Tag: Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega’s AEW Return Announced For 5/1 Dynamite In Winnipeg

Kenny Omega has been away from AEW programming for many months, dealing with a harrowing battle with Diverticulitis since December. Fans of the former AEW and IWGP Champion can breathe a sigh of relief, as “The Cleaner” is returning to AEW programming, at least for one night.

On Wednesday’s “Dynamite,” AEW announced that Omega would be in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada for next week’s episode of “Dynamite.” It will mark Omega’s first appearance on AEW television since before AEW Worlds End. Omega had initially been slated to team with Chris Jericho to challenge Ricky Starks and Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Championship but a bout of diverticulitis forced him to be pulled from the event. According to Omega, the illness nearly cost him his life.

Omega has been away from AEW programming but has still be communicating with fans via his Twitch channel, where the former AEW World Tag Team Champion streams games and tells stories. Omega has said the illness has left him with “good days” and “bad days” and that it’s still too soon to see if he will be able to recover without requiring surgery. Omega has said his pain is decreasing but training and taking impacts on his abdomen are still a struggle and recovery a long way off.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Report Offers Health Update For AEW Star Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega has been absent from AEW since December, reportedly dealing with a case of diverticulitis that, at one time, threatened his life. According to an update from Dave Meltzer in today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Omega will require surgery to return to AEW in the best condition possible.

Meltzer reported that Omega has gone through “ups and downs” over the last few months, with his condition said to be causing him pain. Two doctors are said to have recommended surgery for Omega, with a procedure that would require repairing damaged sections of his intestines and colon. Meltzer noted that both Brock Lesnar and Davey Boy Smith Jr. dealt with diverticulitis in the past, but Omega’s case looks to be more severe.

As has been made obvious by recent developments on “AEW Dynamite,” the promotion is hoping for a feud between Kazuchika Okada and Omega upon his return. The two faced off numerous times in high-profile New Japan Pro-Wrestling matches in 2017 and 2018, with each man currently tied at two wins each. Okada debuted on the AEW roster earlier this month with the Young Bucks by his side, declaring that they were kicking Omega out of The Elite and suspending “Hangman” Adam Page in favor of adding the former NJPW star.

Omega’s most recent match was on December 5, 2023, when he faced Ethan Page during a pre-taped “AEW Collision.” Though he didn’t know it, Omega was already dealing with diverticulitis at the time. After filming a promo segment at the “Dynamite” taping the following week, it was determined that Omega was very ill and he was taken to a hospital, where he learned the severity of what he was facing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tony Khan Provides Update On Kenny Omega’s AEW Status, Won’t Set Timetable For Return

AEW President Tony Khan has opened up about how former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega is doing and if a return might be on the cards for him. Omega was taken out of action indefinitely at the end of 2023 after being diagnosed with diverticulitis, an illness that could have been fatal had Omega not seen doctors when he did.

“The Cleaner” has since been spotted on Twitch where he has been streaming video games and talking wrestling, and seems in high spirits which has got a lot of people feeling good about seeing him return to the ring. Khan shares this optimism with the fans as he stated in an interview with “ComicBook Nation” that, while he would love to see Omega back in action, he doesn’t want to rush things. 

“We miss Kenny Omega very much,” Khan said. “Hopefully he will be back with us soon and certainly I think the fans will be clamoring for his return and there will be a massive ovation if and when Kenny Omega does come back to AEW. I don’t want to put pressure on it, he was really in a bad way and I don’t want to put a timetable or try to rush him back. But I’m optimistic we’ll see Kenny Omega again and certainly, it’s something for all the fans to look forward to. I think everybody’s going to go crazy when Kenny does come back, which I think we’re all very optimistic about.”

When Omega does come back, he will have to deal with the drama of The Young Bucks, who publicly fired him from The Elite on an episode of “AEW Dynamite” in March 2024 after they said he was not making any of his dates for no good reason.

Source: Wrestling Inc. credit to ComicBook Nation

Kenny Omega Provides An Update On His Recovery From Diverticulitis

Kenny Omega recently took to Twitch to provide an update on his recovery from diverticulitis.

While the AEW wrestler was originally set to compete at the Worlds End 2023 pay-per-view event, he was pulled two weeks before the show due to being hospitalized and diagnosed with diverticulitis.

You can check out some highlights from the Twitch stream below:

On how he’s doing so far: “I know how I feel physically. I’ve been through the ringer in terms of injuries and getting banged up and all of that. I kind of know now what I feel like, and I can come back (from physical injuries). This is the first time I’ve ever been put out with a sickness. It’s hard to really know what’s going on in the inside when you feel a little bit of pain, but you don’t actually know the inner workings of what’s going on. I would love to say, ‘Hey guys, I’m on track to coming back next week, next month, a half of year.’ I don’t have that confidence this time. When they’re explaining to me that I was 24 hours away from a terrible blood infection and possibly dying, this is like news to me. I’ve never heard of anything like that. ‘I wasn’t close to dying, are you kidding me? No way.’ The doctors are there to ensure my safety and educate me as to how important this is.

