollo 55 was the professional wrestling tag team of Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi. One of the most accomplished junior heavyweight tag teams in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) history, the team held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship ...

, a tag team made up of

Prince Devitt A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

Ryusuke Taguchi is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, seven-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and three-time NEVER Op ...

. On October 11 at NJPW's

Destruction '10 Destruction '10 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on October 11, 2010, in Tokyo, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event featured nine matches, two of which were contes ...

event, the Golden☆Lovers defeated Apollo 55 to win the

, in a match that was later named the 2010 Match of the Year by ''

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' mag ...

'', becoming the first junior heavyweight tag team match in history to win the award. After making successful title defenses against Apollo 55 and the team of Gedo and Jado, with both matches taking place back in DDT, Ibushi and Omega lost the title back to Apollo 55 on January 23, 2011, during NJPW's ''

Fantastica Mania 2011 ''Fantastica Mania'' 2011 was the name of two professional wrestling major shows produced that took place on January 22 and January 23, 2011 in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The event was the first ever co-promoted events between Japanese New Ja ...

'' weekend. The Golden☆Lovers received a rematch for the title on August 14, but were again defeated by Apollo 55. Meanwhile, in DDT, Ibushi and Omega came together with

Gota Ihashi , better known by his ring name Gota Ihashi, is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2006–present) I ...

to form the Golden☆Rendezvous～

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

, with the three holding the

KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) promotion. The title was first announced during DDT's year-end event on December 23, 2012, becoming the promotion's fifth active title. The first champions were c ...

from May 26 to June 23, 2013. On January 26, 2014, the Golden☆Lovers won the KO-D Tag Team Championship for the second time by defeating reigning champions Yanke Nichōkenjū (

Isami Kodaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to Pro-Wrestling Basara (Basara). He originally started his career in the Kaientai Dojo (K-Dojo) promotion in July 2002, but later left the promotion to become a freelancer, before signing w ...

and

Yuko Miyamoto is a Japanese professional wrestler. He originally started his career in Wrestling Marvelous Future in August 2003, but later left the promotion and in 2004, signed with Dark Pro-Wrestling 666 (666). Miyamoto has since appeared in Big Japan Pro W ...

) and the team of

Konosuke Takeshita is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to both All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in the United States and DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) in Japan. Takeshita was named the Rookie of the Year by ''Tokyo Sports'' in 2013 and is the youngest KO-D O ...

and Tetsuya Endo in a three-way match. On April 12, Ibushi and Omega became double champions, when the two, along with the newest member of the Golden☆Rendezvous～ stable,

Daisuke Sasaki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), where is a former two-time DDT Universal Champion. In addition to that, in DDT, he is also a former three-time KO-D Openweight Champion, one-time DDT Extreme Champion ...

, defeated Team Drift (

Keisuke Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Ishii also competes for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Professional wrestling career DDT (2008–pr ...

Shigehiro Irie is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Irie has also competed for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), and a number of North American indep ...

and

Soma Takao is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Takao has taken part in every edition of DDT's flagship annual event, Peter Pan, where he had a series of 13 straig ...

) for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship. The trio's reign lasted until May 4, when they were defeated by Shuten-dōji ( Kudo,

Masa Takanashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . Takanashi was trained by Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and has worked for the promotion since his debut in September 2003, becoming a one-time KO-D Openweight Champion, a two-time ...

and

Yukio Sakaguchi is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor and judoka, who is currently signed with DDT Pro-Wrestling and has fought and competed for World Victory Road, DREAM, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, Pancrase, Pro Wrestli ...

