On the May 1st episode of AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega made his first appearance since December 2023 and discussed his recovery from diverticulitis. Following the promo, The Elite, including The Young Bucks, Jack Perry, and Kazuchika Okada, launched a surprise attack, resulting in his temporary write-off from AEW television.
Omega thereafter underwent surgery and is currently on the road to recovery, with the need to regain fitness and undergo training for an in-ring return at the highest level.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez reported that while the exact timeline for Omega’s return is still unknown, it has been suggested that Kota Ibushi will be by The Cleaner’s side when he returns, given Ibushi’s ongoing recovery from an injury.
It is to be noted that Omega has started working out again at the gym.
Meltzer said, “He’s (Ibushi) coming back to AEW. Basically, when Kenny Omega returns, he’s (Ibushi) returning. He’s under contract and everything like that. He basically said that he’s under contract there, and he’s waiting for Omega to return for him to return. I don’t even know if there is a date on when Omega will return…put it this way…..I don’t think it’s so far away as before when I would talk about it and go, like I don’t want to think about it, it’s a long ways away. He’s getting better, I know that.”
Alvarez said, “Apparently, he’s been in the gym, yeah, so that’s good.”
Meltzer added, “Yeah, I looked up the surgery that he had, usually for a wrestler it’s about a four-month recovery, so a lot of wrestlers push it and probably come back quicker. So that would be mid-September, but he had a lot…he didn’t just have the hernia problem. He had a lot of different problems. But, like I said, he is coming back. That’s pretty much the word. I don’t think it’s like months and months away. I don’t want to say this because I feel stupid saying it because he has not told me anything in this regard but just the vibe I have is it’ll be before the end of the year.”
Omega underwent surgery on May 16, and the typical recovery period is four months. This means the former AEW World Champion might not be ready for AEW All In: London 2024.