“I don’t want to talk out of my ass too much and say I’m going to for sure be back, and I’ll be back at a certain date or time because I don’t know. I will say, after watching Dynamite, and getting a feel of the lay of the land. If I can come back, I feel like I have to. We may never get an environment like that again. I don’t know if I would call it fun, more of a responsibility. I have a responsibility to mix it up with these guys that call themselves the best. I used to be that guy and have confidence. Now, instead of being that guy with a chip on his shoulder, now, it’s my job to be a gatekeeper. You want to call yourself the best? F**king prove it, b*tch.”

On the ups and downs of his recovery: “Do I need surgery? I still don’t know. It’s been really touch and go. I was feeling great for a week or two. When you feel terrible, a week or two feels like a long time and it feels like you have momentum and you’re going to push to the finish line, which is to come back. For two weeks, I was feeling great. I ran into a bit of a roadblock and I had to get some emergency treatment again. Well, I wouldn’t say it’s two steps forward, two steps back, but maybe it’s one and a half steps back. I’m better than where I was, but I’m not sure how much improvement I made.

“When I see these guys, whether it be on pay-per-view or Dynamite, Raw, SmackDown, NXT, anybody. It makes me want to get back into that ring shape. I’m doing this weird balancing act of trying to manage the pain or sickness and trying to train. I’m trying to make sure things don’t get too out of hand. If suddenly I’m healed and cleared, I want to hop back in. I don’t want to be like, ‘I haven’t done a thing in four or five months’ or whatever it is. I’ll be disappointed, and you guys will be disappointed. The bar is so high. I don’t want to come back being below that bar. I want to try the best I can.”

Source: eWn

Kenny Omega ‘Out Indefinitely’ With Diverticulitis

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported via X that Omega had been sick for the last week, even before his “AEW Collision” match with Ethan Page, and was hospitalized and diagnosed with diverticulitis following his promo segment on “AEW Dynamite.”

On Wednesday, Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho challenged AEW World Tag Team Champions Ricky Starks and Big Bill to a title match at the Worlds End PPV on December 30. On Friday, word came down from Omega himself that poured a jet of cold water on that idea.

Late Friday afternoon, Omega took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that he is ‘out indefinitely.’ The post was accompanied by a picture of Omega in a hospital bed.

“I can’t really sugar coat this,” Omega wrote. “I’m out indefinitely. I tried to keep pushing past the pain for as long as I could until it became too much. Luckily doctors caught me when they did. I’ll be here so in the mean time, please enjoy wrestling!”

The nature of the injury, the timeline of when AEW learned about it, and any new plans for Jericho, Starks, and Bill heading toward Worlds End remains unclear. The injury comes after Omega spent November and December forming a successful tag team with Jericho as The Golden Jets, even defeating his old friends The Young Bucks at AEW Full Gear in a match for the latter team’s tag team title shot. Given that the Bucks haven’t been seen since and “Hangman” Adam Page was ambushed by the mysterious Devil figure and his minions at the end of Wednesday’s “AEW Dynamite,” All Elite Wrestling could be entirely without The Elite for a little while going forward.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Elite Sign New Multi-Year Deals With AEW

Sports Illustrated reported today that The Elite (Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Page) have each signed new multi-year deals with the company.

The article added Omega and the Bucks will also continue in their roles as Executive Vice Presidents.

Their deals were slated to expire at the end of this year and reportedly had interest from WWE.

“I’m excited to share that Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Adam Page will all be staying in AEW for years to come,” AEW owner Tony Khan said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating the great news with fans around the world.”

Tony Khan confirmed that the new deals with The Elite were inked before tonight’s 200th episode of “AEW Dynamite,”

Here are the statements made by Omega and The Young Bucks:

Kenny Omega: “Our original goal was to create a wrestling alternative and give a platform to talented people that we’d all felt deserved a spotlight,” he said. “I feel like we did our best in that time, and hopefully some people you’d never heard of pre-AEW are folks you enjoy watching today. Or if you knew them from their previous work elsewhere, have maybe found a new appreciation for them. That feeling, combined with the feeling of knowing they can provide for themselves and their family doing what they love, was always the biggest reward of being an EVP/founder. Pro wrestling has a presence almost everywhere on the planet,” he continued. “In my pursuit to become as complete of a performer as possible, my goal was always to experience the styles of the world at their highest level. I believe that with AEW’s current working relationships, and possibly future, I can challenge all forms of pro wrestling and diversify my style so that I’m equipped for any scenario I may encounter in the ring. I was careful to weigh out all options and was open minded to all possibilities,” said Omega. “I’m here to help whomever I can while I’m still around. Up to this point, I’ve made the choice to sacrifice everything in the name of pro wrestling. I can’t say that family or my kids influenced the decision to stay with AEW–I’m not married and without kids–but what I can say is that I’m incredibly proud of my match catalog and the wonderful people I’ve met and continue to meet. AEW not only allows me to continue doing what I do at a high level, but allows the freedom to pursue some other passions I have in life–which, after nearly 25 years in the ring, have become more and more important to me.”

