Friday afternoon, Kenny Omega took to X (previously Twitter) to announce that he will be out of action for the foreseeable future:
I can’t really sugar coat this. 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! pic.twitter.com/kn9ZKUgSls
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) December 15, 2023
Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported later on X that Omega had been sick for at least the last week. Sapp suggested that Omega competed while unwell against Ethan Page on AEW Collison last Saturday and that he was also ill during this week’s heavily criticized segment with Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks, and Big Bill, where the God of Pro Wrestling was critiqued, along with the other participants for a lack of cohesion and focus. With Kenny trying to work through the pain of diverticulitis.
Originally, according to Dave Meltzer, Omega thought at first it was a possible hernia, which Omega experienced originally in 2022. Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio stated:
“It was in a really bad situation. I mean, in the sense that if he had not gone in another day or so, it could have been horrendous… I heard from him, and just kind of said that, like, he was in pain, had had trouble sleeping, but he just thought it was the hernia acting up again…. once he found out it was, and he said, [it] could have been really really bad complications. I don’t know how long he’s going to be out, and I don’t think anyone does. It was a very, very serious situation by the time he got to the hospital,”
What is Diverticulitis?
Diverticulitis stems from diverticula, a medical term used to describe the small bulges that can form in the digestive system (colon- large intestine). Diverticulitis is defined as an infection that occurs when bacteria becomes trapped inside one of the bulges.
This triggered more severe symptoms, including abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and a marked change in bowel habits. It can also lead to complications, like abscesses, bowel blockages, or peritonitis in the colon.
Kenny Omega is in hospital receiving treatment, and he will be out of action indefinitely. There needs to be a clear timetable for his return. The status of Omega and Chris Jericho’s AEW World Tag Team Championship shot against Big Bill and Ricky Starks at AEW Worlds End on December 30th will likely be canceled. However, this is yet to be considered.
Brock Lesnar’s Battle with Diverticulitis
Some fans may remember that in 2009, Brock Lesnar was side-lined in November of that year with a serious case of diverticulitis. The condition was so serious that the surgery required was not the first treatment for this illness. Normally, surgery is only taken when a severe risk of infection or other health risks require invasive intervention.
This first bout of diverticulitis caused Lesnar’s immune system to work into overdrive, with his immune system attacking the infected area as if it were a virus. This made Brock very susceptible to illness and infection. However, Brock was struck by diverticulitis in May 2022 and again received surgery. Lesnar had to have a foot of his colon removed.
Brock was incredibly lucky to be alive. Although this severely impacted Brock’s UFC career in the eyes of many pundits, Brock did make a triumphant return to WWE in 2012. At this point, there is no confirmation of the severity of Kenny Omega’s condition, but the fact he is receiving treatment is positive news.
Fans Calling It Karma
Frustratingly, some fans within the online wrestling community have taken to call the diagnosis as some form of karma. Their reasoning is that in AEW: Fight Forever, the name of Brock Lesnar’s F5 maneuver is listed as “diverticulitis.” These fans have labeled Kenny Omega as somehow being responsible for the choice of name due to his creative role in the game.
On Saturday, Omega took to social media to respond to a fan who implied this, explaining he had nothing to do with the name:
“Wtf you talking about? Even if I were in charge of EVERYTHING in game dev, I didn’t even know this name existed. I was creative lead in the early stages. That’s it. CAW move lists aren’t part of that. But sure, I deserve everything I get and worse.”
Words of Support
Many wrestlers and fans have taken to X to share their support for Kenny, including AEW boss Tony Khan, who, during the Ring of Honor Final Battle media scrum, shared his support and well wishes to Kenny. Everyone at Last Word on Pro Wrestling wishes Kenny Omega all the best in his recovery:
“It’s hard to focus on pro wrestling when it’s somebody you care about and somebody that is so responsible for all of this in so many ways. I don’t know if we could have launched AEW and if this would have been possible without Kenny Omega. Certainly, he’s as influential on the launch of AEW as anybody.”
“He’s one of the greatest pro wrestlers in the world and an important figure in this promotion and this business. I think we’re all really concerned, but thankfully, he’s communicating, and we’re hoping for the best, and it’s taken a turn for the better… We’re all praying for Kenny Omega, and thankfully, there is good reason to be optimistic, but we were all worried about him. Still, it was honestly really hard the last 24 hours focusing on wrestling when somebody who is part of our wrestling family who has something happening that’s not wrestling like that. Whenever there is a real-life situation, it always takes the most precedence. We’re thinking of Kenny Omega and hoping he gets well soon and wishing him the best, and sometimes it’s not about wrestling, even on a great night of wrestling like this.”
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
