Former AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega has been out of action for months but he isn’t totally out of the picture.

Omega was last seen on AEW TV during the post-Full Gear episode of Dynamite. He had just lost the world title to Hangman Page and he told fellow members of The Elite, Young Bucks & Adam Cole, that he needed some time off.

He left The Young Bucks in charge of the group, not Cole.

Latest On Kenny Omega

PWInsider is reporting that Kenny Omega has actually been present backstage at AEW TV tapings over the past few weeks. He’s also reportedly been producing some of the women’s matches.

At this time, there is still no word on when Omega will be able to return to action.

Omega had been battling a slew of injuries, which explains the time off. The most severe injury was a hernia issue, which Omega had been on a waitlist for surgery. He also underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

Neck problems have also plagued the “Best Bout Machine.”

Former Ring of Honor World Champion Rush is ready to return to in-ring competition and is looking to compete in All Elite Wrestling.

After suffering a knee injury at Glory By Honor on Aug. 21, 2021, Rush has shared that he recovered. However, Rush isn’t signed to ROH. Before the sale to AEW President Tony Khan, ROH had released all talent from their contracts.

Now a free agent, Rush hopes to compete for AEW and wants to compete against the company’s biggest stars. In a tweet on May. 7, Rush expressed a desire to wrestle against Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk.

“For all my fans in America, after 8 months out of the ring, I’m back and stronger than ever. I want Rush vs. Kenny Omega, Rush VS Daniel Bryan, and Rush VS CM Punk,” wrote Rush.

What’s Next for the Ring of Honor Brand Under AEW

Since the purchase of ROH, Khan has featured ROH title matches and had former talent in AEW. On the May. 4 episode of AEW Dynamite, the main event had Mercedes Martinez vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the Undisputed ROH Women’s World Championship. However, it doesn’t seem like a weekly ROH show isn’t happening soon.

Free agents like Rush want to return to ROH or sign with AEW, but it’s unclear if Khan will sign former ROH talent. Wrestling fans are also speculating if ROH will turn into a developmental system like NXT is to WWE. The AEW President shared after the purchase that he’s still unsure about the immediate future of ROH.

Could Another Wrestling Company Sign Rush?

While Rush is interested in AEW, it’s possible that another wrestling company could sign him. A wrestling fan expressed interest in other companies like Impact Wrestling or New Japan Pro Wrestling hiring Rush, which the former ROH champion retweeted. Impact Wrestling has also had former ROH talents wrestling competing for them.

MLW CEO Court Bauer has also expressed interest in Rush. In an interview with Busted Open last year, he shared that he tried to sign Rush before ROH did.

“Rush because I had him before and with my fans, I mean, I have a Spanish language show on beIN Espanol, we always go down to Mexico. We offered him a deal, Ring of Honor countered, and he went with Ring of Honor. I sold out Cicero Stadium with RUSH. I know his [drawing] power. I know the guy’s injured, but I think he’s gonna come back strong”(h/t Fernando Quiles Jr).

The free agent could have plenty of options on who he will sign with next.

It appears things aren’t exactly rosy between Kenny Omega and developer Yuke’s.

Omega has played a big role in the AEW Games division. Many credit him with pushing AEW to release the upcoming Fight Forever title.

While Kenny has shown great enthusiasm publicly, as Kofi Kingston used to say, “Looks like there’s trouble in paradise.”

Kenny Omega Not Pleased With Yuke’s?

Sports Gamers Online is reporting that throughout the making of AEW Fight Forever, Kenny Omega and Yuke’s haven’t been on the same page.

The report notes that the feeling is Yuke’s has been taking advantage of Kenny due to his inexperience in the video game business.

The report also notes that Omega has gone as far as “hating” working with the developer. It’s been said that the game is “way over budget” and even needed an extra investment.

Issues with the budget have reportedly led to some features being scaled back or removed entirely.

As far as the relationship between AEW, specifically Omega, and Yuke’s is concerned, sources told SGO there is a chance it can be repaired. With that said, some people on both sides wouldn’t be surprised if this is a “one and done” deal.

Yuke’s had been the longtime developer of WWE games until the two parted ways back in 2019. Omega initially wanted the team who made the WWF No Mercy game for the N64 but ultimately, Yuke’s got the call.

The AEW Fight Forever roster is expected to feature around 50 playable characters, which means there will inevitably be some disappointing omissions from the core roster.

Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega have put on some classic matches under the NJPW banner. Omega’s bouts with Okada helped him become a worldwide star among fans. However, their rivalry ended when Omega left NJPW in 2019 to sign with AEW. 

