Kenny Omega has discussed his recovery and whether he has a timeline for returning.
In mid-December, the wrestling world was shocked to learn that Kenny Omega had been rushed into hospital after suffering from diverticulitis. Only 24 hours prior, The Cleaner was on AEW Dynamite announcing his intention to challenger for the tag team titles, but it was later discovered that his illness could have been life-threatening if he didn’t seek assistance when he did.
To offer an update on how he’s progressing, Kenny Omega openly discussed his recovery during a Twitch stream. Firstly, he revealed how his condition has been ‘touch and go’ and talked about how he recently hit a roadblock which required emergency treatment.
“It’s been really touch and go. And I was feeling great for I would say, like a week or two. So for two weeks I was doing great. Then I ran into a little bit of a roadblock and I had to get some emergency treatment again.”
-Kenny Omega
Speaking honestly, Omega admitted that there isn’t currently a timeline for his return. Not wanting to do fans a disservice, he maintained that he doesn’t yet know if and when he will be back.
Because I understand how I feel physically, and I’ve been through the ringer in terms of injuries and getting banged up and all that, I kind of now know when I feel like I can come back. This is the first time I’ve ever been put out with a sickness. And it’s hard to know what’s going on on the inside when you feel a little bit of pain but you don’t really understand the inner workings of what’s going on. So I’d love to say, ‘Hey guys, I’m on track to coming back next week, next month, or in half a year. I don’t have that confidence this time. When they’re explaining to me I was 24 hours away from getting a terrible blood infection and possibly dying, this is like news to me. I’ve never heard of anything like that. I thought it was like, just shrugging it off. I was close to dying? Like are you kidding me? No way. The doctors are there to ensure my safety and kind of to educate me as to how important this stuff is. So, I don’t want to talk out of my ass too much and just say ‘Yeah, for sure, I’m going to be back, I’ll be back at a certain day or a certain time because I don’t know.
-Kenny Omega
However, it’s clear that his battle with illness hasn’t diminished Omega’s passion for wrestling, as he’d go on to say that he feels a responsibility to mix it up with those who call themselves the best in the world should he be medically cleared again.
“But I will say one thing, that after watching Dynamite this past week, I’m kind of getting a feeling for the lay of the land. If I can come back, I feel like I have to. There are too many great… I may never get an environment like that again. I don’t know if I would call that fun, more of a responsibility. I’ve got a responsibility to mix it up with these guys that call themselves the best, because I used to be that guy. I used to have that confidence. And now instead of being that guy with that chip on his shoulder, it’s my job to be the old guard as that gatekeeper. You want to call yourself the best? F—ing prove it, bitch. That’s what I’m here for, or that’s what I will come back for.”
-Kenny Omega
Speaking more on this, Omega said that he still has the desire to get back into in-ring shape, noting that, if he gets the medical clearance, he wants to feel ready to jump back into the ring.
“Whether it be on the pay per view or on Dynamite or on Raw or SmackDown or NXT or anybody, it makes me want to get back in that ring shape. So I’m doing this weird balance of trying to balance the sickness and the pain, but also train and make sure things don’t get too out of hand. If suddenly I’m healed and I’m cleared, I want to be able to hop back in. The bar is so high, I don’t want to come back and be below that bar if I can. I’m just gonna try the best I can.”
-Kenny Omega
Omega has not been forgotten when it comes to AEW Dynamite, as The Young Bucks removed him from The Elite on this week’s show, replacing him with Kazuchika Okada. This leaves the door open for Kenny to begin a storyline with his longtime rival should he be able to return.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Kenny Omega’s condition as soon as we hear more.
