The last time we saw Kenny Omega, it was at Full Gear quite a few months back. He dropped the title that night to Hangman Adam Page. Page too has since lost the title to CM Punk, and even Punk is injured…and an interim AEW World Champion was crowned at Forbidden Door…that being Jon Moxley of course.
All this just to give you a further idea as to how long Kenny Omega’s been gone.
Many sure do miss him; this writer included. Many out there had hoped for an appearance by him at the aforementioned Forbidden Door, but he was unfortunately not there. He of course was such an integral part of NJPW, it was sad not to see him at the event, but as it turns out his convalescence isn’t going as well as hoped.
Even at Full Gear he was working with multiple injuries including a hernia. He had run himself ragged in 2020-2021…at one point as AAA Mega Champion, Impact Wrestling World Champion and AEW World Champion all at once, doing shows for all three companies.
via Pro Wrestling World /YouTube
The toll was finally added up and there were issues he absolutely needed to address, but as Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has stated, Omega will apparently never be the same again.
He has since had arthroscopic knee surgery and is rehabbing quite a bit…some would say too much, but he’s intent on getting back, although he is being realistic at the same time…careful, which is a good thing to avoid setback. He also told Meltzer that he is able to train the body parts that are working better than others and a return is imminent, but still….
via AEW on YouTube
It was during a Twitch stream…specifically a CEO Gaming stream that he said the following:
“If I get another major setback, that’s it. That’s it, I’m done, I can’t do this ever again. Two times, three times a day, really painful rehab, not even knowing what it’s going to be like when I get back in the ring. I have no clue. It’s scary, actually. You see people, they come back to the ring and you’re just happy to see them back…
There is a different kind of expectation put on me, and I think that anything less than what they are expecting, which is already unrealistic, is going to lead to a lot of ridicule, which is what I get every day anyway…
You can probably understand and imagine how difficult it is, struggling twice, three times a day, trying to get things to work that maybe never worked before, and trying to re-route things in your brain to get around the things that aren’t going to heal…
People think, ‘Kenny is hurt, he took time off,’ snap your fingers, I come back and I’m 100%. Life doesn’t work that way. Bodies don’t work that way. Athletes don’t work that way. It’s very difficult to formulate a plan and to execute it. We’ll see how I do.”
Let’s hope everything goes well, as it would be great to see him back sooner rather than later, but it’s better to be safe than sorry to use the old cliché, and it’s better that he takes the time he needs. Hope he’s healthy and safe. Get well soon, champ.