The top New Japan Pro Wrestling star has no problem running it back with Omega in the United States, but only if that’s what the fans want to see. AEW and NJPW will host their first joint pay-per-view event, AEW X NJPW: Forbidden Door, on June 26th. 

While speaking with Sports Illustrated about whether or not he will wrestle Omega at the pay-per-view, Okada stated that if there’s enough support from fans for the bout then they will go in that direction. 

“Is there still unfinished business there?” Okada asks. “I’ve already wrestled a lot of great opponents. It was an honor for me last month to team with Tatsumi Fujinami and wrestle against a legend like Yoshiaki Fujiwara. There are a lot of truly great professional wrestlers out there and a lot of possible dream matches. If running me and Kenny back really is a dream match, well then that’s definitely a direction to take.”

Okada also stated in this interview that he feels confident the day will come when he wrestles CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.

Will Ospreay is making it known that he wants to face Kenny Omega at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door.

Omega has been out of action since late 2021. He worked through multiple injuries as AEW World Champion. Omega underwent multiple surgeries during his time off, including for his knee and a sports hernia.

Ospreay and Omega have exchanged a lot of trash talk on social media and in interviews. On Tuesday morning, Ospreay tweeted about his upcoming match against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku (5/1/22). He wrote, “I will be paying homage to a wrestler that largely impacted my career, to show my appreciation for his contribution & sacrifice.”

Omega assumed Ospreay was talking about him, and said, “thanks, I guess.” Ospreay reacted with an inquiry about Omega’s health, and whether or not he’ll be healthy by June.

AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door takes place Sunday, June 26th from Chicago, IL.

No matches have been announced as of this writing, but wrestlers from both companies are already making challenges and dropping hints about who they want to face. Omega vs. Ospreay would be a match worthy of this inter-promotional super-card.

• KENTA Challenges CM Punk to Match at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door

Will Ospreay Ready for AEW’s Top Stars

A few months ago, Will Ospreay spoke to SEScoops and expressed his desire to work with AEW stars. To put it more bluntly, Ospreay expressed his desire to “embarrass” the likes of Kenny Omega, CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.

“If you guys really want it that bad, you know what to do,” Ospreay told SEScoops. “You just gotta call my number and I’ll show up. I’ll show up. But 9 times out of 10, these guys don’t want me to show up. Because A, I’ll embarrass them. I’ll embarrass them.”

“Guys like Bryan Danielson made a living being one of the best wrestlers in the world. But if I showed up, he would not last in the ring with me. Kenny Omega was THE guy in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He left. I took over. Nobody could compete with me in 2019. If I got in the ring with him, I’d embarrass him.”

Darius Martin of Top Flight has reacted to the Fightful report that he recently suffered a leg injury and will miss significant ring time.

On Friday, he posted a tweet and gave a different perspective:

The 22-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota just got back to AEW after over a year on the sidelines due to an ACL tear. He returned on March 2nd. Top Flight is 6-1 since then. The team wrestled in the main event of the latest episode of AEW Dark. They teamed with The Hardys in an 8-man tag match against Private Party, The Blade & Angelico.

Kenny Omega Injury Update

Kenny Omega continues to rehabilitate his various injuries, but he probably won’t be back in time for AEW’s next pay-per-view event.

The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion has been out of action since late 2021. Last month, it’s believed that Omega had arthroscopic knee surgery and also went under the knife to correct a sports hernia. Both procedures have a recovery time of approximately 8-10 weeks.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer said he doesn’t expect Omega to be healthy in time for AEW Double or Nothing in late May.

“I don’t know where Omega is as far as recovery on everything. But I don’t think he’s gonna make the May PPV. I don’t know that, the last I heard, it didn’t sound promising for May.”

– Dave Meltzer on Kenny Omega’s stauts

Kenny Omega is not your average athlete, but he should not rush his return. At this stage of his career, staying healthy is a top priority.

The June 23rd AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view would be incomplete without Kenny Omega, so it’s probably best that he plays it safe and gives himself that extra month of recovery time.

• Kenny Omega On Life after Wrestling: “I’m Always Thinking About It”

Many expected Kenny Omega to be back by the time for Revolution when he first took time off from AEW programming.

The PPV came and went without a sign of the former AEW champion. Latest reports now suggest that fans will have to wait even longer for the Cleaner’s return.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently provided some update on the AEW star. He noted that Omega is currently recovering from an arthroscopic knee surgery which takes about 10 weeks.