) in their second defense. Ibushi and Omega continued holding the KO-D Tag Team Championship until September 28, 2014, when they were defeated by Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. On October 3, 2014, Omega announced he was leaving DDT and signing with NJPW, where Ibushi was already a semi-regular. However, with Ibushi having recently moved to NJPW's heavyweight division, Omega stated that the Golden☆Lovers were done as a tag team due to him wanting to remain in the junior heavyweight division. The Golden☆Lovers wrestled their final match together on October 26, 2014, when they defeated

Danshoku Dino , better known by his ring name , also written Danshoku Dieno, is a Japanese professional wrestler. Dino has spent most of his career competing for DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), where he plays an overly exaggerated homosexual character. His ring nam ...

and Konosuke Takeshita in Omega's DDT farewell match. On January 28, 2018, the Golden☆Lovers were apparently reformed after Omega was seemingly kicked out of

Bullet Club (stylised as BULLET CLUB), sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling stable primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In the United States, the group currently appears on NJPW events run by the c ...

and attacked by fellow member

Cody Cody may refer to: People *Cody (given name) *Cody (surname) * Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels Places Canada *Cody, British Columbia United States * Cody, Florida *Cody (Duluth), Minnesota *Cody, Missouri *Cody, Nebraska *Cody, Wyo ...

. Ibushi made the save for Omega as Bullet Club fled the scene. At first, Omega refused to shake Ibushi's hand, but moments after, both Omega and Ibushi emotionally embraced as confetti fell to the ring. At Honor Rising: Japan Night 2 on February 24, the Golden☆Lovers won their return match as a team against Cody and

Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) as the leader of the stable Villain Enterprises, where he was a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship and a on ...

. After the match, Omega and Ibushi were confronted by

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...

and challenged to a match at

Strong Style Evolved ''Strong Style Evolved'' is a series of professional wrestling television specials produced by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The specials air on AXS in the United States and internationally on NJPW World. The inaugural event took place live L ...

on March 25, which the Golden☆Lovers won. At Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall, Omega defeated

Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramati ...

to win the

IWGP Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...

. After the match, Omega reunited with The Young Bucks, forming the Golden☆Elite along with Ibushi. On the finals of the

World Tag League The World Tag League may refer to any of the following professional wrestling tournaments held in Japan: * World Tag League (JWA), 1970 to 1972, hosted by Japanese Wrestling Association * World Tag League (NJPW), annually since 1991, hosted by New ...

, Ibushi defeated

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii and ...

to win the

NEVER Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...

. At

Wrestle Kingdom The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is a professional wrestling event produced annually on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), a Japan-based professional wrestling promotion. NJPW has promoted events in the venue every Janua ...

, Ibushi lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler who is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion in his first reign and leader of the ...

and Omega lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...

. At the end of January, Omega left NJPW to join

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...

in the United States meanwhile Ibushi stayed in NJPW full-time, disbanding for the second time.

Championships and accomplishments

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with

(1) and

(1) **

(

) **

KO-D Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world openweight championship and the top singles accomplishment in the Japanese promotion CyberFight currently defended in the DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand division. It is one of CyberFight's top major world title ...

(

) – Omega (1), Ibushi (1) *Japan Indie Awards **Best Bout Award (2012) Ibushi vs. Omega on

August 18 Events Pre-1600 * 684 – Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria. * 707 – Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei. *1304 & ...

**Best Bout Award (2014) vs.

and Tetsuya Endo on October 28 *

** IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Omega **

( 1 time) ** NEVER Openweight Championship (1 time) – Ibushi *''

Nikkan Sports is the first-launched Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1946. It has a circulation of 1,661,000, and is an affiliate newspaper of the ''Asahi Shimbun''. Companies and regions ;Nikkan Sports News (Tokyo) :Tokyo HQ: 5-10, Tsukiji Sanc ...

'' **Best Tag Team Award (2010) *''SoCal Uncensored'' **Southern California Match of the Year (2018) vs.

on March 25 *''

'' ** Best Bout Award (2010) vs.

on October 11 *''Weekly Pro Wrestling'' **Best Bout Award (2010) vs.

and

(NJPW, October 11) **Best Tag Team Award (2010)

References

{{KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship Japanese promotions teams and stables New Japan Pro-Wrestling teams and stables