Matt Jackson: “We’re literally the ‘E’ in AEW,” he said. “The Elite are the main characters of this company. No matter how different AEW is now from its original inception, we are the DNA. And if you lose the foundation of your home, it eventually collapses. It’d be a lie if I said that didn’t weigh on us, when making the decision. In my older years of my career, being closer to the end than I am the beginning, I’m not really one who worries much about my legacy anymore,” he continued. “I’ve kind of noticed, like a summer tan, most memories fade. Or, they’re remembered differently or told with errors anyway. Oftentimes the memory is almost instantly forgotten, because you hit the refresh button. As far as my own personal stories, I’ll have enough to retell my grandchildren for a lifetime. And much of those stories can be about how I helped create a massively successful wrestling company where all of your favorites can be seen on live television every week.”

Nick Jackson: “If we’re going to be honest the schedule was a huge part of it,” he said. “I have a wife and three young children and seeing them as much as possible was a big factor. I’m not going to lie, the money was a huge factor, too. At this point of my life and career, I just couldn’t see myself being on the road half of the year or even more than that. I have so much respect for the guys and girls that are able to do that year after year. We for sure could’ve made memories in WWE, but what’s more important to me is making memories with my family. With the position we’re in, I’ll be able to do that and still make memories in AEW.”

Kenny Omega Teases Final Member For The Elite Team For AEW Blood & Guts

When AEW Dynamite went off the air on TBS on Wednesday night, the action continued.

Kenny Omega got on the microphone and cut a promo after the show wrapped up for the crowd inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

“Now you guys listen to this,” Omega said. “There was a week when my whereabouts were unknown. I didn’t stay home. I didn’t go to Canada.”

From there, he would go on to tease the fifth member for The Elite team in their AEW Blood & Guts showdown against the Blackpool Combat Club.

“I went to recruit an old friend, somebody who’s very near and dear to my heart,” Omega said. “I’ve got no doubt in my mind that as much as he cares about me, he cares about the men in this ring, he cares about this promotion, he cares about changing the face of professional wrestling. At Blood and Guts in two weeks, there is no way we lose.”

Source: PWMania

AEW Is Working On Long-Term Deals For The Elite

Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks will have to decide whether they want to sign new AEW deals or see what they can get on the free agent market soon. 

Omega’s deal had been slated to expire earlier this year, but due to the time, he missed while on hiatus, time had been added to his existing deal. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW is keen to tie down The Elite to new deals.

“AEW is working on signing the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega to new long-term deals well before they become free agents.”

The Elite lost the AEW Trios Championships to the House Of Black at Revolution. Next week’s Dynamite, The Elite vs. Jericho Appreciation Society vs. House of Black, will take place.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Update On Kenny Omega’s AEW Contract Status

Kenny Omega has been pushed as a top star since helping launch AEW in 2019. 

His future with the company is unclear as his deal with AEW is going to be up in the near future and WWE is reportedly interested in signing him. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Omega’s deal would’ve been up in January, but since AEW has decided to add time to it due to the time he missed in 2022 because of various injuries, Omega will remain with the promotion for most of 2023. 

“Omega’s AEW contract date was to have expired at the end of January as he had a four-year deal with no option clause to add time that started on February 1, 2019. His contract does allow AEW to extend it for the time he was out injured, which has happened. He was out nine months so that would be a maximum of November but the extended time frame hasn’t been finalized as far as how long,” Meltzer wrote.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Backstage Notes On The Elite’s Return, Usage Of New Theme Song, Kansas Reacts To The Elite Using Their Song 

As noted, The Elite (the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) made their in-ring return Saturday night at AEW Full Gear, losing a match to Death Triangle for the AEW Trios Championships. The Elite came out to Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” for their entrance theme. A report by Dave Meltzer from F4WOnline.com has more details on The Elite’s return, and the use of their new theme song.

According to the report, the plan is for The Elite to use “Carry On Wayward Son” as their entrance music specifically for trios matches. They won’t be using the song for regular tag team or singles matches. The Young Bucks have reportedly been looking to use the song for a long time, since the Bucks and their dad are big fans of the song. Previously, the Bucks used the song as entrance music when taking part in backyard wrestling as teenagers.

The use of the song reportedly did not have anything to do with the recent situation between The Elite and CM Punk. As many fans know, The Elite were suspended following the backstage incident that took place at All Out in September. The suspension for The Elite was lifted after the conclusion of an investigation into the incident. While The Elite were said to be aware that people think the two ideas are related, that’s said to not be the case, and they’ve wanted to use the song for a while.

Additionally, even though Saturday night’s match was contested for the Trios titles, that won’t be the case for all of the subsequent matches in their best-of-seven series with Death Triangle. The Elite can only win the titles outright if they win four matches in the best-of-seven series.

The band Kansas took to Twitter following AEW Full Gear to comment on The Elite using their “Carry On Wayward Son” song for their entrance at AEW Full Gear. You can check out their reaction below:

Source: EWrestlingNews