In addition to the knee surgery, Kenny Omega is expected to undergo procedure for a sports hernia at the end of March. The usual recovery time for this is two months.

Meltzer noted that apart from this “there’s also other things he’s taking care of.” With all the issues he has been dealing with, there is currently no timetable for his return.

The former IWGP heavyweight champion himself commented on his hiatus last month. He had noted how they initially expected him to be back by February but it doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.

Though this doesn’t mean Omega is not involved with the company in other capacity. He has been working on the AEW video game in the meantime and has also been thinking about his post wrestling career.

• Kenny Omega Open To Another Match With “New” Version Of Jay White

Kenny Omega knows that being an in-ring competitor doesn’t last forever.

Omega has put on a slew of classic matches but he has not gone unscathed. “The Best Bout Machine” is currently out of action as he is awaiting hernia surgery. Omega revealed he can actually work through the hernia issue but didn’t want to risk aggravating the injury.

Kenny Omega Talks Life After Wrestling

Kenny Omega appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio and admitted he constantly ponders what the future might hold once his in-ring run is up.

“I’m always thinking about it, especially now because you see how fragile everything is and how it could end. I don’t necessarily mean from a personal standpoint. I could be injured, and it’s over, or one of the procedures could go wrong.

“They have to give me the bad news, ‘you’ll never be the same, and you can’t be the person you want to be in the ring,’ or, we wake up tomorrow, and everything digital has been hacked, and there’s an alien life form, and there is no way for material to get out there. It could happen; who knows. It could all end, go out of our control; sorry guys, AEW isn’t a thing, all wrestling isn’t a thing, what is that I do?”

Kenny is an EVP of AEW and one of the promotion’s founding members. His contract with AEW will expire in Feb. 2023.

Omega’s legacy is pretty much sealed at this point. His popularity exploded thanks to his work in NJPW. While his AEW run got off to a slow start, he became the true “Best Bout Machine” fans were hoping for during his AEW World Heavyweight Title reign.

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

It’s no secret that AEW is developing a video game to end WWE’s dominance in the segment and Kenny Omega is one of the top executives working on the project. The former AEW champion recently had an interview with Wrestling Observer Radio. He first provided some updates on his health and recovery.

Speaking about how their game would fare against the competition, Omega admitted that their product would never be able to compete with WWE’s production:

“We’ll never be able to compete with the production values of WWE’s game. 2K22 is absolutely gorgeous, I’m excited to see all their bells and whistles when it finally releases. For us, rather than pushing the envelope drastically or anything like that, we just want the wrestling to feel how it used to feel for the people” said Kenny Omega, “who would play wrestling games back in the day and just have fun with fellow wrestling fans.”

• Kenny Omega Open To Another Match With “New” Version Of Jay White

The AEW star also mentioned how it’s been a while since they have provided an update on the game. He claimed that they are working non-stop, around the clock on it. Omega teased we will hopefully have an update on it soon. He said that he doesn’t want to promise it but suggested that we may get some new details around the time for their next PPV in revolution.

Thanks to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

AEW fans have been clamoring for new information regarding an upcoming console game and they might get it soon.

Back in Nov. 2020, it was revealed that AEW handed Yuke’s the keys to develop a console game. Yuke’s used to be the developers of the WWE 2K series before cutting ties with 2K Games.

Fast forward to 2022 and while we’ve had some details and gameplay footage emerge, things are still being kept under wraps with the game. Could we be in for some fresh info and an update on the roster?

More AEW Video Game News Soon?

Kenny Omega appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio and while he didn’t make any promises, he did say that the hope is that something can be shown off as soon as the AEW Revolution PPV, which is set for March 6 (h/t Wrestle Purists).

“I don’t wanna promise at the PPV or in that PPV week but we were hoping to possibly show a little more of where we’re at & little bit more progression, reveal possibly new characters”

Kenny did mention that the goal was for matches in the game to have a fast pace similar to what fans witness on TV every week.

“We want it to feel like how a match would flow but within a video game, so the matches will probably, in general, go a little bit quicker. But we want them to feel like the user is able to assume the role of their favorite AEW Superstar.”

SEScoops will keep you posted when any new info on the AEW console game surfaces.

Kenny Omega isn’t opposed to mixing it up with Jay White again, although the circumstances would be far different this time.

On night two of NJPW’s The New Beginning in Sapporo event back in 2018, Omega put the IWGP United States Championship on the line against White. Omega suffered an upset loss after he was hit with the Blade Runner and pinned.

Omega vs. White Again?

At the time of Jay White’s victory over Kenny Omega, fans weren’t entirely sold on “Switchblade.” It wasn’t until Jay began to develop his character more that he was truly embraced as a top player in NJPW.

Speaking to Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer, Omega expressed his belief that the immediate expectations for Jay may have been unfair (h/t Wrestle Purists).

“I really feel that he was sort of unfairly compared to me and or others when he was given this incredible responsibility of being a top guy when maybe it was really soon, too soon.”

Omega went on to say that he is quite impressed with how Jay was able to grow into his role and thinks another matchup with “Switchblade” is an exciting thought.

“He was able to transform his look, his character, his wrestling style to really be something unique and something that fits him. So I would love to have that rematch with Jay (White), but the current version of the new Jay.”

White has been appearing on AEW television the past couple of weeks. He’s fresh off a victory over Trent Beretta on the Feb. 18 episode of Rampage.

Omega has been out of action since losing the AEW World Heavyweight Championship to Hangman Page at Full Gear back in Nov. 2021. Kenny told Meltzer that the targeted February return time frame is likely off the table.

Kenny Omega spoke about Cody Rhodes’ departure from AEW on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. During the discussion, Omega noted that perhaps Cody’s idea of what AEW would be was different from Tony Khan’s and different from what Omega and the Young Bucks envisioned.

“When this thing (AEW) first started, the most passionate person of our revolution, the most passionate person of creating an ‘us vs. them’ mentality, that was Cody. It was strange for him to just choose to up and walk away,” Omega said. “However, that being said, feelings change. The environment around you is ever-changing.”

Omega continued to say that he thinks Cody had a different vision for AEW than Tony, Omega, and the Young Bucks did.

“Maybe, in the end, we had the Bucks and their vision, my vision, and Cody’s vision. All of our visions are different. I would say mine was more similar to what the Bucks had envisioned and Cody’s was much different,” Omega continued.

Kenny Omega On Cody Rhodes’ Departure From AEW

Omega also said that he enjoys a good professional relationship with Cody. He’s not a guy he hangs out with on his off time, however. Omega also said that Cody was more prone to wanting to go to war with WWE, while the Young Bucks wanted to just present a different product.

“When Cody had his way of going about things, I wasn’t sure how to follow up with that, nor was I interested. There was Kenny doing his thing, the Bucks doing their thing, and the Codyverse over there, doing whatever it is that he does,” Omega continued.

Omega also mentioned that he heard Cody is on a flight to Saudi Arabia, perhaps to officially join WWE.

“I heard he’s (Cody Rhodes) on a flight to Saudi Arabia, if that makes him happy, that makes him happy. Again, the Bucks and I, we weren’t in this for the war. All the guys and gals in WWE doing their thing, always wishing for the best for those guys,” Omega continued.

Kenny Omega was a guest on Wrestling Observer Radio recently and gave an update on his various injuries and potential return to the ring. According to Omega, he had originally hoped to be able to return in February. He noted that he ran into trouble booking appointments for treatments, however, and this caused his return to be pushed back.

“I was hoping to be back by February. It’s not looking that way anymore,” Omega said. “That’s not to say there was a huge snag or something that is terribly wrong, it’s not that. It’s just, trying to get appointments and things fixed.”

Omega noted that he is dealing with a hernia as well as knee and neck issues. Some of his training has been impacted as well by not being able to use his legs as much for cardio.

“The training is going well, once I’m able to try to get the knees fixed, get the neck fixed, the hernia, & all that stuff,” he continued. “Hopefully I’m able to move around much better than I was before & I look like a guy who was doing what he was doing 10 years ago.”a

“The training is going well, once I’m able to try to get the knees fixed, get the neck fixed, the hernia, & all that stuff,

Hopefully I’m able to move around much better than I was before & I look like a guy who was doing what he was doing 10 years ago,”

– Kenny Omega
(via WOR) pic.twitter.com/AwTEOBVzJ0

— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) February 19, 2022

He didn’t provide an updated timeline for his return, however. Omega hasn’t wrestled since dropping the AEW World Championship to Hangman Page at Full Gear back in November.

Kenny Omega has been out of action since November 2021. After losing the AEW World Championship to Adam Page at Full Gear, the Best Bout Machine announced he’d need to step away from AEW. He told the Young Bucks, “I feel like there is things I gotta fix and there is things I gotta change and I can’t do it here.”

Omega had been working through injuries for months. During his reign as AEW champion, he dealt with issues affecting his knee, shoulder and an abdominal hernia.

AEW President Tony Khan spoke about Kenny Omega’s situation this week while doing the media rounds for Wednesday’s Dynamite from Atlantic City. During a discussion with PWInsider, Khan said Omega is greatly missed behind the scenes.

Kenny Omega Update

“He’s one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and was a dominant champion in AEW for almost a year,” said Khan. “I personally miss Kenny Omega being around very much. He’s healing from a bunch of injuries, significant injuries.”

“He wrestled through all of that and had some of the best matches in the history of the company while he was really beat up. And he really cares a lot about wrestling and he worked his ass off to fill up and make his matches great even when he was in a ton of pain.”

It’s believed that Kenny Omega has undergone all the necessary procedures for him to begin a road back to recovery and full health. Tony Khan still can’t believe what he was able to do in the ring while battling such extensive injuries.

“Now it’s time for him to rehabilitate and heal and he’s going to come back stronger, and comeback, I hope as good or even better than ever. I really believe the stuff he did while he was physically limited was so impressive.”

“He was coming in with major injuries and then he worked a really hard schedule here in AEW too. I think he was absolutely the wrestler of the year for 2021. And I’m very excited for Kenny Omega’s return in 2022. It’ll be a long time coming and we’d be excited to have him back.”

It will be interesting to see how Kenny Omega conducts himself when he returns. Prior to his hiatus, Omega was entrenched in the Elite with the Young Bucks, but there was tension with Adam Cole. We could see Omega and Cole jockey for control of The Elite, or he could go in an entirely different direction.

There’s no love lost between Jim Cornette and AEW star Kenny Omega. The two had their latest online scrap this week, with Omega issuing an apology that was strongly rejected by the WWE Hall of Famer.

It started when Cornette took issue with being mentioned by Omega in a tweet that was directed at someone. Omega originally said in response to someone who asked him to disavow Marty Scurll: 

“Will you bump up Corny’s oxygen so he can maybe get through a podcast without wheezing through every word? It’s harsh on the ears from what I hear.”

Cornette fired back: “not sure why Twinkletoes is referencing me in a completely unrelated conversation I’m not involved in, but he needs hobbies/attention. Hey dipshit, I’m not as harsh on the ears as your ballet routines are on people’s eyes, & I’m wheezing from laughing at your attempts to wrestle.”

Omega revealed that he has been dealing with the effects of COVID-19. He then apologized by writing: “Shouldn’t have brought up any breathing issue. I, as well as many friends/acquaintances in other sports, are suffering due to Covid after effects. Not sure if you’ll accept, but I do apologize.”

Realizing he may have taken things too far, Omega walked back his remarks about Cornette’s labored breathing.

On Tuesday morning, Jim Cornette reacted Omega’s apology. Cornette says he wants nothing to do with Omega and his phony brand of pro wrestling.

Tommy Dreamer has unveiled his picks for the top male and female wrestlers of 2021.

Wrestling fans had plenty to smile about this year. Fans eventually were back in arenas at full force in the United States and we saw plenty of fantastic matches and moments.

Whether you’re a fan of WWE, AEW, NJPW, Stardom, Impact, AAA, or the indies, you were likely satisfied at least a few times.

Tommy Dreamer’s Number One Picks

On an episode of Busted Open Radio, Tommy Dreamer made a top 10 list for the men and women of wrestling in 2021. His top pick on the female side is Becky Lynch, who he gave the nod to over Mickie James.

“My number one on the top 10 women is ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch. Another person who came back unexpectedly, had a child, is in amazing shape and, I feel even though she’s a way better babyface than as a heel, is still thriving in the role that is given to her.

“I had big debate over Mickie and Becky but Becky is on a larger scale so that’s where I came with my top 10.”

Dreamer admitted that he had one heck of a time making his top choice on the men’s side. Ultimately, it was down to Kenny Omega and Roman Reigns.

“My number one is Kenny Omega. Why? Because he held three titles for three different companies and was a drawing factor on PPVs and a drawing factor in attendance for three different companies.

“Not only was he killing it on the microphone, not only was he killing it in the ring, he did it for three different companies and he too was banged up.”

Who is your pick for the top male and female wrestlers of 2021? Let us know in the comments!

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Several members of the AEW roster who signed 3-year deals with the promotion in late 2018 or early 2019 are about to have their contracts come up for renewal. This was the case recently with the Young Bucks. Matt & Nick Jackson recently confirmed they are now under contract with AEW for 2 more years.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Young Bucks’ contracts included an option for Tony Khan to renew for an additional 2 years. Khan picked up the option and they are now under contract until December 31st, 2023.

“The original contract also gave Tony Khan the option for two more years, which included a raise both of those years, which he picked up,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes, Adam Page and Chris Jericho also signed similar 3-year deals. Their deals are also said to include the option for AEW to renew by 2 more years. Provided Tony Khan chooses to exercise that option, they would all remain under contract until the end of 2023. There is no word on if those options have been officially picked up as of yet, however.

“I would expect all will be renewed but factually can’t confirm anything past many of them have,” Meltzer continued.

Cody Rhodes insists he’s still in communication with the core members of AEW.

Rhodes is one of the key figures that started a movement that would eventually lead to AEW. The others were Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. Their efforts ultimately led to Tony Khan gaining the confidence to start a new wrestling promotion.

While everything seemed to be smooth sailing between the four, it had been rumored that Omega and Young Bucks have distanced themselves from Cody. It’s even been speculated that Cody doesn’t talk to his fellow EVPs anymore.

Cody Rhodes’ Relationship With AEW EVPs

During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Cody Rhodes claimed that he’s still in contact with Omega and The Young Bucks.

“As of now, my future is with AEW. AEW would be very strange without the core members of the revolution. We all still talk. We all have this admiration for each other. I can’t see myself anywhere else, and I’m very optimistic about what the future holds.”

Rhodes went on to discuss how far AEW has come in a short period of time.

“We’re essentially at the three-year point of AEW, and our stability is the tell-tale sign that our vision was the proper vision. We have such a stable company that Bryan Danielson decided to cross that line, that CM Punk decided to join after seven years away, that Adam Cole—who was being groomed to be a massive star in WWE—decided to cross the line. And that’s not a knock on them, it just shows that we have built a very stable infrastructure.”

Cody has been involved in a storyline with PAC, Malakai Black, and Andrade El Idolo. On the Dec. 1 episode of AEW Dynamite, Cody will be taking on Andrade in a street fight.

The last time Cody was in the ring with Andrade El Idolo, he ended up getting pinned thanks to interference from FTR.

It was recently revealed that the Young Bucks have signed contract extensions with AEW that will take them into 2024. According to comments made by Wade Keller of PW Torch, some talent in the company with expiring contracts are wondering what type of deal they will get when their current contracts expire.

“There are people I’ve talked to in AEW who are looking at their contracts and wondering what their deal is gonna be next time when their first deals come up,” Keller said. “And how much leverage they’re gonna have with WWE or New Japan or heck, GCW with their ticket sales these days or the indie scene as an option to book yourself. It’s gonna be interesting to watch.”

With the Young Bucks now having re-signed, AEW reportedly wants to get the other 2 EVPs to re-sign as well. Keller continued to say that he’s heard Tony Khan wants to lock up Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega for more years as well.

“I have heard the intent and the hope is that Cody and Kenny and Tony all come to deals,” Keller said. “There’s not signs that any of them want to leave or are disgruntled to the point that they shouldn’t be able to come to an extension but I don’t know the situation.”

“Maybe Cody and Kenny already signed extensions and they kept it quiet. Actually, I’m pretty sure that hasn’t happened now that I think about it from people I’ve talked to. I think Cody and Kenny might be next in terms of signing extensions.”

The Elite Sign With AEW

Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks were all named EVPs of the company in addition to signing as talent in early 2019/late 2018. The promotion was officially announced on New Year’s Day in 2019. The announcement was made in a video posted to the “Being the Elite” YouTube channel. Hangman Page signed with AEW as a talent only. Then-Elite member Marty Scurll was still under contract to Ring of Honor and would eventually re-sign with that promotion before being officially released in early 2021.

H/T To Wrestling Inc. for transcriptions.

While Kurt Angle has retired from active competition, the Olympic gold medallist still keeps an eye on the happenings of the wrestling world. The rise of AEW has been the biggest wrestling stories of the past few years and the former world champion has big praise for one of the stars that helped start the promotion.

Chris Jericho interviewed Angle for an episode of Talk Is Jericho on Wrestling Rager At Sea Triple Whammy. The episode that was released recently saw the two long-time friends discussing a number of topics including Kurt’s TNA run. Speaking about his decision to join the company, Kurt Angle said wrestling with AJ Styles was one of the things that inspired him to join the promotion:

“You know, I got to wrestle with AJ Styles. That was my inspiration coming into the company. I had my eyes set on AJ. He was one of the greatest overall performers I’ve ever seen. The stuff he can do in the ring. He was great at technical stuff. He was great at high-flying. He had the whole ball of wax.

The great thing about AJ was you didn’t have to do any work. I mean, when you wrestled him it was like a night off. He did all the bumping. He did all the selling. He did all the flying around. All you did was catch him. And I could go an hour and a half with AJ and not even break a sweat.  But he’d be exhausted.”

Angle Praises Kenny Omega

Kurt Angle also had some big praise for the former AEW world champion Kenny Omega. He said that Omega reminds him of the Phenomenal one. The former WWE star claimed that both these stars have the it factor:

“Another wrestler that reminds me of AJ is Kenny Omega. Very much so. These guys are a step above everybody. For whatever reason. I don’t know what it is, but they have the it factor. These guys put on tremendous matches.

I’m not buying all the six and seven star matches by Dave Meltzer, but the only person that gets like six, seven, eight, nine stars is Kenny Omega, and he deserves it. It’s really incredible how good he really is.”

Apart from this, Kurt Angle talked about his feud with Samoa Joe. He revealed that he wanted to wait a few months after joining TNA and build the rivalry before finally having a match. Though the officials decided that they didn’t want to wait. Angle ended up facing Joe in his first PPV match for the organization at Genesis 2006.

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with a H/T for transcription

AAA has started to list Kenny Omega’s replacements for Triplemania Regia.

Omega was the reigning AAA Mega Champion. He held the title for 765 days, which is the longest reign in that championship’s history.

Kenny was never beaten for the title. Instead, he was forced to vacate it due to injury. Omega is reportedly going to have surgery on his shoulder and he’ll also be healing other nagging injuries.

Kenny Omega was expected to put the AAA Mega Championship on the line against Hijo del Vikingo on Dec. 4. That plan went awry and now AAA is moving forward.

Samuray Del Sol Is Kenny Omega’s First Replacement

AAA will be going with a multi-person match to determine the new Mega Champion. The first participant announced is Samuray Del Sol, formerly known as Kalisto in WWE.

Del Sol appeared on the Nov. 3 episode of AEW Dynamite. He teamed with Aero Star in a losing effort against current AAA Tag Team Champions, FTR.

AAA Triplemania Regia will be taking place on Dec. 4. It’ll be held inside Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.

On the card, FTR will defend their AAA gold against Lucha Bros. Plus former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will be featured in a match for the AAA World Trios Championship.

AAA has officially stripped Kenny Omega of the Mega Championship. He will not take part in their December 4th show where he was scheduled to defend the title against El Vikingo. Omega won the title from Fenix at Héroes Inmortales XIII on October 19th, 2019.

Dorian Roldan made the announcement today.

“Due to injury and surgery issues, Kenny Omega may not be present at Triplemania Regia ; Therefore, as of this moment, the MegaChampionship of AAA remains vacant, with El Vikingo as the first challenger; more news soon,” reads a translation of his Tweet.

There is no timetable for Omega’s return to in-ring action currently. His various injuries were addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“He has a lot of different issues, knee, shoulder, abdominal hernia that he’s been working through,” said Dave Meltzer. “There’s others too. He’ll be getting multiple surgeries, most likely. Everything is kind of to be determined.” 

The lineup for AAA TripleMania Regia II, minus the Mega Championship match, is below:

AAA TripleMania Regia II Lineup

• Cain Velasquez, Psycho Clown & Pagano vs. LA Park, Rey Escorpion & Taurus 
• AAA World Tag Team Championship
  FTR (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers
• La Empresa (Sam Adonis, Puma King & DMT Azul) vs. Monster Clown, Murder Clown & Dave the Clown
• Dragon Lee & Dralistico vs. Laredo Kid & a mystery partner
• Vipers (Psicosis, Abismo & Arez) vs. Poder del Norte (Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana & Carta Brava Jr.) vs. NGD (Sanson, El Cuatrero & Forastero)
• Marvel Lucha Libre match
  Leyenda Americano & Gran Mazo vs. Venenoide & Enganso
• Faby Apache, Lady Shani & Sexy Star vs. La Hiedra, Flammer & Lady Maravilla

Kenny Omega thinks that the biggest difference of the wrestling fandom in America compared to Japan is the social media interactions.

The Cleaner stopped by the office of naprapath Dr. Beau Hightower to get himself in a better shape for his Full Gear match against Hangman Page before the PPV this past Saturday. The now-former AEW champion had a detailed conversation about things such as developing his persona, being a fan of anime, and more while getting the adjustments.

Omega spent over half a decade in Japan rebuilding his character after some failed stints in America. He has been reintroduced to the wider American audience in the past couple of years ever since AEW started putting out a weekly show on national television.

When asked what’s the biggest difference he has noticed in the fandom of Japan and America, Kenny Omega said that the major difference is the social media interaction with fans.

“I would say the major difference is social media interactions. I find that by far and away native English speakers are much more volatile online. You just don’t get that [in Japan]. At the very least, even at the most basic level, I would say a [Japanese] wrestling fan respects the effort wrestlers put in. Whereas in America or the UK or sometimes Canada or whatever, you know, people want us to die.

They want us to get injured. They want us to be retired. They want us to be out of work and I hear it hundreds of times a day. And if I wasn’t kind of numb to it, I don’t know. I feel like I might be in a real terrible mental place. That’s why I worry for other people who may not be in similar shoes and may not be used to that.”

• Jim Ross: Kenny Omega Has Got To Take Time To Heal

“Fans Feels Like They Are Fighting The War”: Kenny Omega

Discussing the mentality behind the negative reactions of fans, Kenny Omega explained that people believe they are fighting the war alongside their favorite team. Though it’s not something the wrestlers or the companies want them to do:

“The fans feel like they’re fighting the war alongside their favorite team and so they feel like they’re doing their due diligence. And what they’re actually doing is probably not what anyone really wishes them to do.”

Kenny Omega dropped the AEW world championship to Hangman Page during the Full Gear PPV. This culminated one of the longest-running storylines of the company. The former IWGP champion has since confirmed that he is taking a break from AEW programming to heal from his various injuries. While an exact timetable for his return is not known, he is expected to stay out of action for at least a few months.

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with a H/T for the transcription.

Kenny Omega will not be defending his AAA Mega Championship against El Vikingo at TripleMania Regia II on December 4th.

AAA was reporrtedly notified earlier this week that Omega will need to miss the show, according to the Wrestling Observer.

“AAA was told on 11/17 that Omega was getting surgery and wouldn’t be able to face El Hijo del Vikingo on 12/4 in Monterrey,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

“AAA we’re told does have an idea for a backup plan, but at press time it wasn’t finalized, but should be known shortly if it pans out.”

Omega is dealing with several injuries which will likely require surgery. These include an abdominal hernia, as well as shoulder and knee injuries.

More information about Kenny Omega’s injuries and a potential timeline for return is available in the link below:

AAA TripleMania Regia II Lineup

• Cain Velasquez, Psycho Clown & Pagano vs. LA Park, Rey Escorpion & Taurus 
• AAA World Tag Team Championship
  FTR (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers
• La Empresa (Sam Adonis, Puma King & DMT Azul) vs. Monster Clown, Murder Clown & Dave the Clown
• Dragon Lee & Dralistico vs. Laredo Kid & a mystery partner
• Vipers (Psicosis, Abismo & Arez) vs. Poder del Norte (Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana & Carta Brava Jr.) vs. NGD (Sanson, El Cuatrero & Forastero)
• Marvel Lucha Libre match
  Leyenda Americano & Gran Mazo vs. Venenoide & Enganso
• Faby Apache, Lady Shani & Sexy Star vs. La Hiedra, Flammer & Lady Maravilla

AEW play-by-play ace Jim Ross thinks it’s in Kenny Omega’s best interest to take as much time off as he needs.

Omega is coming off an unsuccessful AEW World Heavyweight Title defense. He ended up losing the gold to Hangman Page at Full Gear.

Reports surfaced saying that Kenny Omega is injured. The Best Bout Machine is expected to be off television through early 2022.

Jim Ross Advises Kenny Omega To Heal Fully

Jim Ross has seen a slew of talent go down with injuries. During an episode of his Grilling JR Podcast, Ross said he hopes Omega doesn’t rush things.

“Adam had the night that he needed, the performance more specifically that he needed. Give a lot of credit to Kenny Omega. Omega’s body is battered, he’s got bad shoulders.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do if I were him and I’m sure Tony Khan is feeling somewhat the same way, you’ve got to get the guys some rest, he’s got to heal a bit.

“Quite frankly that’s not a bad thing because he lost the title, now he can not go invisible but be less prominent on the shows as a wrestler and more as a personality until he’s more healthy.

“Kenny Omega deserves a hell of a lot of credit for making that match with Adam as good as it was. I think Kenny just elevated [Page], he made sure the transition from himself to Hangman Page was spot on and it was. I really enjoyed their outing.”

Omega is currently scheduled to put his AAA Mega Championship on the line against Hijo del Vikingo on Dec. 4. There is no word on whether or not he can do the match.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the quotes